Page 3 of The Guardian's Curse

“Allie—”

“Don’t.”

“Alistair,” Paris said, gritting his teeth. His frustration emerged as his native French made his name Ahl-ee-stair, with that lovely curled r at the end. As if he’d realized it, he pursed his lips, and resumed in his precise North American speech. “You are going to attract the wrong kind of attention, and we cannot afford that right now.”

“He only survived because you interrupted me. You left a witness, not me,” Alistair said. “Do you lecture Nikko when he goes out on his vigilante hunts?”

“Nikko blends in much better than you do and hides his own bodies,” Paris said. “The carjacker in Midtown was you, wasn’t it? The one who swore a demon beat him bloody in front of a MARTA station?”

“Did you ask Nikko the same thing?” Paris sighed. Alistair folded his arms over his broad chest. “Did you see the papers? Midnight Springs was named the safest place on the East Coast.”

“Maybe for humans. If you keep leaving witnesses, it’s going to become the most dangerous place for vampires,” Paris said. “You’re practically writing invitations for hunters to come looking. It may already be happening.”

“What?”

“A shitty dive downtown got hit. At least half a dozen vampires dead,” Paris said.

“Ours?”

He shook his head. “We don’t think so. Julian and Nikko are there tonight to figure out who they were.”

Alistair shrugged. “Not Auberon, not my problem.”

“If there are hunters in town, they’re not going to stop and ask you who you are,” Paris said. “Those fuckers are creating problems for all of us.”

The vampires of the Casteron Court had come to Atlanta just over a year ago, bringing their usual blend of mayhem, violence, and disregard for subtlety. More than a few times, Paris had come to Alistair’s house to gripe about the bastards over expensive Scotch. Alistair could muster a hint of sympathy, but it only reminded him of how far he was from the society he had once loved. The problems of his court, the Blade of Auberon, were no longer his.

“I adore vampire politics,” Alistair said. “Please, tell me more.”

His friend glared at him. “Don’t be a petulant little shit. I’m telling you this because things are a mess. We enjoy our relative peace because we are quiet. And when bored idiots go out hunting behind dive bars, that makes noise. We do not need any further attention on us right now. What if someone thought you were a threat?”

“I am a threat.”

“You know what I mean. If a hunter came upon you, they would not hesitate to relieve you of your head.”

“Would that be so bad?” Alistair asked quietly.

A firm grasp closed on his wrist. The familiar touch sent a shiver down his spine. Reluctantly, he met Paris’s eyes, now their normal light blue. “If you talk like that, you and I are going to do more than argue.”

It was easy for Paris, who was as beautiful and charming as he had ever been. He had his own suffering to bear, but it did not stop him from walking amongst humans, nor their own kind. Others did not recoil from him, nor force themselves to look upon him while failing to hide their disgust. He could move through the world with no one the wiser to his curse.

“I changed my mind. Take me home, please,” Alistair said.

Paris raised an eyebrow. “Zephyrine Lenoir is in town. I told her you were coming to see her.”

“You lied to her.”

“Alas. I would hate to be the one who disappointed Zephyrine,” Paris replied, giving him a coy smile.

“One drink,” Alistair said. “And then you take me home.”

2

Working in the posh, secure office suite of Infinity, Shoshanna York felt like a gazelle sniffing around a lion’s den. Burnished gold decor gleamed against dark wood and black paneling, making the whole place feel decadent and intimate. Through the soundproofed walls, she could feel the faintest thump of the music from downstairs, where the vampires of Atlanta gathered for debauchery and blood on tap. Six vampires lingered nearby, including the Elder of the court, his three advisors, and two of his most formidable bodyguards.

At least she had pepper spray on her keychain, which was conveniently tucked into her purse in the next room. She was a tasty little appetizer in a half-priced cocktail dress from the clearance rack. The only thing keeping the vampires from snacking on her was courtesy, not fear. It made things even worse to know they could hear her heart thumping. She just hoped the temptation wasn’t too much.

Chill, Sho, she thought. It wasn’t like this was her first time around vampires.

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