“Good.” Boaz angled his head toward Honey. “I do too.”
“I got that about the time she announced you proposed to her.”
The reality wasn’t as romantic as Honey wanted it to be, but there was a spark between him and Addie, and Boaz understood enough to know he had to protect it at all costs and nurture it if he wanted it to grow.
He had never tried to make a woman fall in love with him. It just happened. No matter how he warned his lovers against it. This time with Honey had given him a refresher course on all his favorite tricks, and he was determined not to use them with Addie.
“You hear that?” Boaz lowered his voice and slowed his steps. “We’ve got movement up ahead.”
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” she began then fell silent. “Oh. Yeah. I do hear it.”
They locked down the chatter and stuck close to each other, moving through the brush to keep out of sight from anyone walking the paths. Together they swept the area, closing in on the sound, and they came to a stop in front of the gazebo.
No one was there.
A cheap burner phone sat on the railing, playing a haunting song, the refrain one that chilled his blood.
You’ll get what’s coming, coming, coming to you.
Honey jerked her chin toward the phone, but his gut was twisting with a warning.
The noise had lured them out into the open. They were exposed. Anyone could see them now.
“No.” He caught her arm. “It’s a—”
Impact drove Boaz to the dirt, and his skull cracked against the edge of the lowest gazebo step. Blood ran down into his eye, and he blinked it away to find a female leaning over Honey. He could tell by the tingle dancing over his skin that she was a vampire.
“Freeze.” He drew his gun. “UV bullets won’t kill you, but they’ll hurt like a mother.”
The vampire hissed then sprinted into the woods.
“Honey?” He shoved to his feet and crossed to her. “You okay?”
“My…head…”
Eyes on the forest, alert for movement, Boaz gently slid his fingers behind her neck and worked his way up until he reached the back of her skull. His fingers came away wet and slick. Head wounds bled like crazy, but vampire strength could make even a shove lethal. He felt beneath her head, thankful for the improved night vision that made it easier to see.
“You hit a rock.” Boaz gathered her hands in one of his to keep her from reaching up to touch the wound in a daze. “I’m going to call this in and get you some help.”
The flash of blue and red emergency lights would scare off the killer, but Honey needed treatment now.
“That won’t be necessary,” a crisp voice informed him. “I’m Demaryius Willis.” He snapped his fingers. “This is Jack and Arlo. Arlo is healer. He can patch up your friend. Jack will stand watch to ensure no more harm comes to her.”
“I still need to touch base with command. The vampire who attacked us might be the killer.”
“I’ve already dispatched two of my people to track them down. That ought to suffice, for now.”
Demaryius must be afraid of spooking the killer worse. With his help, Boaz would let it ride.
As the clan master himself said—for now.
“Thanks.” Boaz reached for his phone. “You understand I’ll have to check your credentials.”
Scanning the area, Demaryius lifted his head to breathe in. “Of course.”
Boaz dialed Addie, who handed the phone to Cass, who asked to speak with Demaryius. With his hearing, Demaryius had been expecting the handoff and accepted. They spoke briefly, he handed the phone back, and Boaz got his confirmation.
“Honey will be safe with them,” Addie promised him. “Demaryius will do anything to get Ari back.”
He didn’t know Cass well enough to trust her word, but he believed Addie.
“All right.” He checked with Honey, who gave her blessing for him to go. “Send me your coordinates, and I’ll meet up with you and Cass.”
“Or perhaps,” Demaryius offered, “you would prefer to partner with me.”
“Sure,” Boaz drawled, aware this was politics. “Scratch that, Addie. I’ll partner with Demaryius.”
“Be careful out there,” she said softly. “You promised me funnel cakes at our wedding, and I expect you to pay up.”
“You too.” The flash of grief he expected came, but it was dulled by the woman on the other end of the phone. “It’s down to you to educate me on how they’re any different from elephant ears. They’re both doughy, both fried, both served coated in powdered sugar. I expect answers.”
Her snort of laughter rang in his ears as he ended the call and met Demaryius’s stare.
“You understand what I’ve lost,” he observed. “I will do anything to get her back.”
Boaz was no stranger to grief, to loss, but he hadn’t experienced what Demaryius had with Ari. The vampire read him well, but not well enough. He misunderstood the affection Boaz had for Addie. It was a separate entity from the grief over his betrayal of Grier. They coexisted, overlapped, but they weren’t the same.
Though it was the height of rudeness to treat vampires like tracking hounds, they had excellent noses, and Boaz was going to use every resource available to him. “Can you scent the vampire who attacked us?”
“I can,” he said at length, shoving aside his dislike of the question. “It’s no one I’ve met before.”
The killer wasn’t local, so Boaz hadn’t expected Demaryius to be able to ID them. His hopes lay elsewhere. “Can you track them?”
The request pushed the limits of Demaryius’s patience, evidenced by the muscle tic in his cheek, but he cared more for his mate than any perceived rudeness. “Yes.”
The two stared at one another before Demaryius heaved a sigh and set out on a path running perpendicular to the main trail. Two other vampires followed at a discreet distance, and their nostrils twitched as they pulled in scents too.
A text prompted Boaz to reach for his phone, and he
