Page 5 of Bound by Vengeance
“When I have the time for it, the only TV Iwatch is the news,” he replied.
“The news is depressing.”
“And a TV show about a serial killer isuplifting?”
“Dexter is misunderstood; most of the peopleon the news are just flat-out assholes.” Vicky pointed at thenewspaper clippings. “But I can tell you’refascinatedbydaily events.”
“I’m not a serial killer.”
“How many vampires have you killed?” sheinquired.
“I don’t know.”
“Guess.”
He shrugged out of his leather bomberjacket, removed a stake from an inner pocket, and tossed the jacketonto the counter dividing the galley kitchen from the living/murderroom. If he broke plastic tarps out from somewhere, she would beout of here faster than a mechanical rabbit outrunning agreyhound.
Vicky’s hand went to one of her stakes asshe eyed the weapon in the hands of a man trained to kill her.Nathan had agreed to work with Ronan against the Savages Joseph wasgathering, but he’d been born and raised with only one purpose,destroyingherkind. And until his sister became Ronan’smate, Nathan hadn’t been discerning about the vampires hedestroyed, good or bad. Judging by the power she sensed emanatingfrom him, he’dexcelledat killing too.
Still mortal, he possessed demon DNA likevampires, was far stronger than a human, and moved with the lethalgrace inherent of vamps. She could probably take him. As a purebredvampire, she was physically stronger than him, but he’d beentraining to kill for far longer than her. She wasn’t about to takeany chances. Removing another stake from inside her coat, sheclasped it at her side as she watched his every move.
“I’ve been hunting since I was eighteen, soI guess I’ve killed around eighty vamps in five years,” Nathanreplied as he pulled back the heavy blinds covering the window inthe kitchen to reveal the metal fire escape. Nothing moved in thealley below or on what he could see of the street, but he didn’tthink they’d lost the Savages. He set the blinds back into placeand moved on to the next window.
“I’m not sure what classifies as a serialkiller, but I’m pretty sure that might be a super-level murderer,”Vicky said. “Like Ted Bundy is giving you a slow clap kudos fromHell kind of killer.”
His eyes narrowed as he glanced at her overhis shoulder. “I kill to protect others.”
“And before Kadence met Ronan, you did it toeveryvampire you came across, whether they were innocent ornot.”
He winced at the reminder, and his eyes fellto the stake in her hand. He’d saved her tonight, yet he didn’tblame her for being wary of him.
“We didn’t know better before then,” hestated. “If we had, things would have been different. Now that weknow hunters can detect a Savage vamp by smell, we only hunt thevampires who kill.”
“Good to know. What about the humancollaborators you also use to hunt with? You don’t exactly treatthem kindly.”
“What do you mean?”
“My sister-in-law, Paige, was a human whoworked with hunters on the west coast before she became a vampire.The guy who trained her, Nabel, pretty much used her to lure in avampire and almost got her killed.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“It was more thanunfortunate!” Vickysnapped, irritated by his blasé attitude.
“Hunters aren’t perfect, and neither arevampires. My father put an end to the practice of using humancollaborators a couple of years ago before he died. At one time,such partnerships were believed to be a big help. In the end, fartoo many humans were killed to justify the continuation of thepractice.”
“Hmm,” she grunted.
“We’re not vicious; we only meant to keeppeople and our kind safe from vampires. We made mistakes in doingso, but we’ve also saved countless lives.”
He didn’t tell her that he lay awake atnight, rehashing his numerous kills and trying to figure out ifsome of them were innocent vampires caught in the crossfire. Hesuspected a few were. No matter how many times he told himself hehadn’t known how to tell the difference between Savages and othervamps, or that there evenwasa difference between them, theguilt still ate at him.
“Are you going to attack me, Victoria?” heinquired.
“Are you going to attack me, Nathan?” sheretorted.
“No.”
CHAPTER 3
