Page 60 of Death Deals

Unsure what the stranger wanted, I replied hesitantly, “Yes, I am.”

That’s when I saw the color of his eyes peeking through the mask. Pools of blue lined in red.

Throat tightening, I stepped back, my ass hitting the table and causing the ice sculpture to rock. After two breath-taking seconds, it stopped and righted itself on the stand.

Talk about a close call.

“Easy now,” Cole said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“What the heck are you doing here?” I asked in a rushed whisper. Anxiety surged. “Do you know what this is?”

“A vampire New Year’s party?” He shrugged, unbothered. “Wouldn’t be the first vampire shindig I’ve crashed.”

My mouth opened and closed repeatedly as I looked for something to say, but the only thing I succeeded in doing was looking like a fish out of water. Gasping for air. Even with him standing three feet in front of me, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“Nice dress.” He snorted a laugh, making anger jab at me. Yep, he was still a jerk.

Then his gaze landed on my neck, and he stiffened. Ripping off his mask, he grabbed me by the shoulder roughly, jerking me forward so he could get a better look at my side. “You let him bite you?”

I froze. Oh shit. I’d completely forgotten about the marks on my neck.

Cole’s entire body shook as his rage rose. I’d seen him angry before, but this was next-level stuff. It was a bit scary.

When he spoke again, his voice changed to a deep rumble, the demon part of him rising to the surface. “I’ll fucking kill him.” His head swiveled as he searched the room. “Where is he?”

“You shouldn’t be here.”

He acted like he hadn’t heard me, and instead, he raked his fingers through his hair, messing up the gel he’d put in it. His eyes never left the spot on my neck.

“Fuck, Jade. I can’t believe you.” His grip on my shoulder strengthened, hurting now.

Okay, now I was getting mad. I had no clue what all this was about, but it was getting old fast. I didn’t need to explain myself to him, or anyone for that matter.

Glancing over his shoulder, I found Andre pushing through the guests to reach me. Thank God, too, because I really didn’t want to face Cole and his explosive temper alone anymore.

“Hands off, Masters.” Andre’s accent rolled over his threat, adding to its menace.

Cole straightened, but his hand stayed firmly on me.

“Unless you want to lose that hand,” Andre said, his fangs descending.

As the two stared each other down, I rolled my eyes and swiped Cole’s grip off me. This display of testosterone had been entertaining at first, but it was getting old fast. With so many vampires around us and with tensions still high, we shouldn’t be drawing attention to ourselves or causing a ruckus.

“How did you find me?” I asked Cole, dropping my voice to an harsh whisper. When he’d called me, the phone had cut out before we could really talk. Yet here he was in Michigan.

Eyeing Andre, his rage still radiating from him in waves, he replied, “I tracked his phone. And after some sweet talking to the lobby clerk, I found out you’d headed to a New Year’s party nearby.”

Those mercenary skills came in handy. But what I didn’t understand was why.

Andre must have been thinking the same thing because he said, “And the purpose of this?”

Refusing to even look at Andre, Cole directed his answer to me. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“We?”

He stopped, his hand shooting to his ear, where I realized a small device was implanted there, barely noticeable at first glance. He pressed a button on it and said, “I found her. We’re coming now.”

I glanced at Andre.

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