Savage Magic by Judy Teel Read Free Book Online Page B

his eyes, tilting his face up to the sun. "Isn't it sad that you don't have anything to bargain with for answers?"  
    "I'm more than a match for you without the PRC. Imagine how easy it would be to get answers out of you with it," I hissed.  
    "I can still taste that one sweet drop of your blood on my lips." He smiled, his eyes still closed. "Intoxicating."
    My lip curled up as repulsion crawled across my skin. "Sounds like you think I do have something to bargain with," I said, barely keeping myself from gagging on the words.
    "So many long weeks on cheese and bread. Imagine the strain."  
    My Were blood was poisonous to vampires. If he got more than a drop, he'd know I wasn't human. Of course, if it killed him it might be worth the risk.
    His eyes slitted open, curiosity glittering in their depths. "Beginning to think it might be worth it?"
    I propped my boot on the seat next to him and leaned in. "Not even. I'm in the mood for a little more drama." I hooked my forefinger up under his PRC and gave a light tug. His eyes flew open, his smarmy confidence gone.
    "So tell me—" I pulled a little harder and he came with it, his alarm spiking into full out fear as the collar gave off the high-pitched warning signal. I leaned in close, keeping just enough tension on the collar to make losing his head a real possibility. "Just between us girls. Why are you here?"
    "He needs you," he said, sweat beading up across his forehead. He licked his lips and his gaze dropped to my mouth, reminding me of another disgusting encounter. "I'm beginning to understand why."
    Except this time, I wasn't confronting a powerful and cunning vampire who was close to three hundred years old. This jackass nephew of Bellmonte's had probably been turned somewhere around the seventies and with his massive ego, he'd never be as dangerous as his uncle.  
    I flexed my finger and the alarm on the collar beeped faster. " If you get out of here alive, I have a message for your lord and master." I leaned in close to his ear. "Piss off." Releasing him, I slid my foot off the bench, making sure my boot would have crushed his toes if he hadn't moved them out of the way in time. PRCs definitely came in handy when they were used on the right people.
    Sauntering back to the kitchen side of the building, I glanced toward the training ring across the compound where Deg watched me, hostility radiating off of him as strongly as Danny's sunbeam.  
    Of course in some cases, a specially modified Browning was even better.

    *   *   *

    "How do I get my gun back?"
    Noah and I sat at a broad table next to a window that overlooked the grounds, a feast of roast beef sandwiches on homemade bread and mugs of sweet tea in front of each of us. Heaven. Even without a Dr. Pepper.
    The kid stopped chewing for a minute and glanced up at me in alarm. "Gun?"
    "I left it in our camp. The camp somebody raided when they grabbed Agent...Practitioner Miller."
    He swallowed. "Captain Grey probably has it."
    I took a long swallow from my mug. Sweet tea always made me appreciate living in the South. "Grey, huh," I said, thinking about her long silver hair. "Appropriate."
    "She was close to the Alpha's wife. They grew up together."
    "Was?" I asked, picking up the remaining half of my sandwich.  
    He dropped his gaze to his plate.
    "Oh. I'm sorry," I said, and I meant it. I wondered if that was why Ryker had sent for his brother. Putting my sandwich down, I went for the fortification of draining the rest of my tea as sadness brushed through me. I wished I could still feel the comfort of Cooper's presence. "What does Aesei mean, Noah?"
    The kid shrugged. "'Next to lead', sort of."
    "You mean like a prince or a king?" I asked, remembering some of the vamp's snide remarks when we'd first been thrown into the dungeon.
    "Sure." Adequately distracted from his moment of sadness, Noah bit into his sandwich and chewed, his expression thoughtful. "But the definition can change depending on what it's paired