Shadow Hunter (The Execution Underground)

by Kait Ballenger

  “While you were out stalking women fully capable of taking care of themselves...”

  Shit. How could she have so much power to hurt him? How the hell had he gotten himself into this damn mess?

  “...I was going after Caius.”

  Damon stopped walking and shot her a glare. “Why do you keep going after Caius alone?”

  She frowned. “Because I know he won’t hurt me, at least not for now. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “What do you mean, he won’t hurt you for now? What good are you to him if he’s not feeding from you? You said you weren’t a Host.”

  She twirled a swath of her perfectly curled hair. “Not exactly.”

  His eyes widened. “What do you mean ‘not exactly’?” The thought of Caius feeding off Tiffany, piercing his filthy fangs into the sweet creamy flesh of her throat, draining her of her life force, shoved him into a state of unparalleled rage. “You let that disgusting bloodsucker feed from you?”

  She shot him a pissed-off glare. “Don’t insult me. He’s never drunk from me and he never will.” She paused, as if she wasn’t certain she wanted to share. Sucking in a deep breath, she continued. “He thinks he’ll get to feed from me, but he won’t. He wants me as a long-term Host, not a quick feed.”

  Damon’s hands shook at his sides. It would be so easy to lose his temper and release his rage onto one of the brick walls of the alley, but he would not forget his head. He’d buried himself in enough emotions for a lifetime, thanks to Tiffany; allowing any more would be a mistake. She didn’t want him. She wasn’t his to protect. He was protecting her for Mark’s sake. Strictly business.

  Forcing his breathing to remain even, he spoke through clenched teeth. “How do you know he won’t change his mind and drain you immediately, or take you without your consent?”

  She stared at the ground, refusing to look at him. “I make sure my iron is high. I’m too valuable in the long-term for him to drain me immediately. As for the lack of consent, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

  He pressed his lips together. “I don’t think I need to tell you how st—”

  Tiffany glared. “Don’t call me stupid! I—”

  Without thinking, Damon stalked forward and grabbed her hands, pinning her hard against the brick wall. They were nose to nose. “I’m not calling you stupid, but your behavior is reckless. Don’t try to deny that fact. Now, I’ll let you hunt Caius with me, but that doesn’t mean I’ll allow you to dangle yourself like a piece of succulent meat in front of a ferocious bloodsucking beast. Do you understand?”

  She nodded, and he quickly released her. The nearness to her made his stomach churn. It was pure torture, knowing exactly how amazing she felt beneath him, how soft her lips were against his, how sweet she tasted, what a deep and caring heart she had—and knowing he could never have that, never have her.

  “Caius is the one spreading the virus,” she said, breaking the momentary silence. “I don’t know how, but I heard him speaking on the phone before I stormed out of the club. He was talking about the virus spreading, and saying that no new vampire would escape its reach.”

  Damon stood in silence, calculating all his possible moves. As much as he would like to, he couldn’t just rush in and kill Caius. If he killed the bastard, which he would, all Caius’s loyal vamp friends would swarm him, and even in the unlikely event that he survived, he would be revealed as a hunter in two seconds flat, not to the vamps alone, but to every supernatural in the city. He needed to get Caius alone, where he could destroy him in private. Then he could figure out how to deal with containing the vamp infection without Caius further aiding its progress.

  He opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it. “You need to get Caius alone, but you’re never going to manage that unless I lead him to a secluded spot and you rush in.”

  Shaking his head, Damon kneaded the base of his neck to ease the tension. “That won’t work. What happens if he attacks you during your meeting? I won’t be there to see it, and I won’t be there to save you.”

  Tiffany let out a long breath and placed a hand on her hip. “The Execution Underground can equip you with pretty much any electronic device you need, right?”

  He raised an eyebrow. He didn’t think he liked where she was going with this.

