Page 11 of Nexus
“I’ve heard your mother was a highly skilled bounty hunter back in her day,” Drake said. “It appears you’ve inherited her talents.”
He had no idea exactly what her talents were and neither did any of her former coworkers. Mom had always hunted alone and I intended to follow in her footsteps. The more people who witnessed us in action, the more questions we would have to answer about our heritage. “Does this mean you’ll give me a job on your team?” I asked, glad my interview with the weredragon had gone so well.
“If you agree to two conditions,” he replied.
If I’d seen even a hint of slyness in his gold eyes, I would have been highly suspicious. I’d heard dragons could be dangerous to bargain with. “What conditions?” I asked warily.
“You’ll need to work with a partner.”
“Nope,” I refuted, shaking my head in denial. “I work alone.”
“Ruen had to guide you to your target, since you lack the ability to follow scent trails,” he reminded me. “As you were able to work together tonight, I propose you continue to be partners. At least until I’m satisfied that you’ll be a suitable addition to my team.”
I looked at Ruen, to see his upper lip was lifted. “Sir!” he protested. “Surely, you aren’t going to relegate me to babysitting Ms. Sterling!”
Seeing the uptight, snobby vampire so put out was surprisingly satisfying. He couldn’t kill anyone, thanks to the invisible leash his master had put on him. I’d have to take them down myself, which meant I would be working alone during the action. “I agree to the first condition,” I said, to their surprise. It was only temporary, so it was a rule I could live with.
Ruen threw his hands in the air in disgust, then crossed his arms sullenly. “I want it on record that I object to this arrangement.”
“So noted,” Drake said with a hint of amusement. “The second condition is that you will live in an apartment in a building I own. It’s in the center of Nexus and it’s inhabited by beings who work for me. None of them are human, so you’ll fit right in.”
“Do I have to share the apartment with anyone?” I asked, cutting a wary look at the pouting bloodsucker. Working with Ruen would be bad enough. Living with him would be unbearable.
“You’ll have the place to yourself,” the weredragon replied. “Two of my bounty hunters used to share it, but they no longer have need of it.”
“Why not?” I assumed they’d moved to another place, but his reply was like a cold dash of water in my face.
“They were killed during a mission recently.”
I blinked at that news. “Who killed them?”
“A more accurate question would be what killed them,” he corrected me. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the answer. The trail had gone cold by the time their bodies were discovered.”
“What species were they?” I asked next.
“Werewolves. They were so badly torn apart that a cause of death couldn’t be determined. Most of their remains had been eaten. We were only able to identify them by their weapons.”
A shiver wracked me at the mental image his description evoked. “How much will it cost to rent the apartment?”
“Nothing,” he said. “I don’t charge my bounty hunters rent. Having a safe place to live is one of the perks, since your job is highly dangerous. The rest of the team reside in different buildings to yours.”
I tried hard not to allow my glee to show openly. Not only did I now have a job, I was also being given free accommodation. “How much do you pay your bounty hunters?” I probably should have asked that question first, but at least I’d remembered to bring it up.
His face tightened slightly at my question. “It depends on the jobs you’ve been given,” he hedged.
“How much do I get for killing an entire coven of rogue vamps?”
Drake’s lips pressed into a thin line, proving he wasn’t happy about discussing money. “You’re entitled to one gold coin for each rogue vampire you slay. The payment varies according to what sort of creatures you’ve eradicated.”
“Is that all?” I asked incredulously.
“The coins are rare and expensive,” Ruen informed me snottily. “Most bounty hunters sell them to the same fence. Pierre has buyers all over the world who eagerly seek out the coins.”
“Oh. I guess that’s a decent payment, then,” I conceded. “Where did you get the coins from?” I queried.
“Dragons hoard gold, gems and other precious items,” my new boss said stiffly. “We find it rather difficult to part with our belongings.”
Our gazes caught and we became engaged in a battle of wills. He almost seemed to be trying to force me to accept a smaller payment. “So, you’ll be handing over seven gold coins before I leave here?” I asked to break the stalemate.
