Page 47 of King

“I do have a life. A job. A dog.” She cocked her eyebrow at him. Kane couldn’t help the grin that tipped one side of his mouth at the mention of her dog. “I can’t just up and leave when the mighty Warrior calls.”

“Dark Guardian.” He corrected her but continued to grin.

“Whatever,” She huffed, glancing away, then shifted her gaze back to him. “What are you grinning about?”

“Nothing really.” Kane liked to fuck with people. It was one of his things, and he was good at it. Bringing out this woman’s fiery side was entertaining as hell. “I just figured you for a cat lady.”

“Is this what you called me down here for?” She put her hand on her cocked hip. “To just piss me off because I have better things to do.”

“I bet you have an ankle bitter. One of those yappers.” King continued to fuck with her. “Chihuahua named...Taco.”

She rolled her eyes, but Kane noticed her lips tremble with a smile. “You’re an asshole.” She hissed, then sighed. “What do you want,Warrior?”

Kane’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you continue to call me a Warrior?”

“Because it clearly pisses you off.” She then smiled this time, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. It was more of a fuck you grin, and shelooked absolutely gorgeous. “Two can play at this game. Now, why don’t you tell me what you want?”

Yeah, she was tough, no doubt about it. But Kane could still read the fear behind those striking blue eyes. They darted around, scanning the room like she expected something or someone to jump out at any second.

“It’s time for you to tell me everything you know, Monica.”

The way her body tensed told him he’d caught her off guard. Her eyes widened, then narrowed sharply. “I never told you my name.”

“No, you didn’t.” Kane gave a slow, deliberate nod. “You also didn’t tell me you’re a Victims Advocate, have been for five years now. Before that, you waited tables at the Golden Corral in Eastgate, volunteered at a women’s shelter, and still do. You lived at 65 Ross Road until recently, when you upgraded to 545 River View. Nice neighborhood, by the way. Solid choice.”

Monica’s expression shifted from surprise to something darker, her lips pressing into a tight line. “Who the hell are you?”

“Not a Warrior.” Kane’s voice dropped, turning deadly serious. “I told you I could find you if you ignored my calls. Lucky for you, you answered. Consider this your only warning.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed hard, her eyes darting again. “Listen, if I’m seen talking to you, I’m dead,” she whispered, barely moving her lips. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a Warrior or Dark…dickhead. It doesn’t matter.”

Kane sighed, shaking his head. “Guardian.”

“Whatever,” she hissed, shifting her weight like she was about to bolt. “I can’t be seen with you.”

Kane crossed his arms, leaning slightly toward her. “Guardians don’t have the same level of attention as the VC Warriors. We fly under the radar. No one knows who or what I am. Now, we’re going upstairs, where a VC Warrior is waiting to talk to you.”

“Shit,” Monica muttered under her breath, shaking her head. “This just keeps getting worse.”

“If you need protection, we can provide that,” Kane told her, his tone hardening. “But if this is a setup, I will kill you myself.” He wasn’t in the habit of killing humans, especially women, but she didn’t need to know that. She needed to understand just how serious this was. “Joey and Amara have been through enough hell already. We need answers, and you’re going to give them to us. Are we clear?”

Monica’s jaw clenched, her hands balling into fists at her sides. “Crystal,” she said tightly. Then, after a beat, her expression softened just enough. “Look, if I was going to say anything to anyone, they’d already be here.”

“And they’d already be dead.” Kane didn’t sugarcoat it. “Joey and Amara are under our protection, and we don’t take that lightly.”

He reached out, wrapping his fingers around her arm firm enough to let her know there was no backing out now. As he led her toward the elevators, he felt the subtle tremor in her muscles. She was scared, but she wasn’t backing down. He respected that.

The elevator doors slid open, and as they stepped inside, Monica let out a quiet breath. “By the way,” she said as the doors closed. “I don’t have a chihuahua named Taco.”

Kane frowned, turning his head to look at her. “No?”

“No,” she confirmed, her lips quirking. “I have a Belgian Malinois named Knox. But I’m thinking of changing his name to Stake.”

“Steak?” Kane’s brow furrowed, confused. “Like in T-bone?”

Monica shot that ‘fuck you’ smile. “No. Like in wooden.”

For a moment, Kane just stared at her. He then, unexpectedly, threw his head back and let out a loud, genuine laugh. It had been a long time since someone caught him off guard like that, and damn if he didn’t appreciate it. “Vampire humor,” he said with a nod of approval. “Nice.”

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