From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a thrilling new look at the iconic origin story of Cat and Bones, as experienced by Bones…from the other half of the grave.
There are two sides to every story–and the sizzling British alpha vampire, Bones, has a lot to say…
Ever wondered what Bones was thinking and feeling when he and half-vampire Cat Crawfield first met? Or how their story might differ if he were the one telling it? Now, relive the beginning of Cat and Bones’ bestselling love story through Bones’ point of view, which reveals a darker, sexier take on their early days, as well as a deeper dive into Bones’ past, the vampire world, and other things that Cat didn’t see when their story was told only through her eyes in Halfway to the Grave.
Cat had her say. Now, it’s Bones’ turn.
“Even if you’ve never read any of the other books in Frost’s sexy, action-packed series (think Buffy the Vampire Slayer for Anne Rice fans), this darker, even sexier reboot is a perfect starting point.” -Apple Books. Voted one of the “Best Books” of the month on Apple!
Get yours in ebook, print, and audio at #Ad Amazon, B&N, Apple Books, Kobo, Bookstop, Indiebound, or your favorite retailer.
Read an extended excerpt below.
Copyright Jeaniene Frost. All rights reserved.
THE OTHER HALF OF THE GRAVE
Author’s Note
Readers have long asked me if I’d ever write Bones’s side of the story, and I said no because I didn’t “hear” Bones in my head the same way that I heard Cat. Well, a couple years ago, Bones finally started talking to me, and wow, did he have a lot to say. I thought I knew everything about him, and Bones proved me wrong. Writing this also showed Cat in a brand-new light for me, as well as Ian, Spade, and others. Reliving their story through Bones’s perspective made me laugh, cry, and fall in love with him and Cat all over again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
When you read, you’ll notice that I updated the technology to today’s time because I didn’t want to confuse readers by not mentioning things that are commonplace now. I also didn’t want to pull readers out of the story by keeping the now-defunct technology of the early 2000s. Example: Bones had a beeper as a receiver for Cat’s panic alert back in the original version (Gen Z, you’ll have to look up what a “beeper” is.) I laughed out loud when I re-read that part, and it’s not supposed to be a funny scene. So, I thought upgrading the technology was a better choice. I also gave Cat a cell phone in this version. Her not having one back when HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE was first published was unusual, but not unheard of. Today, however, the average middle schooler has a cell phone, so a college student like Cat would definitely have one, too.
Finally, since this is told through Bones’s point of view, there are slight changes in context and dialog. Anyone who’s been in a relationship knows that couples can have two versions of the same incident, and both will swear that their version is correct. Such is the case with how Bones remembers things versus how Cat did. Hey, I’m not going to tell Bones that he’s wrong. This is his story, and he’s sticking to it.
–Jeaniene Frost
Chapter One
Tonight, Bones hunted.
Devon was his prey. According to Bones’s sources, Devon ran the books for an undead cabal that operated from Mexico all the way to this poor imitation of a high-end nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. Devon was supposed to be here tonight, hence Bones sitting in the frayed, fake-velvet booths of the club’s VIP area. The music was atrocious, and so loud that the humans had to shout in order to hear each other. With a vampire’s heightened senses, the annoying beat felt as if it were being pumped directly into Bones’s skull.
He was, as the cliché went, getting too old for this. At least when it came to frequenting human nightclubs. When it came to hunting, Bones’s two-centuries-plus was to his advantage. The same held true for his other pursuits.
One example of those pursuits flashed a smile at him as she came nearer. She was attractive enough, if he ignored the heavy chemical scent of perfume she’d doused herself with. But he couldn’t ignore the way her eyes were dilated from something other than feminine interest.
“Hi,” she purred, leaning over his table to better display her décolleté. “What do you say to buying me a drink, sexy?”
Shagging might be his favorite pastime, but Bones never touched a woman under the influence of drugs. She was also now blocking his view of the club’s entrance. If Devon slipped in, Bones wouldn’t know it. Normally, he’d let her down gently, but lives were on the line.
“I’d say lay off whatever drugs made your pupils larger than olives,” he replied with a rudeness meant to send her away.
She huffed and straightened, clearing his line of sight to the door. “Bastard,” she snapped before stalking off.
Bones hefted his glass in salute. “Right you are.”
Two more women and a man made similar advances over the next hour. He sent them away as well. He’d just rebuffed his latest admirer when a glimpse of almost luminescent skin caught his eye.
Vampire, was Bones’s first thought as he studied the woman entering the club. Her hair was a crimson splash that hid her face as she waited while the bouncer checked her identification. Must be a young-looking vampire, for the bouncer to double-check her license. After a moment, she was allowed to pass.
Bones only caught glimpses of her as she threaded her way through the crowd. She wore oversized denim trousers with construction-style pockets, long black gloves, and a nondescript white top with elbow-length sleeves. If not for its scooped neckline, he wouldn’t have caught sight of her distinctive skin, especially since her long red tresses shielded most of her face.
Push your hair back, Bones thought. Show me your face…
Wait, who cared what the vampire looked like, if she was even a vampire at all? He had his doubts now. Yes, her skin held that faint tinge of incandescence that usually meant “vampire,” but she moved like a human, and she also had too much flush in her skin for a vampire’s stationary pulse.
