Blake lifted an eyebrow and gave a wry laugh. “Of course you are.” He switched off the mic and turned to Samson. “He’s a lot like you, you know.”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so.”

16

Katie gave Luther a sideways glance as he brought the car to a stop at the end of a dirt road. It was pitch black outside. The moon was obstructed by clouds and the only artificial light around them were the headlights of her car.

Luther had gotten rid of the ripped and bloodstained shirt he’d worn the previous night and helped himself to a fresh one from the closet of the house they’d slept in.

“We’re here,” he announced and switched off the engine.

Katie was already reaching for the door handle, when she felt a hand on her forearm. She spun her head to Luther. Even in the darkness his eyes seemed to sparkle with gold flecks.

“You can still change your mind and wait here for me.”

“Not a chance.”

He grunted as if he’d expected her response. “Suit yourself.” He opened the driver’s side door and got out. Katie followed on the passenger side.

The chill of the December night air was more severe here. They were at a slightly higher elevation than San Francisco, and though it didn’t snow at this altitude, she could feel the difference in temperature. Instinctively she shivered despite her cardigan. She always kept a change of clothes in the trunk of her car, but unfortunately a thick jacket had not been part of her emergency overnight bag.

“Should have taken that jacket from the closet.”

At Luther’s words she glanced at him. “I don’t steal.”

He scoffed, a derisive look in his dark orbs. “No you don’t, do you? You’ve never even taken as much as a piece of candy as a child? Never committed the tiniest of crimes?”

Her pulse began to race as memories tried to push to the surface. She clenched her jaw. “I don’t steal,” she repeated.

Luther nodded as if he’d caught her in a lie. “Of course not. You’re as pure as the driven snow. Is that why you want to become an accessory now? Because you want to know what it feels like to commit a crime?” A low grunt echoed through the night. He stepped away from the car and walked toward the thicket.

Katie marched after him. “I’m not committing a crime.”

He looked over his shoulder. “Oh yeah? What do you call what we’re about to do?”

“Investigating.” She caught up to him and did her best to keep pace with his long strides.

Luther shook his head. “So you don’t steal, but breaking and entering is okay. What other crimes do you manage to justify to yourself? Just so that I’m prepared.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Do you consider killing a vampire a crime?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Just want to know if your sense of justice extends to vampires. Or whether I’ll need to watch my back to avoid a stake in my heart.”

“I didn’t stake you when you were sleeping.”

“I didn’t sleep,” he claimed, but Katie knew it was a lie. “I was aware of you at all times. If you’d tried anything, I would have had you pinned to the ground in a millisecond.”

“That’s funny,” she responded, “considering you had a nightmare I couldn’t wake you from.”

Luther whirled his head to her, glaring at her. “That’s a lie!”

It wasn’t. In fact, she’d awoken from an uneasy few hours of sleep when she’d heard Luther’s voice. He’d been resting on the couch. When she’d entered the living room, she’d found him tossing. His hands had turned into claws, his fangs fully extended. But his eyes had been closed.

“I shook you by your shoulders, but you didn’t wake.”

“I’m warning you. I don’t have nightmares.”

He looked ahead and increased his tempo, anger rolling off him in waves so violent that she could almost see his aura. It looked like flames were licking around him, trying to consume him.

Equal parts frightened and fascinated, Katie ran her eyes over the powerful vampire, while trying hard not to be left behind. She wasn’t used to this kind of tempo, had never been a runner, and felt woefully out of shape for this kind of nightly exercise. If Luther didn’t slow down, he’d leave her in the dust. He continued to charge ahead as if he didn’t care whether she followed or not.

“Slow down!” she called out to him, but he didn’t seem to hear her.