The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

I pressed the receive button and said, "Riley speaking."

"Riley? This is Vincenta."

Speak of the devil, and she calls. Something inside me went cold. "How did you get my number?"

"Ah," she drawled, amusement evident in her rich tones. "That would be giving away trade secrets, now, wouldn't it?"

The kiss, I thought. It had something to do with that goddamn kiss. That'd teach me not to follow my instincts.

I was getting a new number as soon as I got back to the Directorate.

"What do you want, Vinny?"

"Ivan has been killed. I felt his death a few moments ago."

"You felt it?" How was something like that possible? As far as I knew, the bond of a vampire and his - or her - get went no deeper than creator and child. There was a duty of care to get them through the first treacherous years of turning, a responsibility that most took seriously if they didn't want the Directorate hunting their asses. But to have the depth of connection to actually feel a true death?

"Vampires who feed off emotions are different from our blood kin," she said, rich voice holding just a whisper of anger. "I share part of myself on creation, and they share a part of themselves. It makes us one. Hence, I felt the moment of his departure from this world."

"How did it happen?"

I held my hand over the phone, and mouthed her name to Ben. Seriousness suddenly overtook the light amusement that had been lingering in his eyes. "Trouble?" he said softly.

I nodded.

"He was decapitated," Vinny said.

Decapitation was the one way to prevent someone who'd taken the blood ceremony from ever rising again. Hell, it was one of the few good ways to stop a regular vampire, too. It didn't kill them outright, but with a broken neck they couldn't move and couldn't feed, and death was usually the end result.

"Did the sensation of his death tell you anything else?"

"I didn't see his murderer, if that's what you're asking," Vinny said. "But then, I do not have to. This death came via Aron Young."

After his slice-and-dice efforts on Ivan yesterday, Young was the immediate pick for prime suspect. That didn't make him guilty, of course, and neither did the certainty in Vinny's voice.

"If you didn't see it, how can you be so sure?"

"Because I tasted the need for vengeance on his lips."

Which suggested her kiss was a whole lot more than just a meeting of lips - which is what I had feared all along. God, what had she tasted on mine? Part of me wanted to ask, but maybe it was better to just ignore the whole situation.

"You tasted that, and yet still let him see Ivan?"

"His money was good," Vinny said. "And I thought I could control the situation."

And her overconfidence had now cost Ivan not only his life but his afterlife, too.

"You had the chance last night to tell me what you knew about Aron Young. This death is on your conscience, Vinny."

If she had a conscience, that is. Personally, I figured her conscience would only come into play when it suited her.

"I realize that," she snapped. "Which is why I've rung. Aron Young lives at 4 Havard Street, Glenroy. Kill him for me."

"The Directorate isn't your personal assassination squad," I snapped back, then hung up and flung the phone back into my purse. After a deep, calming breath, I met Ben's gaze. "Ivan's dead."

"I gathered that." He crossed his arms, his expression grim. "How?"

"Decapitated."