Page 36 of Bloodhunter

It wasn’t like the foam was readily available, sold insupermarkets or restaurants and handed out on Halloween. It was nearlyimpossible to find or create, and not even my little group of supernaturalsknew exactly how it was made, though they tossed uneasy glances at each otherwhen I asked.

They might not know how to make it, but they knew more thanthey were telling me. I got the feelingsexhad something to do with theprocess. Big surprise.

“The question is,” Miriam had said, tilting her headquizzically, “why you? Why does this man want you?”

I’d shrugged. “I’m a fun girl.”

But I had no idea why the stranger had attacked me.

I’d woken up that morning pretty much back to normal, so I’dgotten dressed, gone downstairs for breakfast, and then, it being anunseasonably warm and sunny day, I’d walked out into the large, fenced backyardto sit on the patio and watch Angus’s kids play.

Miriam had joined me half an hour later.

“You’re up early,” I said. I glanced behind her,automatically searching for the hulking shadow of Clayton, but he didn’tappear. That was unusual, as Miriam rarely went anywhere without him at herback.

“I know,” she said, grumpily, and took the chair besidemine. “But we have to sleep less and work more, now that we’ve got this foamhanging over our heads. If word of this gets out, we’ll be rounded up and…” Sheshuddered, and it took her a minute to continue. “Bad things will happen to us.We have to gain control of the situation, Trinity. Human women are beingmurdered, and now this.”

“I know.”

“Do you? Do you really know?” Her eyes blazed. “Becauseyou’re one of us now. They will take you, too. Your sad story won’t sway them,not anymore. You’ve left the city and moved to Bay Town. You’re not onlyworking with us, you’re living with us. And when they decide to persecute thenonhumans once again—and they will—you may not be immune from their hatred andfear.”

I swallowed the dread I felt at her words. Iwasoneof them. I’d been stabbed by a magical sword, chomped on by a mad mastervampire, and…

“No,” I realized, suddenly. “You’re wrong. I’ll be vital tothe humans once they understand what I can do. I’m a hunter. I can killvampires. I cankillthem. No one else can do that.”

“That,” someone said behind me, a bit dryly, “isn’t entirelytrue.”

I twisted in my chair and craned my neck to look up at thespeaker, startled.

“Trinity,” Miriam said, “meet Shane Copas. He’s the hunter Itold you about.”

I stood and automatically held out my hand, giving Miriam’sformer brother-in-law a nod hello as I looked him over. That would have beenimpolite except he was doing the same to me.

His grip was hard and firm, not the gentle squeeze most menwere inclined to give me, and he didn’t hold my hand a second longer thannecessary.

He wore a thin black jacket, a black shirt, and a pair of fadedkhakis. His boots were dark brown and very scuffed, and he wore a holstered gunat his side.

His hair was dark and very short, and his eyes werebeautiful—light blue, ringed with a darker blue, and shot through with bits ofsilver—but a person had only to look into those pretty eyes to know Shane Copaswas a man who used his fists a lot…and liked it.

Scars, mostly small and old, decorated his face. One at theedge of his right eye, like a tiny, silver crescent, a small, almost perfectlyround one over his temple, a thin slashing line of scars over his leftcheekbone, and a jagged chunk of scar on his chin.

He had a healing cut over the bridge of his nose, a cutdissecting his left eyebrow, and a fading bruise covering his right cheekbone.The knuckles of his right hand were battered, broken, and mottled.

“I guess I should see the other guy?” I joked.

Shane’s cold stare went right through me. “She’s not ahunter,” he told Miriam. “She’s a liability. Find someone else to protect her.”

Shocked by his rudeness, I took a quick step back. What thehell was his problem? He didn’t know me.

“Shane didn’t want to help us out,” Miriam told me. She kepther voice light, but it held a note of eagerness, as though she were spoilingfor a fight. She settled back into her chair. “I had to twist his muscled armto get him to agree to meet you.”

I curled my lip and grabbed onto my anger. “I don’t need hishelp or his protection. I have my sword, and I have the ability to give thetrue death.” I turned away, dismissing him. “This man can go home. Or to hell,”I added, snarkily, “for all I care.”

She laughed. “He’s not going anywhere.”

Shane turned and strode away without another word.

“Hey,” Miriam called. “Where are you going? Shane!”