Must be a human with unusually lovely skin, nothing more. Bones finished his whisky and left cash for his bill. A tour of the club was now in order. Devon could’ve slipped in when he was distracted by the redhead. That wouldn’t do.
An hour later, Bones was back in the booths with their elevated view of the entrance. Devon hadn’t shown up yet, and it was approaching midnight. If this were a vampire club, the evening would just be starting, but this was a human establishment so it would only be open another two hours.
Perhaps his intelligence on Devon had been wrong. Vampires had been known to lie to stop the pain when a silver knife was shoved into their sternum-
Ash blond hair caught Bones’s eye as a man walked into the club. He moved with distinct, purposeful grace, and his skin held the same faint tinge of luminescence as Bones’s own.
Devon. Finally.
The redhead he’d admired earlier suddenly came toward Bones with an unsteady gait. Before Bones could send her away, she dropped into the seat across the table from him.
“Hello handsome,” she said, a faint slur turning a poor impression of a seductive voice into a terrible one.
“Not now,” he replied shortly.
She blinked as if she’d never been rejected before. With her beauty, she probably hadn’t. Dark red brows arched over storm-cloud gray eyes while very little makeup graced her high cheekbones, elegant nose, and luscious, full lips. No perfume masked her scent, either, allowing him to catch a subtle mix of sweet cream, vanilla, and…cherries.
“Excuse me?” she said.
He could no longer see Devon now. Lovely or no, he wouldn’t let her cost him years of hunting.
“I’m busy, so off you go.”
She touched his hand. Her warmth erased any doubt as to her humanity, as did the heartbeat he could now hear from her nearness. She stammered out something he ignored until she finished it with “Want to fuck?”
As soon as she said it, a horrified look crossed her features. Her hand also paused midway to her mouth as if she’d been about to physically attempt stuffing the words back.
His lips curled. Not afraid to say what she wanted even if it embarrassed her, was she? Under other circumstances, he’d make her forget that embarrassment in the nearest, darkest corner, but now wasn’t the time.
“Bad timing, luv. Be a good bird and fly away. I’ll find you later.”
At that, she got up and walked away, shaking her head. Bones didn’t spare her another look. His gaze was all for the blond vampire moving through the crowd with the arrogance of an apex predator surrounded by prey.
Bones flew up to the ceiling. His all-black attire plus the darkness around the booths meant that no one noticed. Once there, he went behind the network of lights. Anyone who looked up would only see the constant flash of strobes or the roving beams of spotlights. Not the dark figure behind them.
His perch gave him a clear view of Devon. The other vampire paused by several women during his slow sweep of the club, leaning in to catch their scent, brush their skin, or run his fingers through their hair. Devon made it seem subtle, almost accidental, but shoppers in a grocery store tested their produce in much the same way.
Devon was picking out his next meal.
Bones’s jaw tightened when he saw Devon catch a glimpse of the redhead. He’d hoped she’d leave the club after his refusal, but she’d done a circle of the place as if looking for him, and then sat at the bar. When Devon saw her, he stopped talking to the petite blond he’d been conversing with and stared.
Distractingly lovely, isn’t she? Bones thought, feeling an odd twinge of anger. Yes, vampires were territorial over their possessions or their people, but the redhead was neither to him. Still, that twinge grew when Devon left the blonde and went straight over to her.
He couldn’t hear what Devon said over the pulsating music. He could only watch as Devon leaned behind the redhead and spoke. She turned around, annoyance clear on her features.
Good. Send him on his way!
A bright smile wreathed her face, turning up the dial on her already irresistible beauty. Whatever she said had Devon sitting next to her and signaling the bartender for a drink.
Anger surged again. Bones told himself it was fueled by sympathy, not more irrational jealousy.
Bad choice, pet. He intends to eat you in an entirely different way than I did.
Her choices soon worsened. Within half an hour, the redhead was following Devon out the door. Bones slid across the ceiling to a corner, and then jumped down and left the club. Once outside, he flew high to avoid being spotted and kept his aura tamped down so that Devon couldn’t detect it.
The redhead could barely walk as she followed Devon to his car. Clearly, she’d had too much to drink. Devon didn’t care. He smirked as he helped her into the passenger seat, and then climbed into the driver’s side and pulled away.
Bones stayed high as he followed the Volkswagen. No surprise, Devon drove to a deserted, wooded area. Bones dropped lower, tensing when the car stopped. Almost immediately, the passenger door opened, and the redhead stumbled out.
Bones was low enough to hear Devon laugh when she staggered away, screaming. Drunk as she was, she only made it a few meters before she tripped and fell. Not that she would have been able to escape Devon even if she’d been sober. No human could outrun a vampire.
Bones dropped even lower as Devon walked over to the girl. His back was to Bones, but from the new green glow bathing the redhead’s features, he’d released the inhuman light in his gaze. Seeing it, she whimpered and crawled backward faster.
Don’t fret, luv, Bones thought grimly. I’m coming. Just need to catch him unawares so you don’t get hurt in the process.
“Don’t hurt me!” she cried out when Devon knelt next to her and grabbed her by the back of the neck.
