Page 5 of Semi-Fallen

And despite Harper, Gabriel, and Riddick’s best efforts to keep him on staff, Roan had resigned after that mission and hadn’t been seen or heard from since.

Well, except for the light stalking and kidnapping he was apparently doing.

She held back an eye roll. Men. So attractive, yet so very, very dumb.

He must feel pretty guilty, Lane signed.

Haven blew out a harsh breath. “Then he’s an idiot. Because clearly it wasn’t his fault. Any one of us could get hurt at any time. He didn’t do anything wrong. Well, except for leaving in the dead of night and never speaking to me again.”

Lane didn’t have to physically hear her friend’s words to feel her pain. She’d never admit it, especially not now, but Haven had feelings for Roan, too. Had for years. Why neither of them ever acted on their attraction, Lane would never know.

But then again, what the hell did she know about love? She’d had exactly two boyfriends and a tiny handful of one-night stands in her life. A romantic expert, she was not.

She was about to say something else, but stopped short when Haven’s gaze fixed on some point over Lane’s left shoulder. Her head cocked to one side. “Something is there. Too far away to be listening, but close enough to watch us. Well, watch you, anyway.”

Lane looked over her shoulder. All she saw was a tattered OSHA poster. But she couldn’t see auroras like Haven could. Still, she knew what her friend was talking about.

She’d felt the presence appear shortly after Haven sat down. It was the same feeling she’d had outside the warehouse after she’d subdued the demon. She hadn’t bothered to look for it, though. Lane knew she wouldn’t see anything.

Whoever—whatever—this thing was, it clearly didn’t want to be seen yet.

Haven smiled a little dreamily. “So bright,” she murmured. “I’ve seen something like that before. Not exactly the same, though. This is a little…angrier. No, it’s not anger. Bitterness. Yeah, that’s what it is. Bitterness.”

Lane supposed she should be pleased the entity who was following her didn’t have a black, oily aura, but rather a bright, shiny, and only a little bit bitter one. And hell, who wasn’t a little bitter these days?

She’d talked to Haven enough to know a bright and shiny aura generally meant the being wasn’t evil.

But it was hard to feel too relieved when you were being stalked by an unseen thing.

At least Haven knew exactly who and what her stalker was. If there was one thing Lane despised, it was a mystery.

And cauliflower. But that was another story entirely.

“It’s here for you,” Haven added. “But I can’t get a sense of why. It’s powerful, though. I can feel that.”

Yep. Lane could feel it, too. Her invisible stalker was more powerful than any man, demon, dhampyre, or vampire she’d ever encountered.

It might even be more powerful than her.

Haven bit her lower lip. “What should we do? Tell my mom? Tell your mom?”

The thought of telling her boss she was being stalked by an invisible, bitter entity held little appeal. Harper would take it as a threat and likely lock her down and keep her off duty, until her safety was guaranteed. And while she was quick to remind Haven that scut work was important, Lane wanted nothing to do with it herself. Watching golf on TV was more interesting than a stakeout—and Lane despised golf.

Telling her mom was even less appealing. As enforcer for the Vampire Council, Mischa Hunter would be ready to go to war at the merest hint of her baby girl being in danger.

She supposed she could ask her father. He was head of the Vampire Council, but generally tended to be more even-tempered and levelheaded than her hot-blooded mother.

Even he had his limits, though. He’d most likely want to keep her at his compound until the threat had been eliminated. That would suck, too.

So, that really only left her with one option that made sense.

She shot her friend a grin and signed, What’s your grandma doing today?

CHAPTER 4

No one knew how old Tina Petrocelli was.

If you were judging by looks alone, you’d guess she was no older than fifty or so. Her smooth skin, fluffy cloud of teased blonde curls, and highly active lifestyle (she managed all educational programs for Section 8 children, K-12), made her appear not much older than her daughters.

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