Page 8 of Bloodhunter

“Stop scaring her,” Derry said.

“I’mnot,”he insisted. “Just telling her to watchout.”

“As if she doesn’t already know towatch out.Shelearned that the hard way.”

I left them to it and headed to Miriam Crow’s office, whichwas two doors down from the pizza store.

The night air was crisp, and sounds from the not-too-distantcity infiltrated the little Bay Town. The raucous honking of angry horns,screaming sirens, revving engines. None of it belonged in Bay Town.

I closed my eyes and turned my face to the sky, then pulledthe fresh, cold air deep into my lungs.

My cell rang, startling me out of the moment, and I juggledthe box as I pulled the phone from my pocket. I frowned.

“Angus?”

“Stop standing there asking for trouble,” Angus said. “Getthat pizza to Miriam’s before it gets cold or come back into the store and letone of the boys do it.”

My face heated despite the cold night air, and I glanced atthe camera high on the exterior wall. I saluted him with my middle finger, thenended the call, cutting off his laughter.

After another glance at the camera, I walked down thesidewalk to the necromancer’s office, rapidly cooling pizza in hand.

I knew Angus would have scoured the footage from my earlierbrush with Amias. He wouldn’t have seen much. Amias knew the cameras didn’treach far into the parking lot. Vampires learned the surveillance situation intheir territories early on. They were smart that way.

I walked past the realtor’s office, glancing through thewindow as I passed by. The realtor was a man named Rhys Graver. Angus had toldme once that selling real estate was a front for Graver’s real job, but wouldnever say what his real job was.

Rhys was a couple inches taller than my five feet nineinches, with short, black hair, velvety brown eyes so dark they were almost thesame shade as his skin, and full lips that smiled even when his eyes didn’t. Igot the feeling his job wasn’t the only fake thing about him. He put on a happyattitude, friendly voice, and easy laugh that might have fooled most people.Probably did.

But they didn’t fool me.

I saw something dark in his eyes. Something cruel, hard, andfrightening. It didn’t matter how hot he was. He was scary.

I still had no idea what Rhys Graver was. Wolf, maybe.

Clayton pulled open the door just as I reached it. He saidnothing, as usual.

He reached for the box, then left the door open as he turnedand walked away. I couldn’t help but watch him go.

He was dressed in a black suit. The slacks and open jacketwere a lighter shade than the midnight black of his pullover shirt, and he worea black band on the ring finger of his left hand. His dark hair was parted inthe middle and pushed back behind his ears. His eyes were a cold, light blue,surrounded by thick black lashes and topped by slashing dark brows.

Whatever he was, he was sexy as anything. Maybe the factthat he was so untouchable made him even more irresistible.

I followed him in, then shut the door behind me. Miriam’sspace was pretty much like any other office—surprising, considering what shedid.

Most of us believed Clayton was a golem, but what proof didwe have? The fact that Miriam dominated him? That he followed her around, tookwhatever abuse she doled out and continued to stay with her? That he rarelyspoke?

That deep in his blue stare was a spark of rage so fierce Icould barely look into his eyes for more than a few seconds at a time?

Yeah. That seemed pretty definitive.

He was a golem. He belonged to Miriam.

And he didn’t want either of those things to be true.

“Trinity,” Miriam greeted. She was a slender, pale woman wholooked around thirty, though she seemed somehow…ancient. She was all blonde sleeknessand creamy skin with pink cheeks, bright blue eyes, and full, pink lips. Shecouldn’t have looked less like a creature of the night, but Miriam could holdher own against just about anybody. Or anything.

I’d seen her stare down an irate man determined to carve outher heart, and I’d seen her order a moaning, rotting ghoul back to its grave. I’dwatched her bully her freaky-ass-sexy-as-hell golem as though he couldn’t reachdown and pinch off her head.

“Miriam,” I replied. “Cold night.”