Twice Dead (40 page)
“When are we supposed to see Tatius?” I asked, because something had to fill the silence.
“He will allow us a few nights before he demands our presence. We should report to him of our own volition before that time.”
But he didn’t suggest we go now, or even later tonight.
Neither of us were ready to deal with more vampire politics yet. But we’d go. Eventually. We had to. And then we’d find out exactly what Tatius had meant when he said
“our
companion.”
I wasn’t looking forward to the conversation.
But before that happened, there was something else I had to know. And that meant having the other conversation both of us had been avoiding all night.
“So what is the deal, Nathanial? The way I feel about you, is it real? Is it me? You? The stupid, mooncursed vampire bond we share? What is it?”
He let out a breath. “Kitten, my powers control perception. The ability to trick the eye, the ear. My abilities have no sway over emotions.” His gaze dropped. “Yours do.”
My hands fell to my sides, and I stared at him, but I barely had time to register his words, much less to respond, before magic crawled over my skin—magic that didn’t feel like Gil’s—and a green light flashed behind me.
I whirled around. The judge stood several feet behind me.
He frowned at the snow surrounding his polished shoes. With a wave of his hand, the snow melted in a three-foot radius around him. A heartbeat later it evaporated. Nodding his head in a self-satisfied manner, he straightened his already pristine suit. Then he looked at me. Nathanial slid his hand over mine, and I grasped it.
“Hello, my little endangered abomination,” the judge said, his lips curving to show flat white teeth. “I have a job for you.”
Coming Next In Kalayna Price’s Haven Series
Book Three: THIRD BLOOD
Going home after five years is difficult. It’s harder still if you’ve changed species in the interim.
Kita Nekai, once the smallest shifter in Firth but now the newest vampire in the city of Haven, has no intention of returning home or informing her father and clan what she’s become. Not that she has a choice. When the mage who holds her death certificate in his hands demands Kita return to Firth as his errand runner, she has to comply. Of course, there is no leaving her sire, Nathanial, behind. Which means introducing daddy dearest to the man—well, vampire—she may be falling for and confessing that she’s lost the ability to shift. Talk about awkward.
Her homecoming goes from bad to worse when an attempt is made on her life, and Kita finds herself facing an unknown threat in a hostile world she never fit into in the first place.
Can she survive long enough to complete the Judge’s task, stand trial before the elders for the rogues she created while on the run, and help defend her father’s territory from an encroaching band of misfit shifters? Or is this cat down to her last life?
About Kalayna Price
Kalayna Price is a fan of the fictional creatures that go bump in the night, but wouldn’t want to meet one in person. She draws ideas from the world around her, her studies into ancient mythologies, and her readings of classic folklore. Her stories contain not only the mystical elements of fantasy, but also a dash of romance, a bit of gritty horror, some humor, and a large serving of mystery. She thinks hoop dance is about the most entertaining form of exercise on the planet, and has been known to hula-hoop with fire. To find out more, please visit her at
www.kalayna.com
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A Special Note From Kalayna
To encourage new writers, I hosted a writing group on my blog during National Novel Writing Month in 2009. Congratulations to Cher Green, Tyhitia Green, Heather Kenniz, Ginger Lego, and Kaila A. Sage, who all wrote over 50k words during the challenge. I hope to see you in print one day soon.
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