Free The Den of Shadows Quartet by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

called Rabe, one of New Mayhem’s few inhabitants who are completely human. This early in the night Las Noches has a mixed crowd — more human than vampire, actually — but Rabe works here even when the crowd is completely vampire.
    I turn away from Rabe and scan the room for the one person I seek. I find him sitting at a table with a human girl, though they do not appear to be talking. I walk purposefully to the back of the room, and ignoring the human, sit on the table. Chairs? Not for me, thank you.
    Aubrey’s eyes widen, no doubt wondering when I became so bold. I do not look at the human girl, though I know she has not left the table. She is sitting very still, but I can hear her breath and her heartbeat.
    “Risika, why are you sitting on the table?” Aubrey finally asks me.
    “Why not?”
    “There are chairs,” he points out. The girl behind me is slowly standing, inching away as if I might reach out and grab her if she catches my attention. I almost laugh. I am already smiling — the slow, lazy, mischievous smile of a cat.
    “It seems your date is leaving, Aubrey,” I comment, and the girl freezes. “Is she more afraid of me than she is of you?”
    “Go away, Christina,” Aubrey says to the frightened girl, who darts off.
    “You have no class, Aubrey.”
    He frowns momentarily at my words but then decides to ignore them. “I forgot to comment on your new style of hair, Risika,” he says. “It reminds me of that dumb beast in the zoo.”
    “I noticed that you tied her up before you killed her. Was one tiger too much for you to handle?”
    We play this deadly game well, each of us striking at the other without blows — and it is indeed a deadly game. Who will lose their temper first? Who will strike the first physical blow?
    “Risika, no one creature is too much for me to handle,” Aubrey laughs.
    “Oh, brave Aubrey,” I say. “Save us from the defenseless animals!”
    He shoves my shoulder, taking me by surprise and pushing me off the table. Then he stands. So far he has not drawn a weapon.
    I sit on the floor, in the mist, and laugh. “You fool,” I say. “You complete fool.”

CHAPTER 19
NOW
    S EVERAL OF THE HUMANS have gathered around us, wondering what is going on. This is not a smart thing to do when two vampires fight. However, humans are curious to the point of stupidity, and they do not think about possible casualties if the fight gets out of hand.
    I stand from the mist, my laughter gone from the air but still in both our minds.
    “You’re like a child, Aubrey,” I say. “The neighborhood bully, I suppose. You can terrorize humans and children, but what would happen if someone fought you who knew what they were doing?”
    “Get out, Risika. I don’t want to fight you again. We’ve done this before.” His voice is cold, meant to frighten, but I do not heed it.
    “We’ve done this before, have we? Where is your fancy blade then, Aubrey? You offered it to me and asked me to kill you if I could. I think I deserve a second chance.”
    “Why do you feel compelled to challenge me again, Risika? You still wear the scar I gave you last time. Are you so determined to bear another?”
    “I wear this scar as a sign that I will one day repay it. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ Aubrey. I will avenge this scar and every scar you have put into my heart.”
    “Really? How, Risika?” he asks me, leaning against the table casually. “I am far older than you —”
    “Does it matter, Aubrey?” I respond, slowly circling him. He does not turn to keep me in sight until I am completely behind him, but he does turn. He does not like having me at his back.
    “Perhaps not, but I am meaner, Risika, and I am deadlier. A viper, hidden in the grass.”
    A viper — how apt. Does he know how often I have compared him to that exact creature?
    “A garden snake, Aubrey, hiding in the grass. I am not weak anymore, but I think you are.” I lean forward, my hands on the table