Page 29 of Bound By Blood

Elnora laid her cards aside and leaned forward. “Anything we can do to help?”

“Not really … well … what do you know about Nadiya Korzha?”

“Not much,” Elnora said. “Except she was one of Rodin’s wives.”

“I saw her a couple of times,” Marta said. “Ice-cold, she was, even worse than Liliana used to be.”

“Bitter,” Northa added. “Very bitter. Why do you ask?”

“Her son, Daryn, might be in California. A man by that name just happened to bump into Kaitlyn.”

“Oh, if it’s him, that can’t be good,” Marta said, her eyes widening in alarm.

“Daryn fed on me once,” Northa remarked, shuddering with the memory. “He reminded me of a hungry lizard.”

Elena couldn’t help laughing at the image but then, to her chagrin, she felt the sting of tears behind her eyes. For all that her daughter was half vampire, she was still a young woman who’d had little experience with men, whether they were human or vampire. And even though she had a vampire’s increased speed and strength, would that be enough if she had to defend herself against Nadiya, who was older, stronger, and more experienced in the way of the world?

Elena slumped in her chair, suddenly certain that Drake was right. There was no such thing as coincidence.

She knew, with every fiber of her being, that Daryn Korzha was up to no good.

Elena clenched her hands in her lap. Kaitlyn had to come home—the sooner the better.

Chapter Fourteen

It was Saturday night and the casino was in full swing when Zack entered the club. It had taken him a good long while to learn to block the myriad smells that clung to mortals, to tune out the rattle of the dice, the whirring of the games, the never-ending conversation, the raucous laughter and shouts of the winners.

Feeling restless, he wandered over to the craps table and tossed a hundred-dollar bill on eight the hard way. In the past, before he’d built his own casino, he hadn’t been above manipulating the dice or the slot machines when he needed a little cash. Of course, cheating took all the fun out of winning.

The croupier tossed Zack an apologetic look when the man who had the dice rolled a five.

Shrugging, Zack left the table and strolled through the crowd, pausing to say a few words to the regulars, consoling the losers, congratulating the winners.

He stopped to watch a newlywed couple who were playing one of the old dollar slots. The husband wanted to quit, but his bride kept urging him on.

“Just one more time, honey,” she coaxed. “If we win the jackpot, we could put a down payment on that house.”

“Nobody ever wins the big money,” her husband muttered. “These machines are all rigged.”

“Please, Tom. I have a feeling we’ll win.”

“You and your feelings,” Tom scoffed, but there was no irritation in his voice. “You haven’t been right once since I’ve known you,” he said with an affectionate smile, “except when you married me.” He shook his head. “OH, what the hell,” he muttered, and dropped five silver dollars into the machine.

Zack watched the woman’s face. She was a pretty thing, with short blond hair and bright green eyes. If she wanted a house, by damn, he’d see that she got one.

The wheels spun. Slowed. Stopped.

The bride squealed as three purple sevens stood side by side on the pay line. The light over the slot machine lit up and silver dollars began to pour into the tray.

Grinning, Zack moved on, his thoughts turning, as always, toward Kaitlyn and the man who had been stalking her.

After telling Scherry he was going out for a while, Zack left the casino.

The night was cool and clear and the streets were crowded with people, but he paid them little heed as he walked quickly toward Kaitlyn’s place. Upon arriving, he opened his senses, searching for some sign that the Romanian vampire had been there, relieved when he didn’t detect the man’s scent.

Moving closer to the house, he could hear Kaitlyn moving around inside—the slam of a drawer, the sound of water running, the smell of baked chicken when she opened the oven door.

He frowned, wondering if she was having company over for dinner. Walking to the back of the house where the kitchen was located, he dissolved into mist and peered into the open window.

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