Page 2 (1/2)

Darius looked around the club, taking in the tee, half-naked bodies on the dance floor Screa leather and rees in violent criht in

Except they actually were killers

"So you&039;re really going to do this?" Tohrlanced across the shallow table The other vampire&039;s eyes met his own "Yeah I aris showed "You&039;re crazy, D"

"You should know"

Tohr the bar You want to take an innocent girl, who has no idea what the hell she&039;s getting into, and put her transition in the hands of someone like Wrath That&039;s whacked"

"He isn&039;t evil In spite of the way he looks" Darius finished his beer "And show a little respect"

"I respect the hell out of him But it&039;s a bad idea"

"I need him"

"You sure about that?"

A woh boots, and a bustier littered from behind two pounds of mascara, and she worked her walk as if her hips were double-jointed

Darius gave her a pass Sex was not on his hter, Tohr"

"She&039;s a half-breed, D And you kno he feels about hurand that up around him"

Darius lifted his hand to catch their waitress&039;s eye and pointed at his elass "I&039; to let another one of my children die Not if there&039;s a possibility I can save her And anyway, there&039;s no telling whether she&039;ll even go through the change She could end up living a happy life, never knowing about my side It&039;s happened before"

And he hoped his daughter would be spared Because if she went through her transition, if she ca to be hunted as they all were

"Darius, if he does it at all, he&039;ll do it because he owes you Not because he wants to"

"I&039;ll take hiiving her? He&039;s about as nurturing as a sawed-off, and that first tih, even if you&039;ve been prepared Which she hasn&039;t"

"I&039;oing to go? You&039;re just going to walk up to her and say, &039;Hey, I know you&039;ve never seen uess what? You&039;ve won the evolutionary lottery: You&039;re a vao to Disneyland!&039; "

"I hate you right now"

Tohr under black leather "You know I got your back I&039; you should reconsider" There was a heavy pause "Maybe I could do it"

Darius shot hiet back into your house after the fact? Wellsie will stake you through the heart and leave you for the sun, my friend"

Tohrment winced "Good point"

"And then she&039;ll co for me"

Both males shuddered

"Besides" Darius leaned back as the waitress put their drinks down He waited until she left, even though hard-core rap was puerous ti happens to me¡ª"

"I&039;ll take care of her"

Darius clapped his friend on the shoulder "I know you will"

"But Wrath is better" There was no jealousy in the remark It was a statement of fact

"There&039;s no one like him"

"And thank God for that," Tohrment said with a half sht circle of strong-backed warriors who traded inforether, were of the same opinion Wrath was off the chain when it caeance, and he hunted their enele-minded purpose that bordered on the insane He was the last of his line, the only purebred vah his race revered hi, he despised his status

It was alic that he was the best bet Darius&039;s half-breed daughter had of surviving Wrath&039;s blood, so strong, so untainted, would increase the chances of her getting through the transition if it hit her But Tohrin over to a thug

With a sudden rush, the crowd shifted, people backing into each other They were

"Shit Here he co it whole "No offense, but I&039;m outtie This is not a conversation I need to be a part of"

Darius watched the sea of hu, dark shadow that towered over theood survival reflex

Wrath was six feet, six inches of pure terror dressed in leather His hair was long and black, falling straight frolasses hid eyes that no one had ever seen revealed Shoulders were twice the size of most males&039; With a face that was both aristocratic and brutal, he looked like the king he was by birthright and the soldier he&039;d beco ahead of hi card

As the cool air hit Darius, he tilted his fresh beer back and drank deeply

He hoped to God he was doing the right thing

Beth Randall looked up as her editor leaned his hip on her desk His eyes went straight to the vee of her shirt

"Working late again," he murmured

"Hey, Dick"

Shouldn&039;t you be getting home to your wife and two kids? she ?"

"Editing a piece for Tony"

"You know, there are other ways of iine

"Did you read my e-mail, Dick? I went down to the police station this afternoon and talked with Jos¨¦ and Ricky They swear a gun dealer&039;s nu dealers"

Dick reached out to pat her shoulder, stroking it as he took his hand back "You just keep working the blotter Let the big boys worry about the violent cri to happen to that pretty face of yours"

He sered on her lips

That stare routine had gotten old three years ago, she thought Right after she&039;d started working for hi to pull over her head whenever she talked with him Maybe with a picture of Mrs Dick taped to the front

"Would you like ive you a ride ho thumbtacks and hairpins, you letch

"No, thanks" Beth turned back to her computer screen and hoped he&039;d take the hint

Eventually he wandered off, probably heading for the bar across the street thathome Caldwell, New York, wasn&039;t exactly a hotbed of opportunity for any journalist, but Dick&039;s big boys sure liked keeping up the appearance of carrying a heavy social burden They relished cozying up to the bar at Charlie&039;s and talking about the days when they&039;d worked at bigger, more important papers For the ed, middle-of-the-road men ere competent, but not extraordinary at what they did Caldas big enough and close enough to New York City to have the nasty business of violent cri busts, and prostitution, so they were kept busy But the Caldwell Courier Journal was not the Ti to win a Pulitzer