Annie Nicholas: The Beta

“You did well tonight.” Daedalus slapped his back so hard it rattled his molars. “There’s an alpha in you. I knew it. We’ll schedule more sparing time together. Hone your reflexes and increase the speed of your attacks.” The Nosferatu eyed Robert’s shoulders and arms. “Maybe add some bulk with more weight training.”

“I don’t think—”

Daedalus waved and ran ahead. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, buddy.”

“—that’s necessary.” God, they were buddies now? He sighed. Crap and a truckload of it. He had no desire to get molded into an alpha. He wasn’t thrilled at being the Vasi’s beta. More sparring time meant more bruises.

He descended the stairs out of Talon’s apartment building and exited onto the sidewalk. At this time of the night, traffic trickled one car at a time. The neighborhood left much to be desired, and he had parked his car blocks from here to avoid any theft. Muggers were welcomed to try him though. If he had to, he’d bust out his beast in an emergency.

Paranormal races were legal citizens, after all, but they still needed to be discreet. Occasionally a pitchfork-and-torch-wielding mob formed, so the Vasi tried to stay low-key. They didn’t need bad publicity.

Esther Longfellow watched her mark climb through the third-story window of the red brick apartment building across the street. The vampire had used his fingertips placed in the mortar joints to scale the wall. He did it with such ease, her stomach went queasy. After sitting on the sill for a few minutes, Daedalus crawled inside. His friend had entered the building by the fucking door earlier. What were they doing?

She’d hunted vampires for years, but never from the Nosferatu clan. No one ever had until this contract came out. The payment offered too many zeros to ignore. But she wasn’t stupid enough to sign anything until she’d assessed the situation. The dead couldn’t spend money.

Her heart had seized earlier when out of nowhere the vampire had passed her on the street after she’d parked her car. What a lucky break. She’d followed him and his friend from a distance to a decrepit apartment building, then ducked into the alley across the street.

The Nosferatu didn’t even try to hide his origins. Bald head, exposed pointed ears curling on each side, and a flash of fang as he’d spoken to the thin young man next to him. It had to be Daedalus. She doubted Chicago could house more than one Nosferatu vampire. They were very territorial.

Crouching in the alley across from the apartments, she aimed her digital camera and zoomed the night vision on the vampire as he exited through the front door. No doubt about it, he matched the pictures in her file. Why did he go in through a window and out the door? What evil deed was he up to?

She took a deep, calming breath, squashing her excitement. Now wasn’t the time to attack. Her bag of tricks sat in the trunk of her car and she couldn’t focus after being mentally shaken from the lucky encounter. She respected what she hunted. A fan of the paranormal, her secret obsession made her a formidable slayer. She didn’t want them all destroyed, only the troublemakers, the evil-doers, the murderers.

And Daedalus liked to kill.

This takedown would need a lot of preparation, two of them being a quick getaway and a comfortable hole to hide in for the remainder of her life. The Nosferatu clan was a vengeful lot.

If she succeeded in slaying a Prime from this clan, they’d write her name in the slayer’s history book. She grinned. Legally, what she did for a living was considered murder but in her book she served justice.

Watching him disappear down the block, she leaned against the alley wall. She couldn’t risk following him anymore. Lacking information, she needed to do some more research like finding out where he rested during the day. She hadn’t become successful by being unprepared. The challenge of this contract got her blood pumping.

Another man exited the building not long after. He wore a rumpled button-down, short-sleeved shirt tucked into loose jeans. His mouse brown hair cried for a cut and a comb.

He pushed his glasses up his nose and bent to tie his running shoes.

Recognizing him as the person who had accompanied Daedalus earlier, Esther heard opportunity knocking. He didn’t look like a threat being thin and weak. She crossed the street and approached him from behind. “Excuse me. Do you have the time?”

Glancing over his shoulder, his gaze traveled along her bare legs, to her knee length loose skirt, and finally met her stare. Her breath caught in her throat. The irises of his eyes reflected a non-existent light and shone pale amber. He blinked and it vanished, must have been the glasses that gave such a strange effect.

He rose in a single fluid motion that set her predator alarm off. Checking his cellphone, he gave her a shy smile. “It’s ten after two.” He scanned the area around them. “This is a dangerous part of town, ma’am. You shouldn’t walk around alone. Trouble is going to find you.”

Or maybe find him. She eyed his wiry arms and changed her assessment of him. Lean, tight muscles slid under his skin as he moved. He wasn’t weak, more like a cross between a martial artist and a geek.

“Are you offering to walk me home?” Flashing him her most flirtatious smile, she toyed with a piece of her hair.

He swallowed. “S-sure.” Shuffling to her side, he fell in next to her, eyes darting around them.

Men were so easy to manipulate, but this one actually wanted to protect her. So cute, she could have pinched him. Trying to be discreet, she took quick peeks at him. Nice strong chin and straight nose. Maybe a hint of freckles? It was difficult to tell in the dark.

“I’m Esther.” She held out her hand. What the hell prompted her to use her real name?

Wrapping a firm hand around hers, he shook it. “I’m Robert.”

His touch sent tingles along her arm. The name seemed too mature for him. “What are you doing out so late, Rob?” How did such a polite man like him get involved with a Nosferatu? She checked his neck for bites and didn’t see anything, but there were more places on the body to feed from besides the neck. It would be a shame if he was a blood slave.

“Robert is fine. I was checking on a…friend.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “And you, Esther?”

She laughed. “I’m up to no good.” And she winked at him.

A rosy blush surfaced on his cheeks as he stumbled.

Something in this man attracted the devil inside of her. She entangled her arm around his and leaned into his hard body. The strength hidden under the geeky exterior sent a pleasant shiver through her body. Not all things were as they appeared. She hated surprises but not this one. If this was an act then he deserved an Emmy. She glanced at him, pleased that she needed to arch her neck back slightly to meet his sharp green gaze. She liked them tall, and she prayed he was the real deal.

God, what was she doing? She assessed him like a potential lover instead of a possible avenue to get her mark. Stupid, focus. Once Daedalus was out of the picture she’d come back for Rob if she still wanted him. Until then…she stopped in front of a duplex. “This is my place.” She lied with the ease of an expert.

“All right.” He shoved his hands deeper in his front pockets as if not sure what to do with them. “It was nice meeting you, Esther.” His gaze flickered to hers, and he cleared his throat. “Would you like to have dinner sometime?”

The innocent anxiety of his request melted her to the spot. In her profession the men she got acquainted with were arrogant sons of bitches. “I’d like that.” The answer came out before she knew it, but at least it rung with honesty. Something she didn’t hear often enough.