“It will only hurt for a moment,” Devon hissed.
Bones braced against the nearest tree trunk, about to springboard off it to maximize his speed to knock Devon away-
The redhead’s hand whipped out, ramming something into Devon’s chest. Before Bones could react, she gave it a vicious twist, and Devon collapsed on top of her. She kept twisting until Devon shriveled into a vampire’s true state of death.
Bones was too stunned to do anything other than stare.
What the bloody hell was this?
“You were right,” she said in a tone that no longer bore a hint of a drunken slur. “It only hurt for a moment.”
Bones’s disbelief gave way to anger. All the answers he’d sought for the past several years, gone. All because of a lovely, murdering redhead who’d fooled both him and Devon, though only one of them had lived to regret it.
She shoved Devon’s body aside. No hysterics, no remorse, and she’d shown no hesitation before stabbing Devon, either. If she had, Bones could have stopped her. But no, she’d been swift and merciless. This wasn’t her first kill, especially with how brisk and businesslike she was as she opened the trunk and hefted Devon’s body into it.
Little chit must be a professional. He’d be sure to use that to his advantage when he met her again. He’d been her first intended victim, after all.
I promised to find you. I’ll keep that promise.
She whistled as she closed the trunk and got back into Devon’s car. Bones flew high and followed her. He had no idea who she was, but he was going to find out.
Chapter Two
The redhead drove back to the club, where she parked Devon’s car next to an old Ford truck at the far side of the club’s parking lot. She got out and quickly transferred Devon’s body from the trunk to the truck bed and covered him with black plastic sheeting. Then, she left Devon’s car and drove off in her truck. Smart. Now, Devon’s car wouldn’t be traced back to her murder scene, and anyone looking for Devon would assume he’d left his vehicle at the club himself after catching a ride.
She drove for about an hour, until she reached a cherry orchard in a small, rural town. Once there, she chopped Devon’s head off and buried him on the far edge of the orchard. Then, she went inside the lone house on the property and slept so soundly Bones could hear her snores from his nearby tree perch.
He didn’t sleep. He spent the rest of the early morning hours looking up everything he could find on the mysterious redhead. Thanks to the orchard’s name painted on a faded sign in front of the property, it was easy.
Catherine Kathleen Crawfield appeared to be a normal college girl whose only oddity was her utter lack of social media presence. The only online images Bones could find of her were yearbook pictures and an old family photo on the Crawfield Cherry Orchard’s official website. The orchard was owned by Catherine’s grandparents, who were as boring a couple as Bones had ever researched. Nothing interesting popped up regarding Catherine’s mum, either, and her father was unknown. On paper, the Crawfields were no more than a family of cherry farmers going back five generations.
Yet Catherine was a vampire killer. If he hadn’t seen it himself, let alone smelled evidence of other kills buried in the family orchard, he wouldn’t believe it, but there it was. How did Devon fit in? Catherine had only focused on him after Bones had rebuffed her. Had Bones been Catherine’s intended target all along? Or had Devon? Bones’s brown hair was currently dyed blond, and Devon was a blond, so Catherine could have confused one of them for the other.
Or had Catherine been after both of them? The head of the cabal Bones was investigating could have found out that Bones was after Devon. Perhaps he’d decided to get rid of the pair of them as a precaution? If so, a human woman seemed a poor choice of assassins, though Devon would doubtless disagree.
Well, if the lady wanted to kill him, he’d let her try.
Catherine went to the same club the next night. As soon as she entered, she did what Bones realized was a sweep of the premises. When she didn’t find what she was looking for, she sat at the bar. Bones was behind her before she could order a drink.
“I’m ready to fuck now.”
A line offensive enough to send all except a person with ulterior motives running. Last chance to show you’re a lamb instead of a wolf, Catherine.
“What?” she gasped out, spinning around. Then, the outrage in her expression died as she recognized him. Oddly, she flushed as if embarrassed by remembering what she’d said. Then her chin lifted and determination filled her gaze.
“Yes, well…drink first?”
“Don’t bother,” he said, waving away the bartender she’d started to hail. “Let’s go.”
“Now?” She looked startled.
“Yeah, now.”
When she hesitated, he said, “Changed your mind?” and turned as if to leave.
She grabbed her purse and practically lunged toward him. Not a lamb at all, then.
“No, no. Lead the way,” she said.
As if he’d turn his back on her even once tonight. His arm swept out. “Ladies first.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him so much, he was surprised she didn’t trip on her way from the club to the parking lot. Once they were outside, she opened her mouth as if to speak, but Bones beat her to it.
“Well? Get your ride, and let’s be off.”
“My ride?” she all but stammered. “I don’t have a ride. Where’s your car?”
“I drove a bike here,” he lied. “Fancy a ride on it?”
“A motorcycle?” she said with such obvious consternation, he stifled a laugh. Was she imaging how difficult it would be to transport his body on one of those? “Um, we should take my vehicle instead. It’s over there.”
She began to walk toward the old Ford, staggering after a few steps as if remembering that she was supposed to act drunk.
“Thought you didn’t have a ride?” Bones called out.
