The Darkest Kiss by Keri Arthur Read Free Book Online Page A

little more and trying to catch the source of that tenuous, unsettling scent.
    “I don’t. But I wasn’t always a manager.”
    “So how long have you been in the profession?” I took another step forward. That strange scent got a bit stronger, reminding me more and more of a vampire’s scent—only if the killer was a vampire, then he was one who smelled like no other vampire I’d come across.
    “I’ve been in the business since I was seventeen. There wasn’t a whole lot else a kid with little schooling could do. Even apprenticeships need minimum grade levels.”
    The closer I got to the bed, the stronger that odd smell got, and the more certain I became it was vampire. A vampire that smelled like no other, but a vampire all the same. And he’d been here recently. I stripped off the bedcovers and bent to sniff the sheets.
    The scents of wolf and sex emanated off them, but though the vampire stench was extremely strong near the bed, he—or she—hadn’t been in it. Not that it meant anything. Someone who liked hanging themselves for kicks wasn’t likely to be restricted to a bed for lovemaking.
    I looked at Ben. “Were any of Denny’s lovers vampires?”
    He frowned. “Not that I know of. He had a couple of wolves he’d mentioned recently, but never a vampire.”
    “Well, one’s been in this room. You can smell him near the bed.”
    He came into the room, filling the whiteness with his dark vitality. He drew in a breath, then his blue gaze met mine. “Something smells old. Off, almost.”
    I nodded. “Vampire.”
    He frowned. “Vampires don’t smell like that.”
    “Maybe not the ones you associate with, but the ones I deal with, yeah, they do.” I contemplated the heavy metal hook for a moment. There were no vibes of power in this room, no chill that indicated the other side was coming out to play. Maybe his soul had moved on, or maybe he simply didn’t want to talk. “I guess the first thing we need to do is try and uncover the name of the vampire who was here. What clubs did Denny frequent?”
    Ben smiled. “All of them. He liked to cruise.”
    “No favorite, then? No club he went to more than others?”
    “Maybe. I don’t know. I could ring up and ask Jilli. She might know.”
    “Jilli being one of the wolves he mentioned recently?”
    “Yeah. She owns and runs a coffee shop near the Blue Moon.”
    I raised my eyebrows. “Not Chiquita’s? They have the best blueberry muffins there. And the coffee’s not bad, either.”
    “So this coffee that I owe you—shall I pay the fee there?”
    I considered him for a moment, seeing the amusement and playfulness in his eyes, feeling the answering response low down in my belly. Wondered when—if—I was ever going to get back to the business of being a free and easy wolf.
    I didn’t know, I really didn’t know, and I knew part of that was the fear of getting hurt again. After all, my heart couldn’t be broken again if I didn’t put it out there. And yet, how much longer could I continue to ignore a side of myself that was a part of my soul?
    “It’ll probably be easier if I was there to talk to her, so yeah, that would be fine.”
    He raised an eyebrow, expression a little quizzical. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re avoiding the intent behind that question?”
    “Because I am.” I turned and opened the drawer of the bedside table. Painkillers, books, and condoms. I pulled one out and showed it to Ben. “He fucked humans?”
    “Yes. Not all the time, but he liked the challenge of the restraint they represented. He used condoms so there were no unwanted pregnancies.”
    Because a wolf didn’t have to worry about STDs, thanks to our ability to heal all sorts of things during the shapeshift. “A condom is not one hundred percent safe.”
    “It’s better than nothing.” He considered me for a moment, then said, “So despite the fact I can smell your interest, you don’t want to go out with me?”
    I shoved the condom back in