Free Twilight Vendetta by MAGGIE SHAYNE Page B

knew where to find you in the first place. Jeeze.”
    His eyes narrowed, but his hands eased their grip on her shoulders. He didn’t let go, though. And the strength and power in those huge hands was dizzying and a little bit frightening. If he wanted to, he could break her in half.
    Emma was an adrenaline junkie. The thrill of danger was her drug of choice. But this guy...he scared her a little bit.
    “You said you came to find me to tell me what had happened to Sheena and Wolf.”
    “Well I
did
.”
    “No, you didn’t. You were searching for us before they were shot. You were already in the area. You knew where to go because of the radio transmission. You were already there to observe what happened to them. What were you doing out on the ocean last night, Emma?”
    She nodded, lowered her head, but then picked it right up again and held his gaze. It wouldn’t do to appear weak. Besides, she wasn’t. “It’s true. I was trying to think of a way to locate you. I mean, not you, specifically, but you know, some of you. Your kind. I’ve been trying to make contact for a long time, to be honest.”
    “Why?” he asked again.
    “Last night? Last night all I wanted to do was warn you that DPI had had spotted the ship and was closing in.”
    “And you decided trying to drown yourself was the best way to do that?”
    She shot him a look and let her anger flash in her eyes. “When I saw what happened to those two kids, I knew I had to do something drastic. And I wasn’t trying to drown myself. I knew you would come.”
    “How could you know that?”
    She shrugged. “You always have, haven’t you? I’d be dead if you hadn’t.”
    His dark eyes narrowed. “Why were you looking for us to begin with?”
    Devlin didn’t like humans, and while he’d admitted he didn’t quite hate her, he sure as hell didn’t trust her. It was time, she decided. Time for the truth. She walked away from him, went to the Jeep, took the canvas bag from the back seat, and rifled around inside until she located the 3” oval frame she carried everywhere she went. It rested on every hotel room nightstand, hung on every cabin wall, and was propped prominently in every tent she slept in. She took a long, loving look at the photograph and then handed it to Devlin.
    He looked at the picture in the frame.
    “That’s my mother,” she said softly. “Her name is Diana Benatar. She became a vampire the night I was born. She’s been missing since I was twelve.”
    “Your mother was a vampire?” Bellamy asked, crowding up beside Devlin to look at the photo.
    “I’ve been looking for her for most of my life. Trying to learn more about who and what she was, and what happened to her.” She looked up at Devlin. His eyes were on her again, not the photo. “Have you ever seen her? Heard of her?” she asked.
    And she realized as she asked that she was dreading his answer. And then he fulfilled her fear by saying, “I’m sorry, Emma. But no. I’ve never seen her.” He handed the photo to Bellamy, who turned to show it to Tavia and Andrew. They each took a long look, but shook their heads sadly.
    “Damn.” Emma tried to blink back the tears that welled in her eyes.
    “You went to all this trouble to find us just to ask about her,” Bellamy said. “You must be so disappointed.”
    She shrugged. “It’s not the only reason,” she said softly, searching her soul deeply for a believable answer that would convince them to let her stick around, once she’d given them the map. They certainly wouldn’t need her help to rescue their friends. To her surprise, she found a very good answer waiting there. “I’m one of The Chosen. I’m twenty-seven. I figure I’ve got somewhere between twelve and fifteen years left to decide whether I want to die young or seek out...the Dark Gift, as your kind call it.” She used the term her mother had used for it. “I thought if I could spend some time with you, live among you for a while, it would help me