She turned around, her expression saying “Oh shit” louder than words. Sweet bleedin’ hell, she was terrible at this.
“I forgot it was here, is all,” she said in a too-bright tone. Then, she started to slur her words again. “Think I drank too much. You want to drive?”
“No thanks,” he said at once.
Anger flashed across her features before she covered it with a smile. “Really, I think you should drive. I’d hate to wrap us around a tree.”
And be distracted while she launched a new attempt to murder him? “If you want to beg off until another night…” he said, turning away again.
“No!” she replied with such obvious desperation, he almost laughed. She must have realized she’d revealed too much because at once she tried to backtrack.
“I mean, you’re so good-looking and”–her brow furrowed as she quickly tried to think up more flattery–“I really want to get it on.”
This time, he couldn’t stifle his laughter. She blanched, and he almost pitied her, except for how she’d twist silver into his heart the first chance she got.
His tongue traced the inside of his lip as he stared at her until she flinched. But he only said, “Right, then, let’s be off.” Relief filled her face until he added, “You’re driving.”
With that, Bones climbed into the passenger seat of her pickup truck. Your move.
She shifted on her feet for a few moments. Then, decision made, she got into the truck.
Bones didn’t take his eyes off her as she drove. She must have felt it, but she didn’t look at him. Instead, her breathing hitched, her heart rate sped up, and her scent wavered between fear and resolve. Didn’t she know vampires could scent emotions? She should have worn perfume. The harsh chemical odor would’ve helped mask her true feelings.
Ten minutes into the silent standoff, she said “What’s your name?” in a sharp, tense tone.
Trying to verify your target? “Does it matter?”
She finally looked his way. Uncertainty filled her features before determination tightened her jaw.
“I just wanted to know. Mine’s Cat,” she said as she left the freeway for a gravel road.
“Cat, hmm?” he mocked. “From where I sit, you look more like a Kitten.”
She shot him an irritated glance. “It’s Cat. Cat Raven.”
“Whatever you say, Kitten Tweety,” Bones drawled.
She slammed on the brakes. “You got a problem, mister?”
I don’t, but you do. Temper, temper. “No problem, pet. Have we stopped here for good? Is this where you want to shag?”
She flushed again before looking away. Perhaps this part wasn’t an act. His would-be murderess was a prude? Priceless.
“Um, no,” she said. “Further up. It’s prettier there.”
And well off the main road so no one could stumble across them. Prude or no, she was still doing her level best to kill him. Pity he’d have to disappoint her.
“I just bet it is, luv,” Bones said with a chuckle.
After a few minutes, she stopped at the edge of a lake. Bones didn’t move. He only watched with more amusement as she fidgeted and kept glancing at the pocket on her right thigh. Even though her trousers were oversized, Bones could still see the outline of her weapon. She couldn’t pull it out without being obvious, and without the element of surprise, he could snatch it from her before she could raise it to stab him.
She had to know that. How would she attempt to distract him? She couldn’t play the helpless victim if she wasn’t being attacked, and Bones wasn’t moving a muscle. Frustration nearly boiled off her as the minutes ticked by.
Bones hid his smile. She had no idea what to do now, did she?
“Don’t you want to go outside and…shag?” she said at last.
Bones didn’t attempt to conceal his grin. “Oh, no. Right here. Love to do it in a truck.”
He could hear her teeth grind as she said “Well…” while doubtless searching for an excuse to leave his sight long enough to pull her weapon. “There’s not much room in here,” she settled on, and began to open her door.
“Plenty of room, Kitten,” Bones replied. “I’ll stay here.”
“Don’t call me Kitten,” she said, anger sharpening both her tone and her scent.
Lucifer’s bouncing balls, she had to be the worst faux-seductress ever! Devon should be spinning in his grave over letting her slay him.
“Take off your clothes,” Bones said while raking her with a gaze. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Now the red in her cheeks was from rage. “Excuse me?”
“You weren’t going to shag me with your clothes on, were you, Kitten?” he taunted her. “Guess all you’ll need is your knickers off, then. Come on. Don’t take all bloody night.”
She shot him a look of pure hatred before her expression turned crafty. “You first.”
She thought modesty would be his downfall? Bones grinned.
“Shy bird, are you? Didn’t peg you for it, what with walking up to me and practically begging for a shag. How about this? We’ll take our clothes off at the same time.”
Her expression mottled with more fury, but either she gave up on her attempt to kill him, or she continued with the seductress charade. She chose the charade and began to unbutton her trousers. When Bones undid his and pulled up his shirt, her fingers actually shook.
Once again, he almost pitied her. Then he saw her hand slip to the weapon in her pocket. As soon as she touched it, her trembling eased. She wanted him dead so much that the prospect calmed her.
She’d made her move. My turn.
“Look here, luv, see what I have for you,” Bones said, pulling his cock out.
Her cheeks flamed and she looked away. It was all the distraction he needed.
His fist shot out and connected with her head. She slumped into his arms, her right hand still curled around the weapon she’d tried so hard to murder him with.
Bones pulled it out. A wooden stake? That wouldn’t kill any vampire…wait. It was heavier than it should be.
Bones broke off a piece of the wood…and smiled.
