Free Immortal Danger by Cynthia Eden Page A

“Thank you, Mambo,” she said softly and reached into the right front pocket of her jeans. Carefully, she pulled out a small ring. A ring of pale gold, crowned with a delicate oval ruby.
    Marie’s lips trembled. She lifted her hand. “ Carline.” Grief choked her voice.
    Maya pushed the ring across the table. “Thought you might want this back.”
    Marie’s trembling fingers closed over the ring. A lone tear slid down her cheek. “It is done?”
    â€œYeah, it’s done.” She’d had to track the vampire to Louisiana. He’d stayed on his hunting grounds all these years. She’d tracked him, found him with his necklace of trophies—rings, earrings, jewels of all sorts. He’d had his next victim in his hands, a girl, barely eighteen. Her blood had been on the ground.
    Blood was precious. It wasn’t to be wasted in a slaughter by a beast who’d long since lost touch with good and evil.
    But the beast wouldn’t hurt anyone else, she’d made sure of it.
    The pale eyes closed for just a moment. Marie brought the ring to her heart. “It is I who owe you now, child.”
    Shaking her head, Maya rose to her feet. “No, you don’t owe me a damn thing.” Marie had been the one to help her after the change. The one who taught her how to survive.
    The wooden floor creaked beneath her feet as Maya walked across the room. She stopped in the doorway, glanced back. A question had been nagging at the back of her mind. “Mambo, I brought a man with me. Why wouldn’t he come in?”
    Marie’s head was bent over the ring. She was rocking back and forth slowly. But at Maya’s question, her head lifted. “Evil—it cannot cross my line.”
    The red line of dust.
    But that didn’t make sense. “No. Adam’s not evil. He’s looking for his niece, he’s not—”
    Her head lowered again, and the rocking continued.
    He wasn’t evil. Was he?
    But Maya couldn’t just dismiss Marie’s words. She’d done that once before, and had her life stolen as a result. She turned away, her hand gripping the doorframe. “I should have listened to you all those years ago. Things could have been so different for me.”
    A soft laugh floated in the air. “Ah, child, now whatever made you think I was talking about the vampire?”
    Her heart kicked into a furious rhythm. If not the vampire, then who? She turned around, the question on her lips.
    But Marie was gone. The red velvet chair sat empty, and the ruby ring glinted on the table.
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    Maya stormed out of the house moments later. The yard was empty—all the men and women in white had disappeared.
    Where the hell was Adam?
    Evil—it cannot cross my line.
    She stepped off the porch—
    And was jerked against a hard male chest.
    Her claws lifted and a snarl curled her lips.
    â€œEasy, vampire. It’s just me.” Adam’s arms tightened around her as his breath fanned over her cheek.
    She glanced over his shoulder. “Where did everybody go?”
    â€œDon’t know. Just seemed to disappear right before you came barreling out of the house.”
    That wasn’t a good sign. Why would they all leave? Unless— hell . “We need to get out of here.” She shoved away from him. Noticed the utter silence of the yard.
    Oh, no, not good.
    She’d left her gun with the bike, not wanting Marie’s guards to think she was a threat.
    Marie had enough threats in her life—that was why the mambo had to move locations every few months.
    Fucking stupid.
    â€œWhy do—”
    She took off running for the bike. Her nostrils flared as she moved, drinking in the scents of the night. Human flesh. Decayed vegetation. Dank earth. Wisps of smoke. Animal.
    Wolf .
    She heard the growls just as she touched the cold metal of the motorcycle. She reached into her saddlebag, locked her fingers around the butt of the