Page 2 of Short, Lethal & Claimed

Nodding, Logan said, “And coin?”

“You’re planning on buying your way into immortality?” the vampire asked as he ran his eyes over Logan, taking in the quality of his tunic before shaking his head. “You don’t have enough coin to make it worth it.”

“I have other skills,” Logan said, watching as the vampire considered him for a moment before reaching over and grabbing hold of his hand and turned it over, taking in the healed callouses and scars before releasing it.

“You’re a servant,” the vampire said dismissively.

“I’m a carpenter,” Logan corrected him, watching the vampire’s lips twitch.

“There’s a difference?” the vampire asked, sounding amused.

“Probably not to you,” Logan said, even as he couldn’t help but wonder how old the vampire really was. He looked to be around thirty winters old, but he could just as easily be a hundred winters old or even a thousand. Then again, if he was newly turned, then Logan was wasting his time.

“Probably not,” came the absently murmured response as the vampire drummed his fingertips against the tabletop while he considered him. “What’s your name?”

“What’s yours?” Logan countered.

“Evander,” the vampire drawled, the crisp accent that Logan couldn’t quite place thickening as he gestured for Logan to answer him.

“Logan,” he said as he considered the vampire sitting across from him.

“Are you going to tell me why I should change you, Logan?” Evander asked as his fingertips continued drumming against the tabletop in a slow cadence.

“Because you’re not going to have a choice,” Logan said, watching as the vampire’s lips slowly pulled up into a smile.

“Planning on attacking me and stealing my blood?” Evander asked, not really sounding all that concerned.

“Something like that,” Logan murmured absently as he watched the reason why he was here drop down onto the bench next to Evander.

“He’s under my protection,” Kale said as he reached for Logan’s mug.

“I don’t see your mark,” Evander said as Kale’s silver eyes locked on Logan over the rim of his mug.

“How well do you think you’ll see it with your throat ripped out?” Kale drawled as he took another sip before placing the mug down on the table.

“Probably not well,” Evander drawled with a reluctant sigh as he stood up and stepped away from the table. With a murmured,“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again,” Evander shot one last glance in Logan’s direction before he made his way to the door.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Kale said as he reached over and helped himself to the untouched platter the servants brought earlier.

“You should have been running instead,” Logan said, watching Kale rip a piece of bread off the loaf and dip it in the stew as he allowed his silver eyes to fade back to green.

“You don’t belong here, Logan,” Kale said while Logan sat there, taking in the large man that he’d known since he was a boy, from his dark hair to his silver eyes and wondered how he could have missed the fact that the man he’d once considered his brother was really a monster.

“You expect me to forget about Elizabeth?” Logan asked, watching as Kale ripped off another piece of bread.

“Yes,” Kale said with a heavy sigh as he dipped the piece of bread in the stew and tossed it in his mouth before grabbing Logan’s mug and finished off the rest of the ale. “Go home, find a wife, raise a family, and forget that any of this happened.”

“And if I say no?” Logan asked, wondering how many of the old tales about monsters were true. He grew up hearing tales of men turning into beasts during the full moon and of men stalking the night and gorging on blood, but he’d never thought that any of them were true until that night.

“Then, I’ll take the choice out of your hands,” Kale said, keeping his eyes locked on Logan as he gestured for him to stand up. When Logan didn’t move, he said, “You don’t want to do this,” as he allowed his eyes to flash silver, giving Logan the reminder that he needed.

After a slight hesitation, Logan clenched his jaw tightly shut as he stood up and made his way to the door, past the whores moaning for more and the vampires watching him go. Ignoring the cold air rushing over him, Logan made his way down to thedocks, past the vampires standing in the shadows watching him go and ducked down the dark alleyway to his left.

He used the soft moonlight making its way through the thatched roofs above to find his way. He stepped over garbage, sleeping dogs, and buckets filled with rainwater and made his way behind a row of cottages before making his way behind the church, past the butcher, and then…

He was closing his eyes as he reached out and ran his fingertips over the dried mud coating the cottage walls while he made his way past the tavern that he’d stayed at the night before his world was destroyed and past the whore houses, knowing his way by heart. Every night since Elizabeth had been taken from him, he’d walked this path, taking the same shortcut that he’d taken that night, eager to finally make Elizabeth his wife, only to find her waiting for him with a blade at her throat.

“You have to stop doing this to yourself,” Kale said as Logan came to a stop a few feet away from where he was forced to watch Elizabeth’s body fall to the ground.

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