Shoulders hunched, helmet in hand, he crossed to one of the bikes parked on the curb, then he glanced back at her.
Sure, she appeared younger than her…twenty-one—twenty-six—thirty? Heck, she had no idea how old she was, and didn’t care anyway. But she didn’t sense any interest of the lustful kind from the guy. Frowning, Shadow watched as he fumbled on his helmet, straddled the monstrous Suzuki, kick-started the thing, then zoomed off.
Pain speared her chest in a brutal punch, stealing her breath. Thoughts of the boy faded as she cut between the idling cars at the traffic lights and hurried to the dingy side street opposite. Fitting, she supposed, that she haunted the alleyways, the place of her…rebirth? Maybe it was, given that she’d almost died in an alley behind the garage where she lived with her friends, Aba and Nate, after blood demons had attacked them five years ago. Old, terrifying memories resurged…
Fangs sank in her throat, tearing through flesh and tendons, her voice lost in her agony…warm blood flowing down her neck. Sucking and slurping, then blessed darkness…
“Shadow, it’s Nate.” Red-hued topaz eyes held hers as oblivion tugged, promising eternal rest from the unending anguish. “I’m gonna fix this, but you need to hold on for me, you hear me?”
Strong arms picked her up. Through her sea of pain, he appeared like a dark angel. Tears blurred her eyes.End it, please.But she couldn’t get the words out. He held his hand over her neck, a glimmer of warmth… “Aba, get me a damn blade!” Nate barked.
Darkness beckoned, and she shut her eyes…
“C’mon, Shadow, wake up. Wake up.”
She fought to surface from the molasses of nothingness.
“How do you feel?” a man asked. Cool, callused fingers stroked her fevered brow.
Shadow stared at the stranger, had no idea who he was—whoshewas—only aware of a vicious craving consuming her, A throbbing sensation in her chest overwhelming her.
Growling, she grabbed him by his shirt. Buttons snapped, and her palms slapped onto his bare chest. She stared up into his lean, handsome face as delicious energy streamed through her hands, strengthening her…giving her relief from the gnawing pain…
A husky groan escaped him.
More, she needed more—
“No.” Nate dragged her hands off him, his tone brittle, expression surprised. His red-flecked eyes flared with something darker. Demon?
“Nate, what the hell’s going on,” Aba demanded. “She was supposed to be healed. You gave her otherworldly blood.”
She blinked. Another demon?
“She’s reacting to the—dammit!”
The hunger returned. “Want more,” she rasped.“More!”
“Listen to me,” Nate rasped, his grip like a vise on her wrists. “The sensation of you feeding is an aphrodisiac for males. If you want to live, take less of your donor’s life force. More will bring notice to yourself.” He shook her a little. “Shadow, you hear me? Siphon a little energy from two or three males. It will keep you safe. You aren’t strong enough to take on a demon in a fight…”
Shadow wrapped her arms around her waist. Yes, Nate and Aba had saved her, but they’d done so out of guilt because she’d been grabbed from their garage and left for dead in the alley. Worse, she’d lost all memories of her past due to the trauma of what happened. Or so Nate had explained.
But he’d vanished a few days later, deserting her. Aba said it wasn’t unusual for him to disappear for days on end. She couldn’t blame him, not when she’d attacked him like a rabid dog. After living with Aba for a few months, and rare stopovers from Nate, she left the only home she knew and ended up underground.
However, she’d proven Nate wrong. She’d learned to fight and took on both demons and demoniis, the latter, the worst of the dark species, killing several when she had to, and she still breathed.
Shutting off her hurt and loneliness, she skirted a trash bag and stuck her fingers into her skirt pocket, the crinkle of bills there reassuring her. Yeah, she stole—damn annoying Guardian trying to make her feel guilty about it—not like she had many choices in life, not when danger dogged her heels, making it impossible to get a job. But she always reserved some cash for the club, because using the dark alleys for her needs was asking for trouble as she found out soon after her change.
Shadow plodded the humid backstreet, heading toward Club Anarchy, the one place guaranteeing her safety and providing the kind of donors she required.
* * *
Nik trawled deeper into the alley, Ely at his side. Though she’d started patrolling solo, they still kept an eye on her. Usually, he never prodded another about things even if he was curious, except with Shadow. Hell, the little fighter would not leave his mind, especially with her tendency to traverse these dangerous alleys.
He glanced at Ely. “Why this life?”
“You mean signing up as a Guardian?”
“No, remaining on Earth. There’s nothing for us here, except fighting evil.”
