Chasing the Shadows (Nikki & Michael 3)

"He's in a bad way. I doubt he'll be awake by dawn."

"So it's just you and me?"

You, me and the ghosts, she thought, and tried to ignore the chill that ran down her spine. “Did you bring the weapons?"

He nodded. “Left them up on the deck."

"What, exactly?"

"A couple of stakes, some silver knives, and my gun." Not much considering they were going up against a madman. She glanced at her watch. “Dawn's in an hour. I'd suggest we get there early so we can check out the area."

"Get where early?” Michael said from the doorway.

"So much for not waking for a few hours,” Jake murmured dryly. She twisted around in the seat. He was leaning against the door frame, the sheet wrapped around his waist and his face still white and bruised—though the swelling had at least gone down a little.

"What the hell are you doing up? You should still be asleep so your body can heal."

"I heard voices,” he said, a touch impatiently. “What sort of meeting have you arranged?"

"We've arranged to meet Farmer at dawn.” She threw up her shields even as she replied, knowing his anger would boil down the link at her.

"No. I forbid it."

"You can't forbid me, and you're in no damn shape to stop me."

"He's a vampire. You won't even see him coming."

"No, but I'll feel him coming. Smell him."

"Damn it, Nikki—"

"We've coped with far worse than Farmer,” Jake said softly. “Even if they were human." Michael's gaze flicked briefly to him. “You told me once revenge would kill us all. I think that applies here, too."

"You keep asking Nikki to trust the fact that you can keep yourself safe and alive,” Jake said. “Why are you not willing to offer her the same?"

"Because this is different."

"No, it's not. And you keep forgetting one vital thing."

"I'm not forgetting anything."

"Yeah, you are. Nikki's no longer human. And she has skills that are more than a match for the likes of Farmer."

"She may have a vampire's life span, but like us, she can still die."

"But only if she is decapitated, right? How is Farmer going to know that? How is any villain going to know that?"

Michael took a deep breath, perhaps controlling the anger neither of them could see. Yet. “We don't know all there is to know about thralls. There could be other ways of killing them."

"If you don't know, how the hell would someone like Farmer know?"

"That's not the point.” The impatience was more noticeable this time and edged with anger.

"That's precisely the point. For Christ's sake, you two have something good going here. Don't let stupidity destroy that."

Nikki wrapped a hand around Jake's. “You couldn't have saved Mary, no matter what you did. As she said, it was her time."

"I know. But it's still too fresh, too hard to accept.” Jake's gaze met hers. “At least I had the chance to say good-bye and for that, I thank you."