Shadow's Caress

Hands pushed her to the ground and Cass felt a warm weight settle over her.

Gunfire erupted.

She flinched and the man on top of her curved his body around hers.

Something—a bullet maybe—hit asphalt near her face, sending a spray of debris her way. She closed her eyes and brought her hands up to shield herself.

Tires squealed again and the engine roared as the driver gunned it. Cass lifted her head and saw the shooters leaving at high speed. She started to shake. So she’d been a vampire hunter, big deal. No one had ever shot at her before. If this guy hadn’t shown up and pushed her to the ground, she might be dead.

His weight eased off her and Cass got to her hands and knees. “Hey, thanks. I guess I locked up there for a second.” She climbed to her feet slowly, giving her legs a chance to stop trembling. “But when I saw that gun and the man holding it—”

Cass stopped short, blinked hard and looked again. Her savior wasn’t some passing good Samaritan, it was her ghost. She recognized his energy—only he wasn’t looking quite so spectral at the moment. He remained mostly translucent, but she could see him. She took in the tousled light brown hair, the handsome face, the vivid blue eyes, and gasped.

The last vampire she’d slain had just saved her life.

CHAPTER TWO

Cass drove through the darkened streets of L.A., her hands clenched around the steering wheel. One of the police officers who’d responded to the shooting had gotten her car started, but that was the only good thing that had happened since she left the store tonight.

What did she do now?

The vampire hunters wanted her dead and she knew how they worked. They’d be watching her apartment. If she were stupid enough to go there, they’d pick her off. Cass had no clue what she’d done to anger them, but she’d recognized Quentin as the shooter.

The name made her shudder. She’d had one run-in with him when she’d been part of that group, but that encounter was enough for Cass to realize the guy was psycho. And he was after her. On orders. It had to be on orders because he was a follower, not a leader. It wasn’t comforting news. The organization wouldn’t stop until the mission was completed.

Turning to her friends was out. None of them were aware she’d been a hunter and she couldn’t tell them. Besides, it would put them in danger. Her former coworkers didn’t care about collateral damage and the biggest risk any of her friends had faced was driving on the freeways.

The police weren’t an option, either. What could she say? Hey, you’re wrong about it being a random drive-by shooting. That guy with the gun? Yeah, he and I were both vampire hunters. Sure. They’d think she was a whack job.

Maybe if she were a better liar, she could tell the cops some story and they’d believe it. Problem was she sucked at lying. She always had.

Cass eased the car to stop at a traffic light and tried to beat back the panic. She had nowhere to go, no one she could ask for help, and to make things extra difficult, she didn’t have much money. Her emergency credit card wasn’t an option. It could be traced and the hunters had the resources to do that.

Another car pulled beside her and her anxiety level skyrocketed. When the light went green, Cass hit the accelerator so fast, her sedan lurched into motion. She had to get a hold on herself. If she let her fear get the upper hand, she’d make it easier for the hunters. They’d have—

“Where are we going?” a voice asked from beside her.

Cass cut herself off midscreech and jerked her gaze to the passenger seat. Her ghost was back. Relief flooded her.

“Watch the road!” he ordered.

His urgency registered. She yanked the steering wheel, bringing the car back into its lane and narrowly missing the oncoming vehicle. Cass got a long honk for her efforts. “You scared the hell out of me!”

“Sorry.”

He didn’t sound sorry, but she took a deep breath and let it go. She had bigger problems to worry about. “Go away. I don’t have time for you.”

“You don’t really want me to leave.”

“Yes, I do. Really.”

“If I do as you ask, who helps keep you alive, Cassandra?”

“Cass. I don’t like being called Cassandra. And right, like I’m supposed to believe you want to help me. I killed you, remember?” A sudden realization dawned on her. “You’re here for revenge, aren’t you?”

“No. In your case, retribution would be wasted energy. You were young and I’ve seen no hatred in you. My assumption was that you obeyed orders, nothing more.” He didn’t wait for her to respond before continuing, “Besides, I’m not dead.”

Relief flooded her. Maybe she was being stupid, but Cass believed him about not wanting to hurt her. And he had saved her life earlier. Then the last thing he said registered. She shook her head, but kept her gaze on the road. “You are dead. I read about ghosts and you guys hang around because you believe you’re still alive, but you’re not. Trust me. I drove that stake into your heart.”

He was quiet for a long moment and Cass was torn between hope that he’d believe her and go away and fear that he’d do exactly that. At least when he was around, she wasn’t on her own, and right now, the last thing she wanted was to be alone.

“What were you taught about killing vampires?”

Cass didn’t get why he was asking, but she didn’t see any reason not to answer. “That there are four things I had to do—stake you, put garlic in your mouth, behead you and bury your body separately from your head.”

“And did you follow all those steps?”

She swallowed hard. The only time she’d chopped off a vampire’s head had been while her trainer had been watching. It had taken her forever and she’d had to stop to puke. More than once. Even now, the memory made bile rise in her throat.

“No,” Cass admitted quietly. She sounded normal and that was good. “But what difference does it make? Beheading vampires is an old wives’ tale and it’s not easy to cut off heads, you know.”

“As slight as you are, I imagine not.”

He shifted in the seat and Cass glanced over briefly. The translucence of his body threw her when he sounded so … normal, but he was more solid than he’d been in the parking lot after the shooting.

The ghost licked his lips and the memory of his mouth on her throat made Cass heat up. Damn, she was glad the car was dark and even happier that she had to watch the road otherwise he might figure out how easily he aroused her.

“The thing is,” he said, and she heard reluctance in his voice, “beheading isn’t a myth. A stake alone doesn’t kill a vampire.”

Right. “I don’t know how to break this to you, but you’re a ghost and you have to die to be one those.”

“Wrong. I’m a shade—a shadow, if you prefer—not a ghost.”

Cass frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’m in limbo. I’ve been in limbo for two years, and in that time, you’re the only person who’s been able to see me or hear me.”

A hint of an accent crept into his voice. English, she thought, and Cass realized she knew nothing about him. All her boss had told her that day was where to find the vampire. “What’s your name?” she blurted out.

The weight of his gaze felt heavy, but his tone was neutral when he answered. “Malachi James.”

She bit her lip and tightened her hands on the wheel. “You’re thinking I should have known who I was killing.”

“No, I’m not.” Their gazes locked briefly when she glanced over and he must have read her confusion. “It’s easier to commit murder when the target is impersonal. A name makes me real. And you did not kill me, no matter how much you insist otherwise.”

Murder. The word made her cringe. “I’m sorry. Really, truly, totally sorry, okay? I wish I could have a do-over, but we don’t get those.”

“In this case you do—in a fashion.”