  A small smile curved her lips. “Have them make me a panic button. One I can keep somewhere Caius won’t see it. Then, if anything happens, I’ll hit it. You’ll have the receiver and you can trail us, so you’ll be able to rush in if I need you.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Damon analyzed her expression. She couldn’t be cocky about this. But from the look on her face, she was serious and focused. It killed him to agree to put her in harm’s way for even a moment, but he would be right there to save her. Nothing would happen to her. Nothing.

  “I’ll set up a meeting with Caius, and then we’ll go from there. If all goes well, I’ll hit the button when I get him where we want him, danger or not. I’ll make sure it’s completely private. Somewhere no other vamps should be.”

  He gave a single nod. She had to know he didn’t like it one bit, but they had no other choice.

  Whipping out her cell phone, Tiffany pressed the number two and then hit Send.

  Damon buried his face in his hands. What in the world would he ever do with her? He sighed. “Tiffany Solow, only you would place an ancient vampire on speed dial.”

  CHAPTER 9

  NOTHING LIKE A master vampire to go with your brand-new stiletto heels. Tiffany balanced on one lone shoe, her other braced against the Dumpster outside the club. She patted the panic button one more time to make sure it was securely in place before she handed her weapons over to Damon and rearranged her light shawl.

  Without a word, they walked to the entrance of the alleyway. Around the corner was the entrance to Château Blanc, the newest restaurant in town. With her budget, she had never eaten there, but she’d heard the place was primo. Thank God Damon—and the E.U.—had loads of cash to buy her a nice dress for the occasion.

  “You look ravishing,” he whispered from behind her. The heat of his breath on her neck hardened her nipples to taut peaks. Screw him and the sexual dominion he had over her. “But try not to entice the monster too much, okay?”

  She inhaled a deep breath, then glanced over her shoulder one last time, expecting to see Damon encouraging her on, but he’d already disappeared into the night. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She felt naked without her weapons hanging by her sides.

  Damon was right. Facing a vampire without weapons was light-years different from having a stake at your side. Even if she wanted to, there was nothing she could fight with now. But Caius had never scared her before, and she wasn’t about to allow him to scare her now. And all emotions aside, she knew Damon would protect her.

  He would be there when she hit the panic button.

  She exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. There wasn’t any time to waste. A master vampire was waiting for her.

  She wrapped her shawl more tightly around her shoulders and entered the restaurant. The soft sounds of melodic piano music carried to her ears amidst the murmurs of the demure dining couples. The dim lighting hit her cocktail dress at the perfect angle, and the midnight-blue material glittered like the clear night sky.

  Her stomach growled as the smells of lobster bisque, freshly baked bread and fresh herbs filled her nose. For a college student who subsisted on a diet mainly made up PB&J sandwiches, microwave macaroni and cheese, and chicken-flavored ramen noodles, divine didn’t even begin to cover the nose-gasm she was having.

  A handsome restaurant host in a nicely pressed suit cleared his throat. “Are you meeting someone, miss?”

  She eyed the layout of the restaurant.

  Well, damn.

  The only entrance was the
door she’d just come through, not even a single emergency exit visible. There had to be a way out, though. The law required it. She searched and saw the Emergency Exit sign right above the kitchen door. Inconvenient, but not worth abandoning the opportunity. Come hell or high water, Damon would figure out how to slip inside the building undetected if necessary.

  And where was Caius? She had just started to look for him when the host cleared his throat again. “Miss?”

  She snapped to attention. “I’m sorry. Yes, I’m meeting Mr. Dermokai—”

  The name hadn’t even escaped her lips before the host’s eyes widened, and he swept his arm out in a welcoming gesture. “My apologies, madam. Right this way.” He hopped to as if someone had lit a fire under his ass and poured gasoline on it. She glided across the restaurant behind him. At least she hoped she was gliding. Heels were not her thing.

  Her heart beat hard as the host led her toward the far corner of the restaurant.

  Shit.

  Privacy was not what she wanted with Caius—at least, not at the moment. She had agreed to have dinner with him before he escorted her to a private location for feeding.

