Born in Fire

Darius laughed. “My, my. Full of ourselves, aren’t we? Tell me, when have you ever taken down an elder by yourself?”

Roger’s unwavering stare beat into Darius’s face. “We’re not solitary monsters like you are, hiding in the shadows and preying on the weak. We run in packs. We share the euphoria of a good kill.”

“For a species that hunts us, you know very little about our true habits. I find that interesting. Or maybe you trick yourself into thinking we are solitary beings so that when you prey on a lone vampire, you can still call yourself mighty?”

Roger’s jaw clenched.

“Food for thought,” I said, and cleared my throat. We were wasting the night. Those mages had to know they were being hunted by now, and they possibly knew by whom. They’d be putting up defenses, and if they were gaining power quickly, I’d soon be no match for them. “Anyway, Roger, we are on official business. His faction”—I nodded at Darius—“has posted a bounty, and we are investigating. He has a legal right to be in the Brink.”

“He has a legal right if he abstains from taking human blood or revealing his true identity.” Roger’s stare had not left Darius’s eyes, and vice versa.

“I have not taken human blood while on official business,” he lied.

“And when you need to?”

“Shifters don’t count as humans…”

A more prominent cloud of green shimmered around Roger. He was having a hard time controlling his wolf, which was not usual for someone in his position. Darius obviously recognized this, judging by the taunting smile curling his lips. He wasn’t fooling me anymore, though. Darius’s body had tensed and the sharp tips of claws were poking me in the back where his hand rested. He was ready to fight, just like Roger was.

“He’ll take it from me,” I blurted.

Both men blinked and looked at me.

My mouth went dry. I didn’t want to say it again. So I dodged. “He won’t have to take it from a human, because he is super old, and elders don’t need blood as often. Which you know, Roger. He was full up when I met him in the Realm, in anticipation of being in the Brink on this bounty, and that was only a couple days ago—”

“Five days,” Darius said, his pupils dilating in a sexual sort of hunger. His hand now splayed across my back possessively.

That probably wasn’t good. At least I knew what day it was, though.

Wait…what day was it?

I shook my head, getting back on track. “Right. Five days. And I’ll close this in no time. I always do. So there’s nothing to worry about. But if he needs it, I can supply it. I don’t count as human, so that sidesteps your jurisdiction.”

Roger’s eyes narrowed. If I was on the “shifter watch list” before, I probably had a star next to my name now.

“So let’s go.” I flung Darius’s hand off my back and pushed him so he’d walk around Roger. He did so grudgingly, that hunger now burning bright.

Definitely not good.

“Oh, and…” I tapped on the table, drawing Red’s wide eyes, two orbs right above the table edge. While he didn’t deserve a favor—after all, he passed on loads of my information to others—I wasn’t the type of girl to get a guy in trouble with his boss. “I didn’t get a chance to reciprocate knowledge, what with your boss throwing his dick around and all.” I saw Roger stiffen out of the corner of my eye. He was really easy to bait when Darius was on the scene. “I killed that mage. The one who disappeared for a while? He’s not coming back. His friends are after me now, too. So I’ve got that going for me. Unlike shifters and vampires, I am solitary, so if you want to watch me a little more closely after I take down the festering group of power seekers, that’d be just fine. And it would be preferable if you’d intercede before they kill me.”

I switched my glance to Roger, whose brow had furrowed. He hadn’t expected that, I wagered. “I’m working with vampires because they stole a mark, and with it, my livelihood. They posted a bounty through the Magical Law Enforcement office. I am not working with them; I’m working for myself while adhering to the terms of the bounty. I have no loyalty to them outside of this particular job.”

It was Darius’s turn to stiffen. I was making solid friendships that would stand the test of time, as was normal.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked, clearly confused.

“Because, while I think your people are extremely annoying, I am not choosing a side. I am not your enemy.”

Though Roger didn’t so much as glance at Darius, I had the feeling he was uncomfortable with the vampire’s continued presence. “Noted. The job offer is still on the table. As is the warning for harassing Red.”

Roger had offered me a job several times, delivered by his people. The terms were simple—tell the shifters what and who I really was, let them categorize my magic, and then I could help them bring down vampires and occasionally demons for a moderate monthly income. In other words, choose one side, hunt the other side, and let someone control me with knowledge and money.

Nope.

“Declined and, respectfully, declined.” I bowed with a flourish. “I’ll stick with no ties, if you don’t mind. Friends are as dangerous as enemies around here. But thanks for asking and delivering.”

“Reagan,” Darius said in a soft tone, letting me know it was time to go. It was just as commanding as Roger’s barked words, pun not completely intended.

“Are you sure you are working for yourself?” Roger asked as I stepped away.

“No, and it isn’t sitting well,” I responded as I joined Darius.

“I was not pleased to have awoken and found you missing,” Darius said as we stepped out into the sticky New Orleans night. The clouds above hadn’t broken open and poured down onto the street yet, but the extra moisture in the air clung to my body like a wet, lightly heated blanket. I loved it for reasons I couldn’t explain, like the city itself. It was a living, breathing thing that either took root in a person and brought them to life, or turned them cold and pushed them away. I was the former, and the pulse of my surroundings thrilled me, filled with danger and intrigue, history, and tradition. There was no place like this place, and I felt the pleasure of it drumming through my veins.

“Reagan?” Darius prompted.

“Sorry, the city was talking to me, and I like it better than you.” I gave him a grin to say I was joking. “I can go out in daylight, Darius. So when I can’t sleep, I might as well work, no?”

“It isn’t safe for you to go alone. As you told the shifter, the mages will know of you by now, and they will try to take you down.”

“They’ll try to take you down, too, O Wise One. And yet you wandered around the city looking for me. Double standards, much?”

He scowled, leading me God knew where, but it happened to be in the direction I was going, so I didn’t say anything. “You are a human female. It isn’t safe,” he repeated.

“That’s what I meant by— Never mind. Look, don’t worry about me. I’m better equipped at dealing with mages than you are. If a pack of vampires comes after me and I need to walk around at night, you can gallantly stalk me then. How does that sound?”

“I get the feeling you are poking fun at me, Reagan.”

“I sure hope so. I’m laying it on pretty thick. Anyway, how’d you find me?”

“One of the humans on my payroll saw you. He kept tabs on you and awaited my call.”

“Wow. You really were stalking me. That is horribly uncool.”

I gestured him right. He resisted for a moment, but when I stepped around him and went on my merry way, he caught up immediately. He didn’t ask where I was going.

I enjoyed that he wouldn’t admit to his ignorance—it really made things easy on me.

“I got some disturbing information,” I said.

I told him what I’d learned from Red, stopping in front of the brewery on Decatur. I had wanted to watch his reaction. I should’ve known he wouldn't have one. He was much too controlled for that.