“No.” Tabitha leaned against the counter, wondering at her sanity in calling the vampire. Sure, they were stuck in this town together, and he was one of the only immortals around, but they weren’t exactly friends. Not that she had friends or family or pretty much anybody. “I didn’t know who else to call.”
A door shut and then the sound of water pouring into a kettle came over the line. “I can help you rob the bank tomorrow night, if you’d like.”
She was a demonness, for goodness’ sakes. One who shouldn’t need anybody’s help to rob a darn bank. “No. I, ah, have a couple of questions.” While she’d only been alive a quarter of a century, Raine had lived at least three hundred years, if not four.
“Okay.” His low voice rumbled through the line. “Fire away.”
She pushed aside warning, having to trust somebody. “Have you heard of humans who can block a demon mind attack?”
Quiet came over the line. “Why? Did somebody block your attack?”
She bit her lip, not wanting to put Evan in Raine’s cross-hairs any more than was necessary. “Can we just go on hypotheticals here?”
Raine sighed. “I’m not fond of playing games, demonness, but I’ll go along with you for now. The answer is that there are some enhanced human females—a very few—who were known as demon destroyers because they could block attacks. In fact, I believe that Kane Kayrs mated one. Yes. That’s right. He did.”
Kane Kayrs? He was one of the Kayrs brothers who ruled the Realm, which was a coalition of immortal species. “You’re not a member of the Realm, are you?” It’d be nice to talk to Kane’s mate, but Tabi didn’t know anybody in the Realm.
“Ha,” Raine snorted. “No. The Maxwell clan out of Montana has never aligned with anybody. My brothers would cut off my head if I even thought about it, and I’d probably let them do it.”
“What’s wrong with the Realm?” Tabi asked.
“It’s easier not being a part of any coalition,” Raine said easily. “Your family isn’t aligned with the Realm, if I remember right.”
She sighed. “I’m the only one left in my family. Didn’t you know that?”
He paused. “No. The Ruskos have a reputation of being secretive and, frankly, nuts. I hadn’t realized you were the only one left. No family at all?”
She sighed. “No. My parents died in the last dustup between immortals, and I was left with a nanny, who raised me. A human nanny.”
Raine sucked in air—loudly. “You were raised by a human?”
Tabi opened her fridge for a bottle of wine. “Yep. She was kind and I loved her. She also knew all about the immortal world, so I’m well versed in whatever she knew. But we stayed off the grid mainly.” Until last year, when everything had gone to crap. Tabi didn’t need to share that with Raine. She liked the guy, but even she knew not to trust the Maxwells from Montana.
“Interesting. Well, if you have found a demon destroyer, keep her identity to yourself, if you don’t choose to kill her.” A kettle whistled loudly. “Most demons are fine with killing anybody who poses a threat to them, which is probably why there are so few humans around these days who can block a demon mind attack. They’ve all died out.”
Tabi poured a generous glass of Pinot Grigio into a long-stemmed wine glass. “Enhanced human females are distantly related to the witches, right?”
“That’s the general consensus, but nobody really knows,” Raine said. “They could be their own species.”
In that case, why couldn’t there be enhanced males, since witches were both male and female? Oh, vampires and their natural enemy, the Kurjans, were male only, and Tabi only knew of the enhanced females they’d mated. “Have you ever heard of a vampire mating an enhanced humanmale?”
“A long time ago, but I’m pretty sure the Kurjans took out all enhanced human males before this new campaign they’re now waging to end all enhanced females. Why do you ask?” The sound of pouring water came over the line. “Where’s my bourbon, damn it?”
Tabi swirled her wine in the glass, watching the liquid catch the light. “I just didn’t learn any of this from my guardian.”
“Uh-uh,” Raine said.
So he didn’t believe her. It wasn’t like he was focused on her, so that was all right. “Why are you still here, Raine?” He’d shown up at the anger management class, obviously to keep an eye on a former member, who had left quickly. A member who’d been a vampire-demon hybrid, much like Raine, although Raine was much more vampire than demon. “You should’ve left after Ivar did.”
“My job isn’t done,” Raine said, his voice losing the congenial tone.
“What’s your job?” She had to ask, even though it was obvious he wouldn’t tell her.
He took a big drink, apparently having found his bourbon. “None of your business, demonness. Don’t think of getting in my way.”
She wouldn’t. “Don’t get all assholish with me. It’s not necessary.”
“My apologies.” He didn’t sound sorry.
