Hunter's Edge

Chapter Seventeen

What You Left Behind

She was the only one he'd left behind that could still matter.

"What exactly are you talking about?" he demanded through clenched teeth.

"There's a witch living a few miles away from Greenburg—moved there on my request." A muscle jerked in his jaw and for just a second, Rafe's emotionless eyes weren't quite so emotionless.

"Why?" Kel demanded.

"Because of Angel."

Kel didn't even remember moving. One second, he was ten feet away from Rafe and then he was in Rafe's face, his hands fisted in the smooth, buttery soft leather of Rafe's coat. Jerking Rafe forward, he rasped, "Why?"

"Because she was bitten too." Rafe glanced down at Kel's hands and reached up, closing his fingers around Kel's wrists. "Bitten...and fed."

"She's not..." Dear sweet heaven...no... The strength drained out of him and now, if he hadn't been holding onto Rafe's jacket, and if Rafe didn't have a hold of Kel's wrists, he suspected he would have gone to his knees.

"Kel."

Blood roared in his ears, blinding him, deafening him. Something soft, cool, stroked his cheek and without realizing it, he let go of Rafe and turned towards Sheila. Lost, shocked, he stared into her eyes. Her hands came up, cupped his face.

Her lips moved, but he couldn't hear the words. Not at first. When they finally did pierce the fog in his head, they didn't even make sense.

But when they did, Kel did go to the ground, sinking to his knees and covering his face with his hands. Tears burned his eyes and the relief that washed through him was a sweet, sweet respite.

"Damn it, Kel...she's not a vampire." It was the third time she'd said it.

"I heard you." Lifting his gaze, he stared at Sheila and nodded. "I heard you."

"But..." He turned his head and stared at Rafe. "If she's not one of us, why is she being watched?"

"For her safety." Rafe sighed and turned away, pacing the room with a restless, caged energy. The two men at his shoulders fell back in unison but they didn't move far. They kept a close eye on Kel and once more, the tension in the room began to climb.

Higher. Higher.

"Rafe, if you don't tell me what the fuck is going on..." Kel swore and shoved himself to his feet. He planted himself in Rafe's path and waited.

"You remember when you were going through your training?" Rafe said.

A weird light glittered in Rafe's eyes and Kel's skin went tight as a dark, ugly premonition began to whisper in his ear. Angel had been bitten—he remembered that, had nightmares about it.

There had been blood on her lips.

"We don't generally want vamps feeding from one human in particular. Having a human as a regular feeding companion just isn't the best idea."

Kel's lip curled in a snarl. "I know that. I don't need a fucking ethics course or a refresher in postmodern Hunter psycho-shit."

"Would you shut the fuck up?" Rafe demanded in a harsh voice. "I'm trying to make this a little bit easier on you."

"I don't want easy—I want to know why Angel's being watched, and why in the hell you're telling me now."

"Because she's vampire bait, damn it!" Rafe shouted.