Darkness 01 by Dianne Duvall

Author:Dianne Duvall [Duvall, Dianne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, General, Paranormal, Fiction
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2011-02-01T06:00:00+00:00

Roland wasn’t sure he believed that as he brought the bag to his lips. Watching her carefully, he bit down and drew hard with his fangs. No grimace. No shudder.

One would think she had just handed him a juice box.

Nietzsche chose that moment to creep out of his hiding place and rub against Seth’s black fatigue–covered calf. His striped and speckled gray fur and white paws were sticky with Roland’s blood and stood out in darkened spikes.

“Well, what have we here?” Seth picked the cat up, examined him briefly, then settled him in his lap. “Hello, Nietzsche. I didn’t know you were still around.”

Uh-oh.

The gaze Seth turned on Roland was inscrutable. “You do realize that cats aren’t actually supposed to live nine lives?”

From the corner of his eye, Roland saw Marcus frown.

“Wait a minute,” he said after draining the first bag. “That isn’t the original Nietzsche, is it? That would make him—what—forty years old?”

“Forty-three,” Seth clarified.

Roland opted to remain silent and glanced up to catch Sarah’s reaction as their words sank in.

Her eyes widened. “An immortal cat?” she blurted incredulously. “There are immortal cats?”

“One immortal cat,” Seth corrected as he stroked Nietzsche’s messy fur.

Nietzsche closed his eyes in ecstasy and began to purr and work his little paws.

Seth’s disapproval didn’t have to be verbalized. Even Sarah seemed to sense it and edged closer to Roland.

Well, what’s done is done.

“It was an accident,” Roland began, setting his empty bag aside. “I came upon a vampire who was draining a woman dry. When I attacked and started kicking his ass, she freaked out and pepper sprayed me.”

“Why?” Sarah demanded. “You were trying to help her.”

“She wasn’t lucid. She thought he was giving her a hickey, not killing her,” he explained. “Before my vision cleared, the vamp got in a lucky shot and cut my carotid artery. It healed, but—by the time I dispatched the vamp, took care of the woman, and got home—I had lost so much blood that I passed out before I could feed. I awoke sometime later to the feel of Nietzsche’s sandpapery tongue licking my neck.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how much he consumed, but he hasn’t aged a day since.”

Marcus studied the cat curiously. “Has it made him more violent? Is that why he attacked the raccoon?”

“No, Nietzsche has always been very territorial. The little nutcase.”

Seth sighed. “Let’s keep this between us, shall we? I have my hands full watching over all of you Guardians. I don’t need immortal pets to be thrown into the mix, as well.”

Roland and Marcus murmured their agreement, then each drained another bag.

Sarah perched on the sofa arm nearest Roland.

Seth waited until they were finished to speak. “Tell me what you know of the one who tried to kill you.”

“Not much more than the last time I talked to you,” Roland said, raking a hand through his hair in frustration. “His name is Bastien. He’s British. And he has raised a small army of both vampires and human minions.”

Seth’s brow furrowed.

“He attacked us again last night, shortly after Marcus arrived, as we were leaving Sarah’s home.

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