Jerking the boat into reverse, I backed it into the waterway again. Shifting roughly into first, I headed to the Grand Canal. It was a short trip, but I wasn’t in the mood to bother with water taxis or shuttles. I docked in an opening on the island of Dorsoduro, almost directly across from Piazza San Marco.

Danaus jumped to the ground right behind me as I secured the boat. I almost forgot he was there, having become so accustomed to having the dark rain cloud on my heels. Of course, I was also a little preoccupied with thoughts of the Coven and their special guest.

“Mira—”

“Don’t talk to me yet, I’m still angry with you,” I bit out as we walked down the winding streets, slipping past the locals on their way to the bars and restaurants for a few drinks and light conversation.

“You left me with no choice.” His deep voice slipped around me like a pair of strong arms.

“You could have let me kill them.”

“Could you?”

I didn’t say anything, but marched down the street, my teeth clenched. I didn’t know. Maybe, but it was doubtful. The past few days had been strange, and I wasn’t sure what I was capable of anymore. Of course, we could have most likely destroyed them, but he had hesitated. Last night when we were alone on the boat, I knew he thought about killing every nightwalker on the island. But today when we stood before the Coven, the opportunity spread out before us, and he stopped.

“That’s what I thought,” Danaus said grimly.

“You don’t understand!” I shouted, whirling around to face him. “I’ve worked all my life to not have to answer to another creature—human or vampire. And then one night I wake up and find I’m wearing a choke chain and an untold number of people have the ability to jerk me to heel.” I stepped closer, until he was backed against one of the buildings lining the sidewalk, and rose up on the tips of my toes so I could look him in the eyes. “To make matters worse, my enemy can do the same. I’ve become a threat to every thing on this planet. Do you have any clue as to what that feels like?”

We stared at each other in silence for several seconds. His face was unreadable, but I could feel the turmoil in his chest. Our connection was still strong from that night’s brief contact. I could feel sadness, but it was cluttered with something else. I couldn’t tell if it was sympathy, regret, or maybe even pity. For a second I was afraid we had more in common than I wanted there to be. He seemed to understand too well.

I softly growled in the back of my throat as I turned away from him. The sound was a strange mix of anger and frustration. It wasn’t all his fault, no matter how hard I tried to pin it on him. Danaus just kept getting in the way. “You owe me,” I muttered as I walked down the street.

“What?”

“I haven’t decided yet. You owe me something. I’ll get back to you.”

“I’m on pins and needles,” he said in a voice so dry I expected to see a puff of dust. I smiled despite my struggles to remain angry at him. It was becoming annoying that he could snap me out of my grim moods. Of course, dark ruminations were more of his forte than mine.

“That can be arranged,” I said irritably, but he knew better. If I could sense his emotions, then he knew I was no longer angry. Frustrated and irritated, but not necessarily pissed.

NINE

We stopped at a small square flanked by some cozy restaurants and narrow shops. It was a quaint neighborhood that generally escaped the crowds of tourists, even during the high season. At night the area twinkled with guttering candles and little white lights. The air was layered with the tangy scent of spices and rich sauces with a hint of melted cheese. It almost made me miss the taste of food, but not quite.

“What are we doing here?” Danaus inquired as we came to stand in the center of the square. He turned and looked at the fountain at the opposite end, its falling water dancing in the faint yellow lights that flowed along the stone structure.

“Meeting a friend,” I replied as Alex stepped out of the entrance of one of the small bars. There was an almost hypnotic sway to her hips as she closed the distance between us, her lithe body dancing to its own natural rhythm.

The lycanthrope was strong and independent, chasing after those things she wanted most in life. She cherished her existence as a werewolf, seeing her enhanced abilities as a gift rather than a curse, like so many of her kind. But even if she hadn’t been a lycan, I think she would have reveled in all of her natural abilities as a normal human being. Life for her was a drink to be gulped, sipped, and always savored.

Alex had helped me escape myself and my past when my thoughts grew too dark. In return, I did everything within my power to foster amiable relations between her kind and mine. Not the easiest of tasks.

Her powers brushed briefly past me as she scanned the area. She was making sure we were alone. I had already checked. The closest nightwalker was stalking a tourist on the other side of the canal in San Marco. We had time. Besides, since dropping off Sadira on Guidecca, I had been cloaking Danaus and myself. We would need the privacy.

I opened my arms and was about to greet her when her fist connected with my jaw, snapping my head around. One of the benefits of being a werewolf was speed. The other was strength. I stumbled backward a step into Danaus, who tensed. I had seen her swing half a second before she hit me but was so surprised that I didn’t try to dodge it.

“Bitch!” she spat at me.

“What are you doing? We’re alone,” I said, pushing off of Danaus. But even as I said it, I noticed the second lycanthrope stepping from the entrance of the bar. His broad shoulders briefly blocked the square of golden light pouring from the open doorway. He was either a member of her pack or assigned to her as backup should she run into any problems when dealing with my kind. Either way, I wasn’t overly concerned. He was of her race and thus would protect her.

“That was for what you said,” Alex told me, giving my shoulder a little shove with her index finger. Her narrowed eyes glittered in the faint light from a nearby pub but otherwise remained brown. “That Omega comment was a low blow and you know it.”

I shrugged. “It had to be convincing. I’m not particularly popular at the moment and I didn’t want any backlash to hit you if they thought we were friends.”

“Yeah, you always had a way with people,” Alex said. Her full lips eased from a hard, angry slash to a reluctant smile. “Who’s this?” she asked, jerking her chin toward my dark shadow. I turned and put an arm around her slim shoulders.

“Alexandra Brooks, this is Danaus, the hunter,” I said, introducing her. She twisted out of my grasp so she could look up at me, her eyes widening to the point I thought I would have to catch them when they fell from their sockets.

“Are you crazy, girl?” she gasped. She looked over at Danaus then back at me. “There’ve been some rumors, but I didn’t believe them. What’s going on?”

“I’ll explain soon,” I said with a slight shake of my head. “Who’s your golden companion? Pack member?”

Alex looked at me strangely, her brows drawn together over her pert nose. “I thought you knew,” she softly said. “He belongs to Jabari.”

“What?” I gasped. “No.” The growl of frustration rumbled in my throat a second before I started moving, but my nails never made it into the lycan’s bronze throat. Danaus quickly wrapped a strong arm around my waist and held me close, keeping me from ripping the man’s throat out before a crowd of humans.

“Not here,” Danaus snapped, tightening his arm around my waist, nearly cracking a rib.

“He’s going to tell Jabari that I spoke with Alex. He’ll know…he’ll know we’re friends,” I said. Both my hands gripped the arm around my waist but I’d stopped struggling, my eyes never wavering from the lycan’s face. He stared at me with a look of such sympathy and compassion that I could almost believe he cared for my plight.