Demon in My View

'You wouldn't admit to being wounded by a human even if you had been,' Fala scoffed. She finished her drink and threw the glass over her shoulder. 'But I suppose you wouldn't be in such a good mood if you'd lost another fight.'

She said nothing more. Aubrey struck her with his mind, and she fell backward into the bar, hissing in anger. Several heads turned toward them, and a few humans chose that time to exit Las Noches; it was dangerous to be in the same room with two fighting vampires.

Jager was still nearby, and he was watching the argument with narrowed eyes.

'Would you care to repeat that?' Aubrey asked Fala, his voice cold as ice as he casually threw another bolt of power at her, causing her to double over in pain. He hadn't even broken a sweat.

'Aubrey.' Jager spoke only his name, a calm but clear warning.

Aubrey answered by drawing back his power instead of hitting Fala again. Jager would not start a fight over what had happened thus far; Fala wouldn't appreciate the help. But even so, Aubrey knew that Jager was too fond of Fala to look the other way if she was truly threatened.

'Damn you, Aubrey,' Fala cursed. She scowled but was wise enough not to insult him again.

'Already been done,' he answered calmly.

'Damn you again!' she shouted, delivering a glare that would have stilled serpents in their dens.

'Too late,' he quipped. 'And after five thousand years, I'd think you could come up with something better than that.'

Fala growled but didn't attempt to attack him. Though she was far older than he was, he had always been stronger, and he was a better fighter. If she fought back, she would lose.

'Fine,' she snarled. 'But if you don't kill the human, or otherwise dispose of her, I will. Is that perfectly understandable to you, Aubrey? '

'Yes.'

In the next moment they were both gone, Aubrey retreating to his room. The nightclub's heavy music reverberated through the building, but he was used to it. He fell into bed and a sleep of complete oblivion. Like most of his kind, he did not dream.

CHAPTER 11

When Aubrey woke he brought himself to the edge of Red Rock, the forest that surrounded New Mayhem and fringed Ramsa. The ability to instantly move from one place to another was a power he used often, as he had for more than two thousand years.

The full moon was about a week away still, but Aubrey could easily sense a few untrained witches and some werewolves lurking in the busy forest. There were also several vampires nearby, all of Mira's bloodline.

Ramsa was supposedly Mira's territory, but that barely worried Aubrey. Mira, though ancient, was one of the weakest of their kind, and her fledglings were little stronger than most humans. Few in Mira's bloodline had lived through Fala's extermination of them a few hundred years before, and now they were hardly even considered part of the vampiric community. Most of them were so sensitive toward their prey that they only fed on animals and willing humans.

There was a party going on at a house on the edge of the woods. Shannon had unwittingly invited Aubrey to it, before he had frightened her. The house was filled with people, and the faint scent of alcohol floated from it to where Aubrey stood watching, many yards away. He easily reached out with his mind and sifted through the thoughts of those inside.

The minds he touched were hardly entertaining—either hazy from drinking, silly from joking, or angry from gossiping. He found Shannon quickly. She had drunk some beer and her defenses were down; little effort was necessary to convince her to come outside alone.

Shannon wandered absently into the woods, and jumped in surprise when she came upon Aubrey.

'Um… Hi, Alex.'

She greeted him tentatively, glancing back at the house in obvious confusion as to how she had arrived here. Before she could decide to leave, he reached into her mind and her nervousness faded.

'Shannon, right?' he asked, taking a step toward her.

'Yeah,' she answered with a coy smile. 'Why are you hiding here in the — '

Sleep. Aubrey sent the command to her mind as soon as he was close enough to catch her as she fell.

She collapsed, unconscious in an instant, and he caught her without effort. He could have caught someone ten times her weight with no difficulty. Though he could control any human physically, he didn't relish the possibility that the girl would scream and attract inconvenient attention. It was easier to have her asleep as he fed. He had done this many times before.

He tilted Shannon's head back to expose the artery, which was covered by nothing more than a thin layer of skin. His canines, which looked normal enough most of the time, extended to razor-sharp points. These fangs pierced the skin of her throat quickly and precisely, and within moments he was lost in the sensation of the rich human blood that ran over his tongue and quenched his thirst.

CHAPTER 12

CARYN HAD SENSED Aubrey's presence even before she saw Shannon leave the party with a dazed look on her face. She had felt the pressure of his mind on Shannon's.

Caryn had no idea what she would do once she encountered Aubrey, but she felt compelled to follow Shannon anyway. A group of boys had bunched together at the door, and Caryn was delayed for a few minutes as she tried to slip through the throng. Once she was finally outside, it took her only a short moment to find the vampire and his prey. She could easily sense Aubrey's aura, which was like a shadow flickering just outside the normal spectrum of vision. She could feel his power slither across her skin.

This ability was her line's gift—or curse, as some would say. Though her family, the Smoke line, had always been healers, most witches were vampire hunters. Caryn had a witch's blood, which was sweeter and stronger than a human's, and a witch's knowledge, which made her dangerous to the vampires. But she did not have the ability to fight. She had always known herself to be easy prey, and had tried out of self-protection to avoid their kind, unless doing so meant risking an innocent person's life.

Throughout her childhood, Caryn had been taught to respect life, and to protect it whatever the cost. She knew Aubrey too well to look the other way while he cast his lure.

'Aubrey!' she called as soon as she had found him.

The vampire was standing several yards into the woods, holding Shannon, who was motionless. Aubrey had an arm around her waist to keep her from falling, and his other hand cradled the back of her neck. His lips were at her throat. Shannon was pale but still breathing.

'Aubrey!' Caiyn shouted again when he didn't respond.

Aubrey glanced up and glared at her as he continued to feed. What do you want? he growled.

Caryn jumped at the intrusion into her mind but somehow managed to find her voice. 'Let her go, Aubrey.'

'Is that a threat?' Scorn laced his voice as he dropped Shannon. He mockingly licked a trace of blood from his lips.

Caryn hurried to Shannon's side. She was unconscious but would live.

'How many people have you murdered like this?' Caryn demanded, her voice wavering.

'I don't think you really want to know' Aubrey answered coolly.