Shadowflame Read Online Free Page B

Queen’s car back to the Haven yourself when you’re done. I want a full patrol sweep of the city with a description of the suspect—have the description sent to APD as well, just for laughs. Also, inform the owner of this establishment that he will need to double security for all of her shows; money is no object. I want a short list of bodyguard candidates by morning.”
    “Yes, Sire.”
    He met her eyes. “This doesn’t happen again, Second.”
    Faith bowed. “You have my assurance, Sire.”
    He gave her a nod, then got into the car with his Queen, and a moment later they were on their way back to the Haven.
     
    Miranda wanted to punch someone, but she settled for sinking her teeth into someone’s throat.
    Blood, hot and salty-sweet, flowed into her mouth, filling the sandpaper emptiness in her belly and veins, soothing the need to claw and kill. She drank deeply, her hand wrapped around the woman’s neck to hold her still, her power wrapped around the woman’s mind to keep her calm.
    The girl was a jogger, very healthy, her heart rate up so her blood was fully oxygenated. She tasted faintly of coconut, meaning she’d probably had Thai at her most recent meal, and her skin had the warm scent of youth and raspberry body wash.
    Miranda released her, holding her steady for a moment while her awareness returned but impressing strongly on her mind that nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She’d been out for a jog and tripped.
    “Are you all right?” Miranda asked her, giving her voice silvery tones of concern.
    The girl blinked. “Um . . . yeah. I guess I tripped.”
    “You should get home. It’s late.”
    “Yeah. Thanks.”
    The girl pushed her earbuds back in place and started her iPod again; Miranda heard the Black Eyed Peas as she ran away. The wound in her neck would close by morning, leaving what looked like twin mosquito bites, and those would be gone a few hours later. The stronger the vampire, the faster the bite healed; it was usually the young and weak who were discovered because they were unable—or too stupid—to cover their tracks.
    Relief moved through Miranda’s body and she sighed, rolling her head to the left and right before turning back to the car where her Prime was waiting for her.
    She knew that look. He always got it when he watched her hunt.
    Deliberately, Miranda licked her lips and smiled.
    Prime and Queen stared at each other for a long moment before she walked back to the car, stepping into his arms and kissing him hard.
    He made that purring noise she loved and pulled her against him, letting her suck on his tongue and dig her nails into his shoulders, the contact banishing the last of the lingering anger from the attack and replacing it with an entirely different kind of intensity.
    Still, the events of the night had drained her, and she eventually drew back and laid her head on his chest, eyes closing.
    “That was stupid,” she muttered.
    He didn’t say anything, but of course she knew what he was thinking; he had protested her desire to go anyplace alone for months now, insisting that something like this would happen the second she let down her guard. She felt guilty—it wasn’t just her life she was gambling with by traipsing around the city by herself. If that stake had hit true, if her reflexes had been slower, they would both be dead now. And whoever it was, having failed, might very well try again.
    “Let’s go home,” he said softly.
    She nodded and sank back into the car, leaning on him after the door was shut and they were on their way again. “All right,” she said. “You win. Bodyguards it is. But they can ride in their own damn car.”
    He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Deal.”
    “Is this kind of thing going to happen a lot?”
    “Oh, yes,” he replied, not reassuring her in the slightest. “My first year I had at least a dozen assassination attempts. Most of them were lone nutjobs or Auren’s old cronies. They