Daughter of Night (A Daughter of Nyx novel)

Chapter 5

He was frowning as he came back to the island. "It appears I'm to late to prevent it."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that James didn't follow you to the subway. He wasn't there. If you felt someone watching you, it was either imagination, unlikely, or Colvin has his own looking for you."

"But... they wouldn't know me. They wouldn't be able to smell me."

He sat across from her and gave her a look that told her he was about to once again, ruin her world.

She held up a hand. "Please, let me make my coffee first."

The half smile was even sexier when she could see his entire face and she turned her back to it. After a minute, it was done. She slid off her heels and sat across from Elliot. After taking a sip, she nodded at him.

"I have employees. They know what I am. They know the dangers in being associated with me. I treat them well and pay generously for the danger they are exposed to. They are loyal to me. Obviously, there are things I can't do during the day and they handle these things for me. And yes, they lack the ability to trace your scent. They could do this if I kept them attached to me by other means. Personally, I find the idea of blood-slaves quite disturbing and vile. Colvin does not share these opinions. Due to the transfer of blood, he has a link with these beings."

"People," she corrected him. "They are still people."

"No, Chevonne. And if you were to see one, you would understand why they are not. But, again, through this link, he can see what they see, hear what they hear, smell what they smell."

Her mouth went dry at the implication. "They share his blood, so, their senses..."

"Are magnified, yes. They can track you and he will know when they find you. And based on what you said about the subway, I can only assume they have."

"But can they with so many people around me? The car was full and I don't think they got on. If they did, they were in another car."

"They might not know which station you got off, but given time, they could figure it out. If they haven't yet, the rain today would have taken care of it."

She took another sip of the hot liquid, ignoring the slight tremble in her hands. His reaction to the lingering scent of her blood surfaced and she closed her eyes. "I cut myself. When I fell." He made a sound and she looked at him. "It was a small cut and I cleaned it up where I did it. I threw the wet nap in the trash there as well. But... Well..."

His eyes stayed the light brown, but his jaw clenched and her breath stopped.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Chevonne. We've discussed that. But that is going to be like a beacon to them. Perhaps it would have been enough to keep them from following you home. Your blood is quite... potent."

Her grip on the cup tightened and she swallowed. "I don't consider that a compliment, Elliot."

He smiled. "You shouldn't."

~~~

They sat in silence for a moment before Elliot stood.

"Do you mind if I check out your other rooms? I'd like to make sure you are as safe as possible before I leave."

"Help yourself." She surprised herself with a smile. "It's not like you haven't seen them before."

His grin was devastating. "But I was in a hurry that night. I had to get back to the cemetery and fix things before people found ashes and a hole in the ground."