Page 162 of The Rogue's Curse

She frowned. “That’s less than a ringing endorsement.”

“You want me to lie?” he asked. “Julian Alcott is over four hundred years old. He is strong and fast, and—”

“You think I don’t know that?” she spat. She sighed as they passed the manicured garden where Tante Mina grew her herbs. The ground smelled of wet fertilizer, and she could just hear the rustle of a snake somewhere in one of the bushes.

“You should go inside and eat,” Kova said, glancing at his watch.

“In just a few minutes,” she said. “I want to get some air.”

And she didn’t want to go inside, where Armina’s apprentice was trotting around a strange vampire like a pet. It unsettled her, didn’t seem proper for vampire hunters. Kova was different, but this new one was odd. He seemed dangerous, as if he was still hunting even with those marks to hold him back.

They walked in silence beneath the stars for a while, her breathing finally slowing. Her legs still burned, and she was becoming aware of a raw spot on one of her feet. It would heal soon enough. Kova’s steps were nearly imperceptible, and if not for his lanky shadow across the grass, she might have forgotten he was there.

Halfway around the sprawling property, she drew a breath, held it, and then plunged in. “What do you think we’ll do after they’re gone? Julian and his witch, I mean?”

Kova didn’t answer at first, and she looked back to make sure he hadn’t slipped away into the night as he sometimes did. But he was there, those red eyes fixed on something far across the horizon. When he finally spoke, his voice was low. “I can’t even imagine,” he finally said. “Are you afraid?”

“No,” she said automatically. “I mean...yes. A little. Don’t tell her.”

“I won’t,” he said.

“But I’m more concerned about what comes next. For as long as I could remember, I’ve been preparing to kill him,” she said. “If I do it, what will I have to do?”

Kova’s firm hand closed on her arm and pulled her back. She instinctively spun, ready to break away, but there was a look in his eyes that could only be described as haunted, a profound guilt that she’d only seen once before when he broke her arm in a sparring match, entirely by accident. He’d apologized for weeks, even though she had known it was an accident and hadn’t thought anything else of it.

“You should leave,” he said.

“After I kill him? But—”

“Leave now,” he said.“Go do something else. You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do. He killed my mother. This is what I’ve been preparing for my entire life,” she protested.

His grip tightened, and for a moment, she saw the burning glow of the marks on his forearms, even through his long sleeves. He gritted his teeth. “You aren’t—” Another painful squeeze, and he shook himself. There was blood on his teeth, as if he’d bitten his tongue. “You don’t have to do it. I’ll kill him for you.”

“You’re hurting my arm,” she said quietly. When he let go, she rubbed the indented fingerprints. What had gotten into him? It wasn’t the first time he’d acted strangely in the last few weeks. “I want to do it. I’m tired of it hanging over my head after all these years.”

“She’s not—” He hissed like a snake, then growled, a low animalistic sound. “Your aunt wants you.”

“Are you okay?” she asked, watching the way his handsome face creased with pain.

“Just fine. Our training has my vampire instincts on edge, and Miss Voss’s magic is helping me rein myself in,” he said, though his smile seemed forced. “I’ll join you inside later.”

“All right,” she said, leaving him to walk the perimeter of the property alone. Long ago, Tante Mina had explained that Kova wanted very badly to be a good man, but that his spirit was trapped in the body of a wicked vampire. He had come seeking her help to change him back, but there was no magic that could turn a vampire back into a human.

Instead, Tante Mina had used her magic to bind the worst parts of him, allowing him to be as good as a vampire could be. And when he began to lose control, her magic would tame the wildness in him until he was himself again.

Still, she’d never liked seeing it in action. The magic clearly hurt Kova, though he rarely complained. As Scarlett strode across the grass toward the glowing warmth of the mansion, she wondered what had gotten into him this evening. He was one of her oldest friends—rather, one of her only friends, so it didn’t seem all that strange that he’d offered to kill Julian Alcott for her.

Her heart thumped as she walked into the big mansion. The scent of blood tickled at her nostrils, and she guessed that Lux was probably feeding their new guest. His vampiric essence tainted the air; it wasn’t like Kova, who was familiar and friendly. This one—Shea—was something dangerous.

Since he’d showed up a few weeks earlier, Scarlett had spent far more time in her little cottage close to the woods. At least when it was her choice. And to her credit, Tante Mina had granted her request, saying that she understood why Scarlett didn’t feel comfortable around him.

But tonight, her aunt was in her workshop. Her voice rang out down the hall. “Scarlett, dear, come and see me.”

Down the hall she went, through that house that felt so cavernous and empty. At the far end, just past the workshop door, was a portrait of Armina and Helena, Scarlett’s mother. With her long red curls and bright green eyes, she was an eerie reflection of Scarlett. The two women had been best friends, sworn to protecting humanity from vampires.

Until Julian Alcott took interest in her. Helena had killed one of his followers, and Julian hunted her down years later, when she had given up hunting to become a mother. He’d killed Helena and her husband Toby, leaving only little Scarlett crying in a blood-splattered crib.

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