“Well,” he said to his unconscious companion. “Aren’t you full of surprises, Kitten?”
Chapter Three
Hours later, she regained consciousness and immediately threw up. The unshaded lamp between them meant she didn’t see his wince. Concussions were nasty things. Good thing he’d chained her in a standing position instead of flat on her back. Otherwise, her vomit might have gone back down her throat.
Bones waited until she stopped heaving before he came into the bright circle of light. “I thawt I thaw a putty tat.” A sarcastic Tweety Bird impression was the least she deserved after trying to kill him. “I did, I did thee a putty tat!”
Anger flashed across her features. Good. The concussion wasn’t addling her wits, then. Time to get answers. “Now, luv, let’s get down to business. Who do you work for?”
She had the nerve to look surprised. Then, disappointingly, she lied. “I don’t work for anyone.”
“Bollocks,” he said, and came nearer.
Her heart rate increased as she glanced down at herself. He’d stripped her of her weapons and outer garments while she was unconscious, leaving her only in her bra and knickers. Sadly, her clothing had revealed nothing except an extra silver weapon shaped like a cross, of all things, and her mobile only had texts and phone calls to and from her mother.
But someone had taught her how to kill vampires. Someone had sent her after him and Devon. If it was who Bones thought it was, she was protecting the same mass murderer he’d chased across two different countries.
He couldn’t allow that, but he’d ask her nicely one more time. “Who do you work for?”
“No one,” she lied again.
The hard way, then. He slapped her, hiding his distaste for it behind a deep scowl.
She glared at him and snapped, “Go to hell!”
Why wouldn’t she tell him who her boss was? Was she in love with the sod? Or was she so greedy that she didn’t care how many people suffered, as long as she received whatever reward she’d been promised?
If she were a man, Bones would ask again with his knife, but he couldn’t bring himself to torture a woman, even one that had tried to kill him. Still, she was a murderer at best and a conspirator in a cartel that had murdered hundreds at worst. He gave her a firmer slap.
“Once again, who do you work for?”
She spat out the blood he’d drawn onto his feet. “No one, ass munch!”
Laughter burst from him. He hadn’t been called such a creatively vile name in decades. It merited giving her another chance to talk without more unpleasantness. Still, she couldn’t think he’d gone soft. That’s why he let her see his fangs before he leaned in very close.
“I know you’re lying,” he said, brushing those fangs near her neck. Her whole body went rigid and her pulse tripled in speed. “Because last night, I went looking for a bloke,” Bones whispered against her skin. “When I spotted him, I saw the same lovely red-haired girl who’d been rubbing on me leaving with him. I followed, thinking I’d sneak up on him while he was occupied. Instead, I watched you plug a stake into his heart, and what a stake!”
He held up her impressive weapon between them. Her eyes widened when she saw it.
“Wood on the outside, silver on the inside,” Bones said, tapping the stake. “Poof, down goes Devon, yet it didn’t stop there. You transported him to your truck, drove home, chopped his head off, and buried him in pieces, all while whistling a merry tune. How in the bloody hell could you do that, hmm?”
With every word, her expression became more stricken. His tone hardened.
“You don’t work for anyone? Then why, when I take a deep whiff here,” he inhaled near her neck, “do I smell something other than human? Faint, but unmistakable. Vampire.”
She flinched at the word. Bones pounced. She needed to know there was no point lying to him anymore.
“You’ve got a boss, you do. Feeds you some of his blood, right? Makes you stronger and faster, but still only human. Us poor vamps never see it coming. All we see is”–he pressed on the vibrating pulse in her neck–“food. Now, for the last time before I forget my manners, tell me who your boss is.”
Anger and hatred soured her scent, but her gaze burned into his with a defiant sort of despair. “I don’t have a boss.” Idiot, her tone added. “You want to know why I smell like a human and a vampire? Because that’s what I am. Years ago, my mother went on a date with what she thought was a nice guy. He turned out to be a vampire, and he raped her. Five months later there was me, premature but fully developed, with a whole slew of funky abilities.”
Ah, Bones thought. She’s unhinged.
Poor lass. Someone should tell her that while modern fiction might have half-breeds aplenty, in reality, the only one that Bones knew of had died nearly six hundred years ago.
“When she finally told me about my father,” Cat went on. “I promised her I’d kill every vampire I found to ensure no one else suffers the way she did. She’s been afraid to leave our home ever since! I hunt for her,” her voice rose to a scream, “and the only thing I regret about dying now is that I didn’t take more of you bloodsuckers with me!”
With that, she closed her eyes and braced.
Bones’s brows rose. Did she think he was about to rip her throat out? As if he’d murder someone barking mad…or was there more to it than that?
Her voice had held the distinct ring of truth. Could a vampire have compelled her to believe such an impossible story? A simple “kill these blokes” order would’ve been easier, but some vampires tended toward the dramatic.
After a few moments, her eyelids peeked open. “Well?” she demanded. “Kill me already, you pathetic suck-neck!”
Bones stifled a laugh. “Ass-munch. Suck-neck. You kiss your mum with that mouth?”
She puffed up in outrage. “Don’t you talk about my mother, murderer! Your kind isn’t fit to speak of her!”