  Caius’s ill temper and inflated ego needed stroking, and removing himself from the public eye clashed with that deep-seated need. This was not his usual style. She hoped he hadn’t sensed something, wasn’t intending to change their plans, and she was unable to contact Damon to even give him a heads-up. She focused on the friction of the button strapped to the top of her thigh. She reminded herself that it was a weapon in its own right. All she had to do was hit it.

  The host led her to a secluded room, opened the door and ushered her inside.

  “Someone will be right with you,” the host said before closing the door behind her.

  Tiffany’s eyes locked with Caius’s, and a wide devious grin spread across his face. He was waiting for her at a table set for two, the only table in a room clearly intended to host multiple diners, even large private parties. A pure white cloth was draped across the table, and the lights from a tiered crystal chandelier reflected off the flawless marble flooring.

  She was a not-so-helpless romantic, but even if she’d been with someone she wanted to be with—she refused to think about the man whose name immediately came to mind—this was a little over the top. Then again, Caius came from an era of overindulgence.

  “Good evening.” He stood and gestured her forward. “Won’t you join me, Tiffany?”

  Her gut clenched. She hated the way her name rolled off his tongue with the slightest trace of an accent from thousands of years ago.

  She forced a grin across her face. “Gladly.”

  Crossing the room, she allowed Caius to pull her chair out for her. She slid onto the comfortable cushions, far from relaxed as he squeezed her shoulder and leaned in to speak. His hot breath brushed against her ear, and goose bumps covered her whole body. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

  “You look good enough to eat,” he purred before he returned to his side of the table.

  How sweet: a bloodsucker who enjoyed toying with his food. She wanted to roll her eyes. As if I try to marinate myself to an edible state each day. The battle between the words that came from her mouth versus what she really thought commenced.

  She batted her eyelashes. “I’m glad you’re pleased, but I’m nothing compared to how you look. Dashing and handsome.” More like disgusting and vomit-worthy. “As always.”

  Caius soaked in the B.S. of her ego stroking as if it were the heat of a rose-scented hot tub on a freezing cold night. “I’m pleased you recognize that.”

  A moment of silence passed between them. An unreadable smile crossed Caius’s face. “Let’s eat. Shall we?”

  As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, and on Caius’s command a waiter entered with two menus in hand. He approached their table with a smile. “Good evening. My name is Joshua, and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. May I interest you in something to drink? Perhaps a bottle from our wine list?” He glanced toward Tiffany. Ladies first.

  “I’ll just have some wat—”

  Caius interjected. “If you could bring two wineglasses and a bottle of Pétrus, it would be greatly appreciated.”

  The waiter nodded. “I’ll return in a moment to take your ord—”

  Eyes locked on Tiffany, Caius held up his hand. “I think we’re ready to order now.”

  Joshua paused midstride and returned to the table.

  Tiffany blinked. Control freak much? “I haven’t looked at the menu yet,” she said.

  Caius reached across the table and placed a hand over hers. “Trust me. You’ll love this.” Releasing her hand, he unfolded his napkin as he spoke. “We’ll have a starter of spinach and sea-urchin ravioli in a white-wine reggiano broth, and chèvre-stuffed smoked dates wrapped in prosciutto with aged balsamic saba on a bed of arugula. For our meal we’ll have fresh herb-crusted Kobe filet mignon, cooked rare, and Maine crab cakes with a micro-green and lobster remoulade served on a plate of pure pink Himalayan sea salt, and the apricot crème brûlée for dessert.”

  Joshua’s eyes grew to the size of saucers as he scrambled to write down every detail of the order. Scribbling on his notepad, he nodded vigorously. “Right away, sir.” He rushed out of the room to fill their order.

  Tiffany removed her napkin from the table and unfolded it across her lap. “You really know how to order your food. Very specific.”

  Caius ran his fingers through his golden-blond hair. If she hadn’t known he was a vampire and a major douchebag to boot, maybe she could have found him handsome—at least before she’d met a certain dark-haired vampire hunter.

