Dead Is the New Black by Harper Allen

Author:Harper Allen [Allen, Harper]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, General, Contemporary, Fantasy
ISBN: 9781552548264
Google: toID09ClTMcC
Amazon: B000NJL80E
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2007-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

“O h, ’tis too unfair!” Jasmine’s lips formed a disappointed pout. “Now that you have guessed my secret, surely you would not warn him? Be assured, madam, that the members of the murderous society he has sworn fealty to do not warn us before they attack.”

“You better believe I intend to warn him,” I said tightly. “I know Black Rose wouldn’t extend the same courtesy, but we’re not talking about Black Rose, we’re talking about a human being. Maybe I’ve turned enough so that silver doesn’t reflect my image anymore, but I haven’t turned enough to stand by while a vamp attacks a human.” I advanced toward her, my muscles tensed, but to my surprise she stood back to let me pass.

“Go, then,” she said with a shrug. “Perhaps I shall regret my graciousness later, but I find myself unwilling to engage with you over such a trifle.”

I paused in the doorway. “Really? See, I kind of thought that the reason you’re chickening out is because you find yourself unwilling to flash-fry,” I said with a flicker of satisfaction at her predicament. “I mean, we both know how risky it is for a vamp to get into a knock-down, drag-out fight when a few steps in the wrong direction could burn you to a crisp. But hey, if you want to pretend you’re doing this out of the goodness of your heart, be my—what the hell?!”

A friggin’ bee had stung me, I thought as I jerked my arm in toward my body. And it had friggin’ hurt, not to mention it had ruined my triumphant little speech to Jasmine. I examined my forearm, but instead of the tiny red puncture wound I expected, I was shocked to see a raw, red wound about the size of a dime. The edges of the wound looked seared and bubbly, and from the center a wisp of smoke rose. It disappeared into the pin-size shaft of sunlight coming through a minuscule rip in the awning above.

I heard the sound of a lock falling into place behind me. I spun around to see Jasmine on the other side of the store’s iron-grilled door. She flipped the Open sign around so that it read Closed, and took her sunglasses off to reveal irises as red as blood.

But I was too busy kicking myself to care that she’d dropped her Mrs. Moneybags mask. Smoke and mirrors—those were her tools and she’d used them to the hilt. And I’d been stupid enough to fall for them. From the start she’d kept me off balance by one means or another; first with Suzanne, then with her veiled threats toward Brook, and finally by her trick with the roses to make me think Dmitri was her target. But all along she’d been maneuvering me into the very position I was in now. It was no use asking myself how she’d known before I did that I’d become as vulnerable to daylight as any other vampire. That didn’t matter. Getting out of here without turning into Tash-on-the-barbie did.

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