Free Dark Hunter by Shannan Albright Page A

the many ways he would enjoy killing the vermin.
    When Navar was only a few steps away, the figure stiffened as if he knew they were closing in. The man’s head swiveled back and forth in a jerky erratic motion. Any other time it would register as odd, but the rage Navar held onto with an iron fist burst through his control, scattering any logic. Only pure primal animal remained as he lunged with a burst of blurring speed. It took a matter of moments for Navar to grab the man by the throat and lift him up and over the booth. A choked grunt of pain came out of the man’s throat as Navar slammed him into the wall and tightened his fingers on his windpipe.
    The man clawed at Navar’s hands in a feeble desperation, his fear stoking the raging inferno of Navar’s anger up another notch. Navar’s vision turned red as he watched the man’s futile attempts to escape.
    Navar put his face up close and snarled, showing a good amount of fang. The man’s eyes rounded with terror, his youthful face ashen. “Now, you die,” Navar growled.
    “I d-didn’t…let me go! Please, I didn’t do anything, just sat in the booth I was told to,” he gasped out as Navar’s fingers tightened further.
    “Let the boy go, Navar. He is not the one we seek.” Adrian’s hand landed gently on his shoulder, earning a snarl of displeasure, yet Adrian said calmly, “Look at him, scent him. This is but a boy and human. Control your temper and you will see.”
    With a dark curse, Navar released him, breathing deep as he wrestled his anger and frustration back down. His mind cleared of the red haze and he did a quick scan of the crowd, relieved they paid them no mind. Mari didn’t need another scene. As it stood, her customers were more than a little nervous, but they showed up for no other reason than to support her. Seemed his consort held a great deal of respect from the locals here. Pride swelled in his chest at the thought.
    Much calmer just thinking about Mari, he turned his attention back to the man who now sat in the booth with Adrian on the other side. Slipping into the seat next to the enforcer, Navar eyed the human, taking in his ordinary appearance. Brown hair worn short, brown eyes, a bit on the thin side. Everything about him screamed average, someone he would miss in a crowd.
    “Derick here was just telling me a very interesting bit of information, weren’t you?”
    The boy…Derick, shot him a nervous look and nodded slowly, swallowing so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Ah, yeah. Look, dude, I got this note to meet my girl here, said it was urgent she talk to me.”
    “Your girl? Does this girl have a name?” Navar kept his tone even, not wanting to scare Derick anymore than he already had.
    “Sure, it’s Anya. She works here. I haven’t heard from her for a while and started getting worried. Then I get this email telling me to meet her here at this booth at eight sharp.”
    “It would seem our friend here is being set up as bait.” Adrian frowned.
    An uneasy feeling stole over Navar, turning into dread with each heartbeat. He reached for his link to Mari and found…nothing.
    F ear coiled tightly in his gut as he tried again, and again he got nothing but a blank hole where Mari should be. He leapt out of the booth and headed toward the bar, heart in his throat. His pulse sped up like a runaway train.
    Fear gripped his chest in a steel fist, squeezing his lungs so tight ly only a short gasp of air got in. He searched the bar, desperate to hold down the panic, as warning bells sounded in his head. No trace of Mari could be found. He turned in a frantic circle, his mind going blank on where next to look.
    “Derick, it seems, was an effective distraction.” Adrian’s voice came from his left.
    Navar threw him a look promising death. His gut churned with a toxic mixture of anger and fear. Gods above, they had her and he didn’t have a clue where to look. He needed to get it together and fast if he stood any chance of