Page 6 of Claiming Her Vampire

He holds his hands up. “No offense. I find it fascinating,” he says as he studies me.

“Fuck you! I am not your experiment, asshole.” I throw a knife at him, purposely skimming the top of his head, taking a few strands of hair off. The blade finds a home in the door behind him with a thump.

“Motherfucker.” He turns wide eyes at me and then to the door, running his hand over the top of his head. “I hope you meant to miss,” he snarls.

“I always hit my mark; you know this,” I say, grinning.

“Sometimes, I wonder why we are friends,” he says, glaring.

“Because you want me on your side when shit goes down. No one wants me as an enemy.” I get up and round the desk, retrieving my blade.

“I can agree with that,” he murmurs, still running his hand through his hair. The man has an unnatural obsession with his white hair but won’t let anyone touch it.

“Are the authorities involved in any of these cases?” I ask, getting back on task.

“No. They dump them on the known shifter or vampire territory. Make sure our kind finds them and reports them to their Alpha.” He shifts uncomfortably, which makes me narrow my eyes.

“What are you not saying?” I ask.

“Have you noticed we haven’t found any vampires turned or dead?”

“I did. But vampire turnings have a high success rate. And if they die, they would just turn to ash.”

“Or they are purposely not doing it, wanting the blame to fall on you. Greg admitted the club is being used as a picking ground for these humans. Their inhibitions are lowered here. They come here to relax, get drunk, and get lucky. No vampires showing up dead could make people come to the same conclusion.” He watches me cautiously. “Plus, they may have reservations about your new budding friendship with the panthers. Many don’t agree with the species mixing.”

He’s an intelligent man. Of course, I have thought about it but having it said out loud pisses me off. “Keep your ears open. Any talk or rumors, let me know. I will confront it head-on. We need to find these fuckers soon,” I snarl. “We can not allow anyone else to be taken from here. Not one. Understood?”

“Yes.” Bash bows his head. Usually, I would give him shit about it. Not this time.

“Did Tristan have any other issues in the bar?” I changed the subject.

“Not much besides not having enough help. The new bartenders seem to be catching on. They’re both human. The human waitresses have been eyeing them.”

“Just what we need, more drama with the staff. Why didn’t I make it a rule that you can’t date at work?” I rub my face.

“Because you know how to keep it in your pants. They don’t have as much control.”

“I am the master of control, that’s true,” I smirk.

Tristan opens the door, and my brain explodes in colors of fury.

“Ryker-” His words are cut off by my hand gripping his throat. The wall cracks from the force of his body hitting it as I fly over the desk, growling and snarling in his face.

“Why do you smell like her?” I demand. In a blink, my knife is at his throat.

“Shit.” Bash yells. His arms circle my chest, attempting to pull me back. “Ryker, ease up.”

There is no reasoning with me at this point. I smell the scent of my mate all over Tristan. The sweet bouquet of flowers in bloom is intoxicating. She is my mate. The one meant for me.

“Look at his eyes,” Tristan gasps.

Bash moves to the side, looking intently at me. His eyes widen in realization. A white ring appears around its natural color when a vampire finds his mate. We have heard all the stories and seen the after-effects of mated vampires, but we had never witnessed it as it happens before.

“Ryker, let go. Let him explain,” Bash urges.

His words register enough for me to remove my knife from Tristan’s throat, but I remain close. My angry eyes never leave him. My breath is coming out in pants. The demon inside me is screeching and clawing to get out. My hands flex, my knuckles cracking from the pressure.

“A woman came into the club. She wanted to apply for the job. She asked if she could interview. That’s all, I swear. I didn’t touch her,” he rasps out, his hand rubbing his throat, smearing the blood dripping from the cut.

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