“I’ve seen you do murder,” Bones reminded her, then couldn’t resist adding, “And if what you’re telling me is true, you’re the same kind I am.”
She shook her head so hard, her hair flew. “I am nothing like your kind! You’re all monsters, preying on innocent people and caring nothing about the lives you wreck. The vampires I killed all attacked me. It was just their bad luck that I was ready for them. I might have some of this cursed blood in my veins, but at least I was using it to–”
“Oh, stick a sock in it already.” Bigoted little bird, wasn’t she? “You always ramble on so? No wonder your dates went right for your throat. Can’t say as I blame them.”
Her jaw dropped, and he almost laughed at the look on her face. The Queen couldn’t be more offended if someone had farted on her crumpets. Still, the brief silence was welcome as he continued to weigh whether she was mental or under vampiric compulsion. Now, he gave either possibility fifty-fifty odds.
“I hate to interrupt your sympathy sessions over the other dead vampires,” she said in a scathing tone. “But are you going to be killing me soon or what?”
Mental without a doubt, he thought until he put his mouth near the pounding pulse in her throat. Then, her scent changed his mind. Few humans knew that courage and cowardice smelled the same: like fear. The only difference between the courageous and cowards was whether or not they overcame that fear.
Even with the creature she despised most at her throat, Cat didn’t grovel or try to offer someone else’s life in exchange for her own. She only stiffened as his fangs grazed her skin.
Bravery like that deserved another chance before he drank the answers he needed out of her. He leaned back. She sagged in relief, but he pretended not to notice.
“In a hurry to die, are you?” he asked in a casual way. If she didn’t believe her life was in danger, she’d have no incentive to tell him the truth. “Not before you answer a few more questions.”
Her mouth turned down. “What makes you think I will?”
He had to fight not to smile. She couldn’t know how much he admired her courage. Little chit would only use it against him.
“Believe me, you’ll like it much more if you do,” he said in a suitably menacing tone.
She gulped but said, “What do you want to know? Maybe I’ll tell you.”
This time, he couldn’t stop his smile. It was also getting harder to ignore how her plain cotton knickers hugged her shapely hips, or how her bra had slipped during her struggle.
Before, he hadn’t given her near nakedness a thought beyond ensuring that she had no more weapons. Now that she likely wasn’t a willing participant in the cartel he was hunting, her charms were becoming distracting. He fancied many things about women, but courage outweighed them all, and she had courage to spare.
“Brave little Kitten, I’ll give you that,” he said, tracing his tongue along the inside of his lip. “Right, then. Suppose I believe you’re the offspring of a human and a vampire. Almost unheard of, but we’ll get back to that. Then let’s say I believe you troll clubs hunting us evil deads to avenge your mum. How did you know what to use to kill us?”
Someone had to tell her. If she revealed who, he’d know the vampire who’d compelled her into believing such nonsense.
“It’s not an open secret,” Bones went on. “Most humans think good ol’ wood will do it. But not you. You’re telling me you’ve never dealt with vampires before, except to kill them?” Impossible, his tone stressed.
“You got anything to drink around here?” was her surprising response. “Nothing with clots in it, I mean, or that can be classified as O-negative or B-positive. Hmm?”
Once again, he had to bite back his laughter. He’d been asked–or begged–for many things during an interrogation, but never before had someone dared to request a booze break.
Courage to spare, indeed.
“Thirsty, luv? What a coincidence. So am I.”
The implied threat made her blanch. Bones pulled out a flask and held it to her mouth. As soon as it brushed her lips, she bit the rim, tilted her head back, and emptied all of his good whisky down her throat. She even sighed with regret when she released her bite and the flask dropped back into his hand.
Bones held the bottle upside down. No, not a drop remained. She was a brash, brave, foul-mouthed, murdering drunk, and God help him, he hadn’t found anyone this enticing in centuries.
“If I’d have known you were such a lush, I’d have given you the cheap stuff.” Then, lest she sense the effect she had on him, he added, “Going to go out with a bang, are you?”
Instead of quailing, she managed to shrug. “What’s the matter? Did I ruin my flavor for you? I’m sure I’ll be turning over in my grave worrying that you didn’t like how I tasted. I hope you choke on my blood, you jerk.”
Laughter spilled out of him. If he were in her position, he’d give his interrogator nothing but scathing sarcasm, too.
“Good form, Kitten! But enough stalling. How did you know what to use if no vampire told you?”
She looked away. “I didn’t. Oh, I’d read a hundred books or more about our…your kind after hearing about my father. Some said crosses, sunlight, wood, or silver. It was pure luck, really.” Her tone darkened. “One night, a vampire approached me at a club and then took me for a drive. Of course, he couldn’t have been nicer, right up until he tried to eat me alive. I made up my mind that I was going to kill him or die trying, and the big silver cross dagger was all I had on me. It worked, though it took a bit of doing. So presto, I knew about silver.”
Bones listened, expressionless, but inside, he tipped his hat. Well done, you.
