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I shifted, untangling myself from the couple I had met hours ago at some bar I’d already forgotten the name of. All I knew was I wanted to get far away from the remains of Rashearim and Xavier. I just wanted to forget for a few hours. Obviously, my time was up, work intruding like always.
I grabbed my pants off the floor, pulling them on before finding my shirt. I barely had one arm through the sleeve before the beeping started again.
“I’m coming. Godsdamn.”
I reached for it right as the husband—I forgot his name—stirred on the bed, grabbing his wife. I didn’t remember her name, either.
I yawned but came fully alert when I saw the name flashing across my phone.
Xavier.
My heart raced, pounding against my ribs. Why would he be calling me? He’d made his choices perfectly clear. His name disappeared, the screen going dark. What if he was hurt?
The phone lit up again in my hand. I took a deep breath, rubbing a hand across my face before answering.
“You are a hard man to get a hold of.”
Fear filled me. That wasn’t Xavier. “Who are you? Why do you have Xavier’s phone?”
His laugh was damn near a purr. “Come to fifty-second street, and you’ll find out, little hunter.”
The line went dead, and I was out the door the next second.
* * *
The neon bar sign flickered, lights dancing on the empty street. Nothing stirred, not even the air, but my senses were on high alert. My rings vibrated, reacting to my unease. My instincts screamed danger, reminding me of the first time I’d encountered Dianna.
I pulled the door open and entered the bar without hesitating. The music assaulted me first, and then the smell hit me—blood and flesh, rotting flesh. Underlying that noxious scent was a hint of cinnamon, but with a dark, bitter element.
“Put the blade away. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
The man sprawled in a chair, not bothering to look at me. He tipped his head back, throwing down a shot of dark liquor. From his size, the power that smelled like Dianna, and the arrogance that wafted from him, I knew who he was.
“Kaden.”
He turned his head toward me, a slow, sinister smile forming on his lips. My blood ran cold. Red eyes glowed from every corner of the room, the large, winged beasts chirping at each other. Their massive jaws and rows of teeth snapped as they fed on the bodies scattered on the floor.
“They were hungry, and we have a long trip home.”
“What have you done to Xavier?”
He put his glass down. “You know, I was concerned that what Vincent told me about you was wrong.”
I swallowed. “Vincent?”
Kaden stood. He was taller than I had assumed. His power scraped against my skin like sandpaper. “I mean, it took you forever even to answer your phone, and the way you smell… Tsk, tsk. Lover’s quarrel?”
I gritted my teeth, raising my blade. “Where is he?”
Kaden’s smile widened, and he nodded toward something behind me. “Turn around.”
I stepped to the side and turned to keep him in my peripheral vision. Keeping my blade raised, I glanced to the side. Xavier stepped from the shadows, the cobalt glow of his eyes matching the tattoos flowing over his skin.
“Xavi?”
No response, but I hadn’t really expected one. Not when he looked like that, felt like that. I couldn’t explain it, but I couldn’t feel him anymore. It was as if his spark had been snuffed out.
I glared at Kaden. “What did you do?” I demanded.
