Page 31 of Kiss of Seduction

“This is why I don’t come out on patrols.” She gestured at her now-holed dress. “I don’t like getting shot. It ruins my clothes.”

“It was meant for me. You’re the one who moved in front of it,” Aleksander said. “If you dislike it so much, why did you come? You could have gotten a report when we returned.”

“I take it personally when someone bites me. When I heard Stefano might be in the area, I wanted a chance to rip his fangs out myself.”

She hoped the words would satisfy Aleksander’s curiosity since they weren’t entirely incorrect. There was nothing she wanted more than to slowly tear Stefano apart. It was just the reasoning that wasn’t transparent.

“Motivated by revenge then?” Aleksander didn’t sound convinced. “For you or someone else?”

Natalya sneered. She appreciated Aleksander’s talent for sniffing out lies and deception. But only when he used his gift on other people.

“We promised Evie protection.Ipromised her. Stefano made me break that promise.” Natalya took a deep breath that sounded a little like a snarl. “He’s like Rollo. He likes them afraid and in pain. Varro has a type, it seems.”

Aleksander growled at that. He had a unique hatred for the King of the Heartlands. Varro had sent his eldest spawn, Rollo, to infiltrate the Chains several years before. It culminated in an assassination attempt on Aleksander, where both he and Lily almost died. Natalya understood that hatred better than ever now.

There was a sudden flare of fear in her chest. It was the same kind as the night Evie was attacked, except more sudden and fading quickly. It didn’t vanish like when she’d been enthralled. Instead it lingered.

“There could be other Night vampires nearby,” Aleksander said. “I’ll send out patrols to investigate the area. We might get lucky.”

“Right.” Natalya was distracted. Evie’s fear was still there. Much weaker now, but constant. Something had scared her.

“Everything alright?” Aleksander glanced at the bullet wound in her shoulder.

“It’s nothing.” She tried to appear nonchalant. “You don’t need me for scouting. I’ll return to the high-rise.”

Aleksander narrowed his eyes. “Why the rush?”

She didn’t want to tell him it was worry for Evie that drew her back. But she also didn’t want to appear weak by blaming her injury. She couldn’t lie, though she didn’t want to be honest about her concern either.

“I’d like to check on Evie,” she said casually.

No one knew she could feel Evie’s emotions, and she planned on keeping it that way. All she could do was say an aspect of truth and hope Aleksander believed it.

He nodded, accepting her story. But the hard look in his eyes meant he knew there was something she wasn’t sharing. He also knew better than to try and make her talk. He’d only succeed in angering her if he did that.

The wise thing would be to stay and diffuse Aleksander’s suspicion that something may be amiss, but Natalya didn’t want to act wise right then. Rather than be smart, she started back towards the high-rise.

Evie was scared. Natalya needed to know why.

Evie ran a finger along the edge of her glass. She was in the kitchen of Natalya’s apartment, preferring the brightly lit space to the gloominess of the bedroom. She’d just woken up and didn’t want to go back to sleep yet. Not when nightmares waited for her.

A few minutes before, Evie had started awake so suddenly she almost screamed. Another bad dream robbing her of rest. In it, she was in her chamber at Varro’s estate and a man with no discernable features had entered. He’d pulled her up from the mattress, pinned her against the wall, and bit into her neck so ferociously he’d torn it apart.

When she woke up, the dark bedroom had looked so much like the chamber it almost made her panic. It took several seconds before she realized she was in the high-rise, and that the danger and pain had been left in sleep.

She’d exited the bedroom, hoping to find Natalya, but there was only quiet and darkness. It made the fear linger, to be all alone. Even though she knew nothing could get her and a guard was outside the door, it didn’t feel safe.

It hurt because she’d already been through this stage. She hadn’t been this scared of being alone in months. Stefano and Austin breaking into her apartment had ruined everything. It had set her back so far. It meant she had to start over. Sort of.

It was easier in the high-rise. She had friends there. Safety. She had Natalya. Oddly enough, that was the thing that comforted her the most.

Evie was about to take a sip of water when she heard the front door open and then slam shut. There were rushing footsteps, someone saying her name, and then Natalya appeared in the entrance to the kitchen, seemingly out of nothing. Evie started at her abrupt appearance, dropping the glass to shatter on the floor.

“I’m so sorry!” Evie quickly started picking up the pieces of glass. It looked expensive, and her jumpiness had broken it. “I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry.”

Her grip around the gathered shards tightened, and they dug into her skin deep enough to bleed.

“Evie, stop.” Natalya crouched in front of her and her hands went to Evie’s, keeping her from picking up more shards. “It’s just a glass. It doesn’t matter.”