Unearthed by Lauren Stewart Read Free Book Online Page B

outta nowhere, in the city most likely to get him killed. He could go anywhere in the entire world, so why’d he come back here?”
    “I don’t know what you mean.”
    “Yeah, you do. It has something to do with you, but what I can’t figure out is why.” Davyn hadn’t noticed it until the second time he’d sensed Lamere’s presence in the area, through the minds of a group of humans. The vamp had been following the hunter and she’d known it, drawing him to a secluded area. Not a smart thing to do, but she’d done it, possibly on purpose. Lucky for her, Lamere only watched from a distance. That night Davyn had learned a lot—what she was willing to do to get her prey and what Lamere was after. But he still didn’t understand why. “A hex couldn’t bind him to you this long, and even if you shared a blood bond—”
    “We share nothing,” she spat.
    “ Okaaay . Then why is he only around when you are? Why did he come back to the city? Why not at least try to hide from me. Lamere’s not stupid, he knows who I am.”
    “Who are you?”
    “I’m the guy the Prime comes to when he needs help. I’m the guy who can read a crowd and guess who’s most likely to have had a run-in with my mark.” It wasn’t rocket science, but no other demon seemed to have figured it out, instead depending on their magic, something that took more energy and was less reliable. Cops called it profiling. Davyn called it obvious. “I’m the guy who always gets who and what he wants.”
    “Are you sure you’re ‘the guy’?” she asked with air quotes. “Because from where I’m sitting your hands look pretty empty and Lamere’s still alive.”
    Davyn ignored her mocking, determined not to let this puny being make him any grumpier. “What do you know about his wish?”
    “Umm…”
    “You don’t know about his wish, do you?” He sat back in his chair. She’d be even less useful if she continued to be this clueless. “A century ago he won the Treaty challenge, killed all the other competitors and had a great time doing it. As Champion, he received a magical wish—whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. Unfortunately, no one but him knows what he wished for, or even if he used it.”
    “He used it,” she said stiffly. “I don’t know what the wish was, but that’s what he does—uses things.”
    “That’s my thinking too.” Davyn nodded. “I’m good at what I do. Really good. And I still haven’t caught up to him. So obviously whatever he wished for has something to do with why I can’t find the bastard.”
    “Because it couldn’t possibly be your fault.”
    “Nope. Dealing with magic means you have to expect two things: balance and loopholes. If I knew what the wish was, I could find a loophole.”
    “Maybe he’s just better than you are. Have you ever thought of that?”
    “Uh, no. Why would I?” he scoffed. “Never mind. You’re no help at all. Unless…let’s go back a little bit, back when I was trying to find some use for you. You should answer, considering it’s a large part of the reason I let you live. A vamp who doesn’t care about breaking Treaty law can go anywhere in the world. Why come back to the center of the zone? What does he want?”
    She looked at his plate. “Why do you eat so much?”
    “I’m a big boy, and big boys need a lot of food. Why don’t you answer my questions? Even though you know I can just force my way into your mind and find out for myself.”
    Her eyes widened slightly. “Liar.”
    “You bet your ass I am, but not right now. Not about that. Just tell me what he wants from you.” He studied the way she moved, drew in on herself, and avoided his eyes. “Shit. You didn’t know about the other times he followed you, did you? What did you think was happening? That it was just a coincidence? Or do you really think it’s because you’re that good a hunter?”
    “I knew something was keeping him here,” she said, shaking her head unhappily. “But I