Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Night Huntress World 2)

"But if you will out all your power . . ." Kira's voice trailed off.

He gave a grim snort. "It will likely kill me. Or Radje will, once I'm weakened after giving it to him. If I live after willing him my power, I am the evidence of duplicity. If I'm dead, Radje could cloak his new additional power, and few would ever know he has it." Veritas's face was very solemn. "You expect the Guardian Council to believe your charges against another Guardian of conspiracy, murder, exposing the race, and blackmail. All based on conjecture when your own adherence to our laws has been spotty at best."

"Spotty? He's done nothing wrong," Kira said in frustration.

"Rumors abound that Mencheres conjured wraiths to find and kill his wife. Black magic is expressly forbidden in the law, but of course, all those who witnessed Patra's death and the deaths of her guards are loyal to Mencheres and will not confirm this." She gave a sharp look at Vlad as she spoke. He winked at her, his mouth curving in a sly smile.

"Did those same rumors mention how Patra summoned an army from the grave to ambush me and my people?" Mencheres countered.

"She sent zombies after you?" Kira asked, incredulous.

"Yes," Mencheres replied shortly. "And anything from the grave cannot be killed by normal means. Even my telekinesis was useless against them, for grave magic is not subject to the powers of the living, as Patra knew."

"You could have filed a formal complaint - " Veritas began.

"Which would have taken weeks to investigate," Mencheres interrupted. "Leaving me and most of my people dead by then because Patra would have conjured another form of grave magic to finish us after that one failed. It was only a lucky guess that saved us that time, but it was already too late for the dozens who had been cut down." The Law Guardian's jaw was still set in a hard line. Kira could almost feel the tension between the three of them, and their infighting would only help Radje.

"I understand your reverence for the law, Veritas," Kira said. "You're a good cop. But if, hypothetically, Mencheres did conjure that spell against his wife, then he knows a surefire way to kill Radje. He also knows no one's willing to testify against him, either out of loyalty or fear. Yet Mencheres refuses to use this unbeatable power against someone who's pulling out all the stops to bring him down."

Kira leaned closer, and her voice dropped. "If he did use that power before, it only was in self-defense, and almost every law allows latitude for self-defense. He's not using it now even though it would be the fastest way to win, so isn't he then proving his utmost respect for the law?"

Veritas stared at each of them for a long time, her blue eyes far more ancient than her teenage appearance. Kira remained absolutely still. Praying the Law Guardian would see past Radje's house of cards.

"I may be inclined to believe you, but the rest of the Guardian Council will require proof, not conjecture, no matter how compelling," Veritas said at last.

And in the time it took them to gather that proof, Radje would be busy setting up more frame jobs for Mencheres, killing who knew how many more innocent people. Kira's teeth ground together. She'd helped catch a crooked cop once with Pete. Maybe she could do it again with Radje.

"I know a way to bust Radje," she said. Three gazes swung in her direction. "But we'll have to go back to Chicago to settle some business first."

Chapter 29

Kira rode the Chicago Transit Green Line as if it were her first time. This was such a familiar route to her along the Loop, but now, everything about it was different. The multitudes of scents were overpowering, even more dominating than the roar of the transit car as it bulleted along the tracks. Aside from the harsher aromas of alcohol, urine, body odor, perfumes, and bad breath, the scents lingering on the car were also like fingerprints of emotions.

Of course, she could also smell traces of blood, either dotting the transit car or lingering on some of the people who entered and exited on their way to their next location. She'd recently fed again, so that scent didn't arouse hunger in her as much as acknowledgment. Blood was a part of her life now, no more a choice than her deciding not to breathe when she'd been human. In some ways, Kira couldn't believe how short a time had passed since she'd first woken up as a vampire. It felt far longer, much like the time since she'd first met Mencheres. Calendars, dates, and clocks were just not an accurate way to measure some things.

The voice announced that the Clinton Street stop was next. Kira shouldered her purse and stood, not needing to hold on to the back of the chair or the pole for balance. When the car stopped, she got off, headed now for the familiar streets that led to Tina's apartment.

So many times before, Kira had walked this part of West Loop after dark with her attention focused on any all eys opening up to her side, or extended patches of darkness where streetlights didn't penetrate. Or for the sound of footsteps following her too closely.

Now she strode down the streets without looking anywhere but straight ahead, her steps brisk and confident. No patches of darkness, weapons, all eys, or lurking strangers could do her harm anymore. Everyone along these streets had heartbeats, making them vulnerable to her, not the other way around, should they choose to cross her path with malicious intent.

She made it to Tina's building just a little faster than she would have under normal circumstances. Couldn't attract unwanted attention by streaking up the streets with supernatural speed, after all. She used her key to get inside, then chose the stairs instead of the elevators to avoid any of Tina's neighbors who might happen to recognize her if she rode up with them. Kira already knew her identity had been leaked to news stations in the past several days. The last she called Tina, her sister had hung up without speaking. She didn't think Tina was angry with her. She assumed Tina's phone line was monitored, which meant her cell probably was, too. Kira didn't bother calling her brother; he almost never had a working number.

The stairwel was empty, allowing Kira to move at what was fast becoming a more natural speed to her. She reached the fourteenth level in mere minutes, brushing her hair behind her ear reflexively before entering the floor. Once outside Tina's apartment, however, she paused.

Two heartbeats were inside, not one. Kira inhaled near the door, but she couldn't distinguish anything overly helpful. She'd never caught her sister's scent as a vampire though the heavier citrus fragrance around the entrance probably belonged to Tina. Who was in there with her sister? And would whoever it was present a problem?

She couldn't afford to walk away now. She'd risked too much to come here. Kira knocked, again smoothing her hair to the side as she waited. First she heard footsteps, a heartbeat right on the other side of the door, and then a gasp before the door opened.