Page 23 (1/2)

But Vashti was a powerful woman, tal and leanly muscular, a renowned expert with al weaponry She didn’t need bodyguards And from a resources standpoint, it didn’t seeether

"So what’s your story, Alpha?" Raze drawled While Elijah wasn’t e when it calances that fol owed the vamp when he had stepped outside to take a cal

"I’l tel you mine, if you tel me yours"

Raze snorted "I suppose you want me to focus on my story as it relates to Vash"

He didn’t deny it "She carries a lot ofand smart She can take care of herself"

"She’s stil a wo pul on his beer and absorbed that He knew damn wel Raze and Sale orders froender bias

Women were vulnerable to attack in ways men rarely were

Syre, Raze, and Salem were al fiercely protective And the way she’d first had sex with hi to htly, fury si about"

So…Raze wouldn’t discuss Vash outright, he’d only al ude Elijah respected that, even as he hungered for e "You knoe were before--Watchers After we fel , we had to figure out what to do with ourselves We al had different areas of knowledge, and that’s where we focused our efforts Vashti specialized in armaments--how to create them and use them Even as a scholar, she was a warrior"

The note of affection in Raze’s voice tightened Elijah’s grip on his bottle "I can see that"

"At the tiht ood graces Pay a penance of so de with us We were the throay angels, the ones they thought they’d have carte blanche to screw around with" Raze exhaled audibly "Syre wanted to take a ressive Since she was the one in the field, her way prevailed It’s a fuckin’ major understatement to say she wasn’t popular in the demon community"

"Jesus…" Elijah fel heavily into the booth back He’d seen the leavings of dee in any relation whatsoever to Vashti made his stomach knot

"And demons like to kick you when you’re down The death of a , he bit out, "She said Syre took care of it Is that right?"

"Yeah He took care of it When he was done with them, he dumped their ashes into a trash can and sent theretted that he wouldn’t be able to exact vengeance of his own The feeling of impotence was so sharp it was painful "What was your specialty?"

"Triage"

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Elijah pul ed everything together and created a picture that gnawed at his gut "Jesus," he said again, reas, how completely he’d dominated her

Raze smiled at the waitress when she returned with Elijah’s food She sht with interest She asked Raze twice if he was sure she couldn’t get hi for her to go on break, if she was of the mind to share it with him Which she was, of course

"Sex wil limber you," Raze said to Elijah once she’d walked away "You rab a piece of ass before to yesterday This et laid"

"I’m touched you care, but my sex life is none of your business"

"You like redheads, right? There’s a honey of a redhead that just walked in You et lucky" Raze whistled "Damn, you didn’t even look

Vash er"

Elijah finished chewing his first bite of an excel ent rare tri-tip "Is that supposed to makewhen you’ve got it good and sticking with it"

"Just ’cuz it’s good, doesn’t et better"

"Christ, man" He popped a hush puppy into his s over a wootten what it feels like"

A shadow passed over Raze’s features, erasing al levity "It wasn’t like that forthat lethis steak, Elijah wondered if that made Raze feel ed off his sudden dark o…"

Elijah set aside the now-ereens and dropped a cleaned rib bone into it

"Holy shit, Alpha," Raze h his second platter "You can put it away"

"What happened to the one?"

"She deserved sos" Raze smiled at the waitress, but his eyes were flat He slid out of the booth "There’s my dinner belI’l catch you later Good luck with the redhead Looks like she wants a piece of you"

"Take her, too," Elijah shot back, unfolding the wet nap next to his plate to clean his hands "Make it a party"

Raze laughed and headed out

Picking up the check sitting on the edge of the table, Elijah noted the total and reached into his back pocket for his wal et

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

The sound of Vashti’s irate voice nearly "

"Don’t be coy" She dropped into the seat Raze had just vacated "What are you doing here in Louisiana?"

"Working"

Her amber eyes were hot with fury, her cheeks flushed and lips red With her long mane of crimson hair and her sleek black bodysuit, she was so dae a thing about her, except the pain in her past and her evasive tendencies in the present

"You’re deliberately trying to piss me off, lycan"