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reason I was working in the guardian liaisons section of the Directorate. He should have realized that, even if he didn't know the reason for the immunity

  "Hate to say this, Gautier, but you haven't exactly got the sweetest scent. "

  "I was downwind. "

  Damn. So he was. "Some scents are stronger than the wind to a wolf. " I hesitated, but couldn't help adding, "You know, you may be one of the undead, but you sure as hell don't have to smell like it. "

  His gaze narrowed, and there was a sudden stillness about him that reminded me of a snake about to strike

  "You would do well to remember what I am. "

  "And you would do well to remember that I'm trained to protect myself against the likes of you. "

  He snorted. "Like all liaisons, you overestimate your skills. "

  Maybe I did, but I sure as hell wasn't going to admit it, because that's precisely what he wanted. Gautier not only loved baiting the hand that fed him, he more often bit it. Badly. Those in charge let him get away with it because he was a damn fine guardian

  "As much as I love standing here trading insults, I really want to know what's going on in that club. "

  His gaze went to Vinnie's, and something inside me relaxed. But only a little. When it came to Gautier, it never paid to relax too much

  "There's a vampire inside that club," he said

  "I know that much. "

  His gaze came back to me, brown eyes flat and somehow deadly. "How do you know? A werewolf has no more awareness when it comes to vampires than a human. "

  Werewolves mightn't, but then, I wasn't totally wolf, and it was my vampire instincts that were picking up the vamp inside the building. "I'm beginning to think the vampire population should be renamed the great unwashed. He stinks almost as much as you do. "

  His gaze narrowed again, and again the sensation of danger swirled around me. "One day, you'll push too far. "

  Probably. But with any sort of luck, it would be after he'd gotten the arrogance knocked out of him. I waved a hand at Vinnie's. "Are there people alive inside?"

  "Yes. "

  "So are you going to do something about the situation or not?"

  His grin was decidedly nasty. "I'm not. "

  I blinked. I'd expected him to say a lot of things, but certainly not that. "Why the hell not?"

  "Because I hunt bigger prey tonight. " His gaze swept over me, and my skin crawled. Not because it was sexual - Gautier didn't want me any more than I wanted him - but because it was the look of a predator sizing up his next meal

  His expression, when his gaze rose to meet mine again, was challenging. "If you think you're so damn good, you go tend to it. "

  "I'm not a guardian. I can't - "

  "You can," he cut in, "because you're a guardian liaison. By law, you can interfere when necessary. "

  "But - "

  "There are five people alive in there," he said. "If you want to keep them that way, go rescue them. If not, call the Directorate and wait. Either way, I'm out of here. "

  With that, he wrapped the night around his body and disappeared from sight. My vampire and werewolf senses tracked his hidden form as he raced south. He really was leaving

  Fuck.

  My gaze returned to Vinnie's. I couldn't hear the beating of hearts, and had no idea whether Gautier was telling the truth about people being alive inside. I might be part vampire, but I didn't drink blood, and my senses weren't tuned to the thud of life. But I could smell fear, and surely I wouldn't be smelling that if someone wasn't alive in the club

  Even if I called the Directorate, they wouldn't get there in time to rescue those people. I had to go in. I had no choice

  I took the cell phone from my bag and quickly pressed the Directorate's emergency number. When the operator answered, I gave them my details and told them what was happening. Help would be there in ten, they said

  Those people inside would probably be dead in ten

  I shoved the phone into my bag and strode across the road. Though I'd inherited a vampire's ability to shadow, I didn't bother using it. The vampire inside would know I was approaching. He'd hear the rapid beating of my heart

  Was it fear? Hell, yeah. What sane, normal person wouldn't feel afraid when about to walk into the nest of a vampire? But fear and I had been on many adventures together. It hadn't stopped me before, and it wouldn't stop me now

  When I reached the pavement, I stopped and studied the metal doors. Though the urge to hurry was beginning to beat through my brain, I knew that was the one thing I couldn't do. Not if I wanted to save lives

  The locks on the doors were simple padlocks. When the club was closed, they used a grate similar to the one over the windows to stop forcible entry. Which meant Vinnie, at least, was inside, and probably some of the wait staff

  I closed my eyes and breathed deep. Three different scents were coming from the left. The vampire and two others from the right

  I blew out a breath, then kicked off my shoes. Four-inch heels might be okay to party in, but they were shit when it came to fighting. At least, they were shit on the feet. The heels actually made damn fine weapons, especially when they were made of wood, like mine. Not only did they provide deadly little stakes when it came to dealing with vampires, but they were handy against everyone else, too. Few people ever thought that a shoe could become dangerous, but these were dangerous. Years of finding trouble in unexpected places had at least taught me one thing - always have a weapon handy. Sometimes a werewolf's teeth just weren't deterrent enough

  I rolled up my jeans so I didn't slip on the excess material, then tossed my bag into the right-hand corner of the doorway, out of the way and out of sight. After flexing my fingers, I stepped forward and kicked the door. It shook under the impact of the blow, but didn't open. Cursing softly, I kicked it again. This time it flew back with enough force to shatter the nearest window

  "Directorate of Other Races," I said, standing in the doorway and letting my gaze roam the darkness. I couldn't see the vampire hiding in the shadows, but I could certainly smell him. Why wouldn't most vampires wash? "Come out, or face the consequences. "

  Which wasn't exactly legal speak, but I'd been around guardians long enough to know they generally didn't bother with legalities

  "You ain't no guardian," a soft, almost childish voice said

  I rolled my shoulders, trying to ease the tension tightening my muscles. The voice came from the left, yet the unwashed scent was still coming from the right. Could there be two vampires? Surely Gautier would have told me. . . Then I remembered his nasty smile. The bastard had known, all right

  "I never said I was a guardian. I said I was Directorate. And the rest of my statement still applies. "

  The vampire snorted. "Make me. "

  Make me, not make us. The vamp was betting I didn't know there were two of them

  "Last chance, vampire. "

  "I can smell your fear, little wolf. "

  So could I. Could feel the tremor of it through my veins. But the smell of my fear was nothing compared to what was coming from the humans in the room

  I stepped inside the club

  The air to my right stirred, and the pungent aroma of death sharpened. I dropped. A shadow soared over my back, his stench so bad I almost gagged. The soft thump of his landing told me where he was, even if his scent was too close, too overwhelming, to pinpoint it exactly. I spun, and lashed out with a bare foot. The blow connected with solid darkness and the vampire grunted. Again air moved, giving me warning. I twisted, whipping the spiked heel across the darkness. Felt it scrape across flesh even as the vampire howled in pain. Again, it wasn't the voice of an adult - more that of a kid. Someone had turned youngsters. The thought sickened me

  Movement caught my eye. The first vampire had shaken free of the shadows and climbed to his feet. He swung around to face me, his eyes red with bloodlust, his thin features contorted with rage. Not only youngsters in human terms, but
youngsters in vampire years, as well. But that didn't make them any less dangerous. Just a little less devious

  He ran at me. I dodged, then swung the shoe, hitting his jaw with an audible whack. He howled and lashed out with a clenched fist. I leaned back, felt the breeze of the blow brush past my chin. The reek of unwashed flesh swamped me again. Not the scent of the first vampire, but the second. And he was approaching fast. I grabbed a fistful of the first vamp's shaggy brown hair and yanked him around into the second vampire's path

  They hit with enough force to rattle my teeth, but it wasn't enough to knock either of them out. The first vamp somehow twisted around, his fist catching the side of my face with enough force to knock me off my feet. I hit the floorboards with a grunt, the shoes flying from my hands. For a