That did it.
Her head jerked up. “Don’t growl at me. I’m trying to think.”
“Think?” echoed Adam. “About what?”
“What’s the matter?” called out the younger slayer. “Did you think she cared about you, Nightwalker? That she wasn’t luring you close so it’d be easier to swing her piece?”
Her dark eyes skittered across the road. “Eddie,” she warned.
Eddie. Adam didn’t know the guy, but he hated him anyway.
“What? Boone’s right. You know he is. I told you the other day that covering up for a Nightwalker wasn’t worth it. And, look. He’s still one of them. The elixir didn’t work, Tabby. You know what that means.”
“What are you talking about?” Adam growled. Couldn’t help it. “She did what she was supposed to. You sent her to Grayson to clean up the Nightwalkers, right? She did that. I saw her take out at least half a nest over the last few weeks all by herself, and now the reigning king is dead.”
The other man—Eddie—scoffed. “Come on. You think that’s what we mean? That that was what she was doing here? Tab was here to do a job alright. She’s got a target and, until she eliminates it, she’s failed in the hunt. Because, you see, she hasn’t quite pulled it off yet.”
“Rafe Silverson is dead—”
“Rafe Silverson wasn’t the target,” mumbled Tabby. “Not mine. He was yours, Adam. I just helped you get to him.”
Then if it wasn’t Rafe...
“Come on, corpse,” the younger man taunted. “You can’t be as stupid as you look.”
“Me.” The realization slammed into him like a ton of bricks. “You’re supposed to kill me.”
24
Instead of answering him, she turned toward the older man. “He’s not a threat. Boone, you’ve got to listen to me. Slayers eliminate threats. They kill the killers.”
“My dear niece, can you tell me that he’s not a killer and mean it?”
“If he’s a killer, then so am I. He has a slayer’s falchion, Boone. He only hunts those who would target humans and weaker Paras. So he has fangs? He’s as much a slayer as we are.”
“No. He’s not.” The words were solemn. Final. Without tearing his dark stare away from Tabby, he called out a name. “Daniels.” When the younger slayer jumped to attention, he said, “You know what to do.”
Eddie Daniels might know, but hell if Adam did. Didn’t mean he liked the sound of that. There was no time to reach for his own weapon before Eddie drew his blade, stalking toward him with the intent to kill.
Adam flexed his hands, readying his claws. His fangs were already extended as far as they could go.
And that’s when Tabby jumped in front of him, intercepting the other slayer. As fast as ever, she yanked her dagger from its sheath, gripping the hilt as if she had every intention of using the weapon if Eddie didn’t stop.
Eddie paused for a heartbeat before taking another step closer. He didn’t lower his weapon even a little. “You know the code,
Tabby. I’m sorry, but this has to happen.”
“Eddie, you can’t!”
“He’s a corpse. He’ll turn on you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“He won’t.”
“Yes, I do,” she snapped. “He loves me.”
“You’ll thank me for this, Tab. Now back down.”