“Later, I found out that wood didn’t work at all. Got a nice scar on the thigh to prove it. The vamp laughed when he saw my stake, too, so clearly, he wasn’t afraid of wood. Then, when I was making caramel apples it occurred to me to hide the silver in something a vampire would think was harmless.” She gave him a baleful look. “Though most of you are so busy eyeing my neck, you don’t even see me pull out my pointy friend.”
He’d started shaking his head at the caramel apples part. By the time she finished, he was almost agog. “You’re telling me caramel apples and books taught you how to kill vampires?”
At her nod, he started to pace. Could she…could she be telling the truth? No vampire in his right mind would make up such a ridiculous story simply to compel a human to kill.
“Then it’s a damn good thing most of the recent generations disklike reading, or we’d all be in serious trouble,” he finished with a sharp laugh. “But how did you know he was a vampire when you saw him?” What were the facts amidst the fiction that another vampire must have implemented in her mind? “Did you not find out until he tried to have an artery party?”
She flinched at how close he’d come. Bones backed up, but only a step. She was too brave to be allowed to feel truly comfortable. That could cause her to think lying was an option.
“I don’t know how I knew. I just did. For starters, your kind looks different. Your skin looks…ethereal, almost. You move differently, more purposeful. And when I’m near you, I feel it in the air, like static electricity.”
He’d been surprised at her perceptiveness about a vampire’s skin and movements. Most humans didn’t notice such things. But when she said she could feel vampires, he was shocked. Only vampires could feel another vampire’s aura.
“Happy now?” she suddenly demanded, her voice cracking a bit. “Heard what you wanted?”
“Almost. How many vampires have you killed? Don’t lie to me, or I’ll know it.”
She paused as if silently counting. Then, “Sixteen, including your friend from last night.”
“Sixteen?” How? She’d failed utterly at being a seductress, and her only other act was being a marginally-believable drunk. “Sixteen vampires you took out yourself with nothing but a stake and your cleavage? Makes me ashamed of my kind, it does.”
Her chin lifted. “I would have killed more if I hadn’t been too young to get into bars, since they’re vampire trolling grounds, not to mention all the times I had to take off when my grandfather got sick.”
A mechanical “ping” came from the other side of the cave, indicating a new text. Bones left to read it. He’d uploaded Cat’s SIM card from her mobile and sent it to his hacker friend, Ted. If there was deleted information on there from Cat’s vampire boss, Ted would find it.
Nothing, Ted’s text read, dashing Bones’s hopes. Most boring phone I’ve ever cracked. U owe me.
Bones’s jaw tightened. Yes, he did, but it left him no closer to answers. Only Catherine had those.
Chains clanged and he heard her grunt. Bones came back to her section of the cave to see her bent forward, straining as she tried to wrest her chains from the wall. He switched the light off to disorient her and chuckled as she cursed him.
“Oh, sorry about that,” he mocked. “Those chains won’t budge. They’re not going anywhere, and neither are you. Good of you to try, though. Hate to think your spirit’s broken already.”
“I hate you,” she said, out of breath from her efforts.
More truth, but not enough. Still, he had another path. A vampire compulsion could be broken by a stronger vampire, and Bones was strong. All it would take was drinking her blood.
“Time’s up, luv,” he said softly.
Her heart hammered when he smoothed her hair back from her neck. His lips thinned. He hated terrifying her, but drinking her blood was the only way to break the hold the other vampire had on her. Who knew what else Cat had been forced to do?
She thought he was about to kill her, but in reality, he was freeing her. If he thought she’d believe him, he’d tell her that. But in case he was wrong about her being under vampiric compulsion and this had been her best acting job yet…
“Last chance, Kitten. Who do you work for? Tell me the truth, and I’ll let you live.”
“I told you the truth,” she gasped out, her pulse vibrating against his lips.
He rested his fangs over it. “I don’t believe you,” he murmured, glancing up to give her one more chance to confess–
Holy Mother of Christ, her eyes.
Chapter Four
“Bloody hell, look at your eyes,” Bones breathed out, staggering back.
She said nothing. Just stared at him with eyes that, impossibly, were now the same glowing emerald green as his own.
Bones lunged forward and gripped her head. “Look at your bloody eyes!” he thundered, stunned into repetition.
Her expression was half terror, half annoyance. “Don’t need to look at them, I’ve seen them. They change from gray to green when I’m upset. Happy now? Going to enjoy your meal more?”
He let her go before shock made him forget to check his strength and he accidentally hurt her. Then he began to pace.
“Bugger, you’re telling the truth.” No vampire was compelling her or controlling her. Somehow, she was the offspring of a human and a vampire. “You have to be,” he went on, as if some part of him still needed convincing. “You have a pulse, but only vampires have eyes that glow green. This is unbelievable!”
“Glad you’re excited,” she said in a suddenly weary voice.
He stopped pacing to stare at her. Her hair tangled around her shoulders and her gaze lost some of its glowing intensity now that his fangs were nowhere near her throat. Did she have fangs, too? No, he only saw flat teeth when she nibbled on her bottom lip, and if she was upset enough for her eyes to transform, her canines would have, too, if they could.
Vampire eyes, human teeth. It shouldn’t be possible. She shouldn’t be possible, yet here she was. Half human and half vampire…and pathological in her hatred of the latter.
