Glacier Read online

  “Why did you go so long without blood?”

  “I didn’t get to feed the night we left home. It was a wake-up-and-here’s-your-orders kind of thing. Pack and leave. I would have found someone to bite in the airport but security has cameras everywhere. The bathrooms were packed when I tried to find someone alone in a stall. I hate those fucking pee-a-boo doors. Why do they have a goddamn inch gap?

  “Anyway, I figured I’d feed when we arrived in Atlanta. No big deal, missing a meal. But then there was a problem with the engine of the plane we were supposed to board. It meant we had to get a hotel to day sleep, and then catch a flight the next night, so we weren’t stuck in the air while the sun was up. It was a hotel by the airport filled with senior citizens. They weren’t really a spry group, you know? There was some kind of power outage where two nursing homes were located and they bussed them all to that hotel. The maid had a medical bracelet on, and the only other person working when we checked in was the clerk. He was all beat to hell and on crutches. It seems he’d been in a car accident a few days before. Who the hell feeds off someone with medical conditions? Not me.

  “The bathrooms were packed again when we went back to the airport, so I figured I’d feed when we landed. Except Marco sent Pedro, his second, to pick us up. The asshole was waiting to take us to the restaurant. We got our orders to get right to work so we just dropped our bags at the hotel and boom—I ran into you.”

  He chuckled, amused as hell.

  Her head whipped up. “You think that’s funny?”

  “It kind of is.”

  “Fuck you. I was going to find someone to bite after work last night.”

  “You could have tried to go for Teenie’s throat.”

  “I don’t bite Were kids. Or any kids, for that matter. Throats aren’t my thing, either. I take from the arms of my donors.”

  Only the sweetheart he’d once known would avoid biting humans because she felt sympathy toward them. Now he was really curious. “Why?”

  “Because I’m not a sick jerk who’s into kids!”

  “I meant, why sink your fangs into someone’s arm?”

  “Some humans get turned on when there’s a mouth at their throats. They’re in a trance, thinking happy thoughts that turn to sex, and always try to grope me when I bite them there. That doesn’t happen if I sink my fangs into their wrists.”

  “Don’t you ever fuck your donors?” That thought didn’t amuse him one bit.

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I believe in free will, and not taking advantage of someone when they’re being controlled by me. I go to the homeless. They need the money, and I try to find ones who are already living in an altered reality, since it’s a risk that someone may be immune to mind control. I’ve never wanted to kill someone, Glacier. If I pick someone who thinks aliens or shadow people are after them, it won’t matter if they rant about Vampires, too. They aren’t seen as a threat.”

  He arched his eyebrows. “I can’t believe you’re an assassin for the council.”

  “Let me rephrase that. I don’t want to kill someone innocent. I mostly get sent after rogues or bat-shit crazy Vamps who are putting us all at risk of exposure. Those are assholes who deserve to die.”

  “What if they weren’t rogues or crazy? Did you still kill them?”

  “I wouldn’t do it if I knew it was flat-out wrong. That’s only happened twice. The first time with a human family who’d managed to kill a Vamp in self-defense. They went to the police about the attack with their memories intact. They said a Vampire kidnapped them. The council ordered them silenced. The humans weren’t at fault, so I messed with their memories then helped convince an FBI agent that their lives were in danger from a serial killer. The agent put the family into that witness relocation program. I figured with new identities, maybe the council wouldn’t find them. The second time was last night, with you.”

  He was stunned. “How in the hell did you survive this long, Mandy? You’re too soft-hearted to be a Vampire.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I took out that asshole last night just fine. I feel no guilt about ashing him. He went after a kid. I’ve killed plenty of Vamps and even some murderous Weres over the years. Human predators, too. Those weren’t even sanctioned by the council, by the way. They love it when humans go nuts and it becomes a news story. They can shove the blame on those psychos when a Vamp does bad things. I’ve run across some terrible humans while on assignment and stopped them from hurting anyone else. I don’t hesitate to kill bad guys.”

  He started to feel anger growing. Not at her, but the situation. It would have been so much easier if she’d become a heartless creature. Instead, he found himself drawn to her even more than he was thirty years ago.

  She sighed loudly and placed her hands on the workbench, peering at him. “You took the tracker out of me. I’m a dead Vamp walking. It was really hard to expose my throat to you and face my death, but I did—twice. I’m going out anyway. What are you waiting for, Glacier? You said you don’t plan to feed me. Have you ever seen full-on bloodlust? I’ll attack you. I could even hurt you. Or worse, if I get away from you, I will go after anyone unlucky enough to cross my path. That would be a helpless human, and I’d probably kill them without meaning to. I won’t be able to stop myself.”

  “I’m going to chain you up again.”

  The sadness he saw flashing in her eyes made him feel like a bastard.

  “Fine.” She hopped up on the table and stretched her hands over her head. “You better gag me though if any humans are nearby. I’ve heard Vamps being tortured by starvation. I’ll start screaming when the pain becomes too intense. I wouldn’t want to live anyway if I ended up killing some good Samaritan who rushes to my rescue. Ignore what happens to my body, too. The hungrier I get, the more I’ll confuse the need for blood with wanting sex. It’s nature’s way of helping women bait men to get within striking distance.”

  He knew that but kept silent, restraining her wrists first, and then her ankles. “I’m sorry I don’t have somewhere more comfortable to put you. The frame on the only bed in this place is cheap wood you’d snap with ease. I have to get ready, since Teenie will be here within the hour. I’ll see you soon.”

  He walked out of the basement but left the light on, refusing to leave her in the dark. He closed the door and hurried up the stairs to shower. It was probably the fastest one he’d ever taken and when he turned off the water, he heard pounding coming from somewhere below.

  “Give me a few,” he yelled, knowing Teenie would hear him.

  The pounding stopped as he dried off and entered the small bedroom he’d taken over. He put on a pair of black jeans, a T-shirt, and his boots. One check of his cell phone showed six missed calls from Kevin. He growled low in irritation. Sometimes alphas were the bane of his existence.

  It wasn’t just Teenie standing at the back door he unlocked and jerked open. Kevin and one of his male enforcers also waited. He stepped outside, not wanting them anywhere near Mandy. He blocked the door and leaned against the frame. “What?”

  Kevin stepped close and puffed out his chest. “You haven’t been answering my calls.”

  “I had my cell off while I slept and then showered. Did something happen?”

  The alpha clenched his fists hanging at his side, a show of anger. “Yes. I wanted to know what you learned from the Vampire you captured last night. You should have allowed Teenie to help you torture it. I shouldn’t have had to wait all day to hear the results.”

  “I work alone unless I need bait.” Glacier hated pissing contests. Some alphas just naturally couldn’t help trying to intimidate everyone around them who they viewed as a physical threat, but it didn’t work on him.

  “Move aside.”

  Glacier shook his head. “No. This is my private space while I’m in your territory. That was the deal.”

  Kevin’s expression showed he didn’t like being refuse