  “I make it a habit to eat nothing but the finest foods.” He grinned. “You only live once.”

  Tiffany swallowed hard and fought not to clench her hands into fists, ready to protect herself. Was that statement intended to be as threatening as she thought? She returned his smile. “I suppose that’s true.”

  Joshua returned with a bottle of wine, opened it tableside and gave Caius a sip to taste, then poured the red liquid into two sparkling glasses. “Your appetizers will be out shortly.” He removed the extra plates from the table before exiting.

  Tiffany sipped her glass of Bordeaux. The wine slid down her throat, already warming her cheeks. “Very nice. It has quite a complex flavor to it.”

  Caius smiled and sipped from his own glass. “Let’s get to the point, shall we? We both know what we’re here to discuss.”

  She nearly spat the wine back into the glass. Shit. This was happening much more quickly than she’d expected.

  He inhaled deeply. “I can tell by your scent that you’ll be a perfect Host. My main Feed.” He ran his tongue over his teeth, and she prayed his fangs stayed in place. Leaning back in his seat, he fixed his ice-cold stare on her. “You’ll reap all the benefits, of course. I hear the human sensation as we feed is phenomenal.”

  She nearly choked on her own tongue, then reminded herself that no fangs would mar her throat. Never. As for phenomenal... Yeah, right. Maybe if you were into pain.

  She ran her hand over her thigh, reminding herself of the panic button. And she would wager that the flatware lying before her was at least part silver—an extra protection. Once it penetrated the skin, silver was like acid to a vampire’s insides. Her hand itched to hold her stake. When it was strapped to her side, she felt power surging through her in the face of vampires.

  Now, she wasn’t as certain.

  Joshua and a second waiter paraded into the room, balancing their starter plates on trays. Fast service. One of many bonuses of shelling out ridiculous amounts of money for a meal.

  They set down the plates in front of Tiffany and Caius. Joshua flashed a respectful smile. “We hope everything is to your liking.” Then he and his shadow exited.


  Tiffany eyed the plate before her. Artistic foodie explosion or delicious high-class meal? She wasn’t quite sure which, but the overcompensating extravagance was certain.

  Caius leaned forward in his seat and fixed his stare on her. “Where did I leave off?” He paused, then, grinning, pushed his seat away from the table. “Ah, yes, the advantages.” He stood and crossed to her side of the table, looming behind her. “As I said, you’ll reap every benefit. I’ll make sure you have the finest of everything, and, of course, there are always—” he squeezed her shoulders and whispered in her ear “—the sexual benefits.”

  She froze beneath his touch. Her mouth went dry, and sweat gathered on her palms. “In other words, I’ll be your high-end call girl.” She slid away from his hold and rose from her chair to face him.

  The ancient vampire frowned. “Call it what you like, but I assure you that you will be receiving the better end of the deal.”

  He leaned closer, and a feeling of dread crashed hard in her chest, turning her breathing labored. This was going south, and fast. She wouldn’t show her fear, but she wouldn’t allow him to have any more of a physical advantage, either.

  She held her voice steady. “What exactly would those benefits be?”

  He stepped closer, and she took a matching step back. Slowly, they circled the table, and the frown on Caius’s face became a smile. He thought she was being playful, she realized. Better that than have him realize what she was really being.

  “You’re the one who asked me to meet you tonight, Tiffany, so don’t play coy. You know exactly what those benefits are. Don’t you?” His gaze narrowed, staggering in its intensity.

  She glanced at the floor and up again, praying she looked flirtatious instead of terrified. “I’m really not sure. You may have to spell things out for—”

  Before she knew what was going on, Caius had pinned her between her chair and his body. He moved so fast she barely saw him.

  He grasped her throat. With one squeeze, he could crush her windpipe. “Don’t get cute with me,” he snapped. “We both know what I want, and I intend to get it whether you’re willing or not.”