That hatred would get her killed. She had no idea what was happening in Ohio now, but if she kept throwing herself in vampires’ paths, she’d find out. The mass grave he’d uncovered two weeks ago flashed in his mind. If she kept on this path, she’d be one of those skeletons, tossed away like rubbish after the most hellish of existences…
Rage suffused him, followed by a stronger swell of determination. It didn’t matter that she’d tried to kill him. Didn’t matter that she wasn’t one of his people. Also didn’t matter that his near-pathological need to protect her made no bloody sense. He wouldn’t let her become one of the lost.
She wanted to kill vampires? He could work with that.
“This is perfect,” he said as if he’d been looking his entire life for a half breed. “In fact, it could come in right handy.”
“What could come in handy?” she asked in an irate tone. “Either kill me, or let me go already. I’m tired.”
He turned the light back on. She blinked under its brightness before scowling at him. He grinned. Oh yes, she’d stake him right and proper if she could. Now, to give her a compelling reason not to.
“How would you like to put your money where your mouth is?”
“What?” she asked with open suspicion.
“I can kill you, or let you live.” His tone was bland, as if either option meant nothing to him. “But living comes with conditions. Your choice, your pick. Can’t let you go without conditions; you just try to stake me.”
“Aren’t you the smart one?” she muttered.
He stifled his laugh. “You see, we’re in the same boat. You hunt vampires. I hunt vampires. Both of us have our reasons, and we both have our problems. Other vampires can sense me whenever I’m close, so that makes it difficult for me to stake them without them expecting the try and running. You, on the other hand, put them at ease with that juicy jugular of yours, but you aren’t strong enough to bring down the really big fish.”
She stiffened in offense.
Bones continued as if he hadn’t noticed. “Oh, you may have beaten some green ones, probably no older than twenty years undead, tops. Barely out of their nappies, as it were. But a Master vampire, like me?” He let scorn drip from his tone. “You couldn’t bring me down with both weapons blazing. I’d be picking you out of my teeth in minutes. Therefore, I propose a deal. You continue doing what you love most–killing vampires–but you only hunt the ones I’m looking for. No exceptions,” he stressed when she opened her mouth. “You’re the bait. I’m the hook.”
She stared at him as if he’d taken leave of his senses. Perhaps he had. Recruiting the half dead to kill the undead was a bit unorthodox, but he needed to keep her safe, and she needed to kill vampires. At least for now.
I hunt for her, she’d said of her mother. To ensure no one else suffers the way she did…
Except every time she risked her life hunting vampires, Cat was punishing herself for merely existing. That sort of self-destructive imperative couldn’t easily be remedied. He knew that from experience. He hadn’t become a bounty hunter of people even his kind was afraid of by accident. Once, like Cat, he’d thought it was all he deserved, too.
With time, Cat would realize there was more to life. Until then, he’d keep her safe, and trained to handle the monsters she thought she needed to kill. Until then…
Bones tapped his foot. “Don’t have all night. The longer you wait, the hungrier I get. Might change my mind in a few minutes.”
“I’ll do it,” she said quickly. Then she added, “But I have a condition of my own.”
He chuckled. “You’re hardly in a position to demand conditions.”
Her chin jutted out. “Just challenging you to put your money where your mouth is. You said I wouldn’t last against you even with both my weapons. I disagree. Unchain me, give me my stuff, and let’s go. Winner takes all.”
Damn good thing he wasn’t in profile, or she’d notice that he’d just turned rock hard.
“And what you do you want if you win?” he asked while sending his blood to a less distracting place in his body.
“Your death.”
First seething courage, now brutal honesty. She was just trying to switch him on, wasn’t she?
“If I can beat you, I don’t need you,” she continued. “And as you put it, if I just let you walk, you’d come after me. But if you win”–a shrug–“I play by your rules.”
Every bit of him felt like it was waking up. He’d think it was more lust, except it didn’t stop there. No, it grew until it penetrated parts of him he hadn’t realized existed.
He’d heard poets talk about things like this. They gave it fanciful names like “love at first sight” or “destiny.” He’d always dismissed such claims as nonsense. Now, he wasn’t so certain.
“You know, pet,” he said to cover those new, startling emotions. “With you chained there, I could have a nice long drink out of your neck and go about my business as usual. You’re pushing your luck quite a bit saying this to me.”
“You don’t seem the type that likes a boring drink out of a chained-up jugular,” she countered.
Right you are.
“You seem like the type who likes danger. Why else would a vampire hunt vampires? Well? Are you in, or am I out?”
She held her breath after throwing down the gauntlet. He came nearer, his gaze raking her while those inexplicable sensations kept growing until they felt as if they’d breach his skin and boil over onto the ground between them. Her breathing hitched and her heartbeat sped up, but her gaze remained hard, desperate…and fixed on him with deadly intent.
He almost laughed. Here he was, feeling as if Cupid’s arrow had pierced his heart, and the source of his affection wanted nothing more than to see him dead. But first, she’d demanded a demonstration of his abilities.
Very well. As she’d soon learn, he was always happy to fulfill a lady’s request.
Bones unlocked her manacles. “Let’s see what you’ve got,” he said, and meant it this time.
***
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