Page 24 of Kiss of Light

The bag of steak gleamed in the dim lighting and she ripped it open. Lemar’s fangs lengthened once more as the aroma of bloody meat hit him. Black veins traced across his face and neck, and his eyes deepened into liquid pools.

Tala held out the bag.

“Peace offering?”

Ten

Tala downed her whisky and signalled the bartender for another, even though the scotch was as rough as a hog’s butt.

They were in a roadside bar which had seen better days. A broken neon light promised ‘live dancers’ but the only dancer Tala could see was a solitary middle-aged woman swaying tiredly on a tiny stage.

Lemar nursed nothing stronger than a glass of water. The steak had sated his hunger, for now.

“I thought you didn’t need to eat for a few days?” Tala asked.

“Other things can trigger it,” he said mildly. “The blood at the apartment was hard to ignore.”Good old-fashioned lust does the job too.He took a sip from his glass. “This doesn’t change anything. I can’t go back to Palissandra.”

“I don’t understand. Your life is in danger. The contract is for your head, Lemar. Don’t you get it?”

“I have decades of practice at keeping out of people’s way. Eventually the trackers will give up.”

“They won’t.”

“No? You’re saying they’ll keep coming, even if it takes centuries?”

“Yes. BecauseIwould.”

“Fuck.” He took another sip of water. “Half the trackers are human. I only have to avoid them for a few years and old age will do the rest.”

“But the Vetali…”

“Vetali have the attention span of a gnat. Trust me, they’ll get bored.”

“Lemar, it’s not just Vetali. There are other immortals chasing you. Fae. Trolls. And Ravij.”

“What’s a Ravij?”

“Not what. Who.” Tala took a big swig of her whisky, feeling it burn its way down her throat. “He’s a demon. Like me. Except way more egotistical and bloodthirsty. His tracking skills are almost as good. He’s the one I’m primarily trying to avoid.”

“Can’t you appeal to him as a fellow demon? Get him on our side?”

Tala snorted.

“He’s Salaq’s demon. And he would never go against his master’s wishes.”

Lemar looked at her curiously.

“I meant to ask. You’ve said a couple of times now you don’t have a master. But my understanding is that all shaitun served masters?”

“Then your understanding is wrong. I told you, I don’t have a master.”

“But when you were created…”

Tala slammed down her glass.

“If we’re exchanging confidences now, why don’t we start with your aversion to returning to Palissandra?”

Lemar’s face hardened.

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