Free Goddess With a Blade by Lauren Dane Page A

out. The excitement of the encounter with Clive had bled into confusion and guilt.
    Covered in gashes from one of them and she not only allowed Clive to touch her, she’d reveled in it. Goddess, what was wrong with the women in her family? First her mother and the dalliance with Rowan’s father that had ended with both of them murdered and now this stupid whatever it was with Clive Stewart.
    He was not for her. His reaction to the news and his quick jump to problem solved was further proof of that.
    She let the tears come, letting that part of her connected to the Goddess take over and wash through her. A sort of sweet, mother-love flowed and soothed her aches. Most of them anyway and that was enough.
    By the time she made it downstairs to her office to make the call, she was back on track. David tended to the gashes quickly and efficiently and when he returned from putting the first-aid supplies away, it was with a hot cup of tea and a lemon scone.
    She swallowed the swell of emotion and thanked him before turning to the phone.
    After midnight in Vegas, but the partners at the Motherhouse in London and their counterparts in Paris would be up several hours before dawn. Hunters worked when the sun went down far more often than when it was up.
    Susan’s face showed up first on the display, followed by her husband, Rex, and from Paris, Celesse Blanc, Rowan’s original trainer.
    “We got your message, Rowan.” Susan sipped some tea as she looked through her notes and then back to the screen. “Explain.”
    She told them the entire story from the trip out to Barstow to her confrontation with Clive. Well, not the sex part, but everything else.
    Rex began to work, clicking away on his keyboard. He was the master of the Hunter Archives so she knew he’d be searching on Rossinni as well as looking for any references to the victim or her compatriots.
    “We deem this a clean kill.” Celesse’s voice was smooth, but her past with Rowan wasn’t. Still, they’d achieved a decent enough working relationship in the years since Rowan had left Paris.
    “The Nation has already communicated this to the partners. The Scion of Las Vegas himself signed off. Good work, Rowan.” Susan looked at the screen over the top of her glasses.
    Rowan stifled her amusement at how Susan often took on the affectation of an older, mild woman when she was so very not mild. Rowan had learned a lot of masks from The First, but it was Susan who’d sharpened Rowan’s skills and given her a direction.
    “Why don’t you think this is the end, Rowan?” Celesse raised a single brow, just ever so slightly. “The Scion underlined his belief that it was.”
    Yes, and Vampires were so known for their integrity. However, that was not a crack Celesse would suffer lightly. The woman was all business and frowned upon what she thought of as Rowan’s bad attitude.
    “I am aware Stewart feels that way. But I don’t believe he’s correct.”
    “Why do you think you and he are not in accord?”
    Susan huffed her annoyance but Rowan needed to handle this herself.
    “I believe that he, like most people, would rather take the easy solution than pursue the complicated one. I’m sure he wishes this were the truth and he’s taking a gamble it will be.” Rowan shrugged. “But I can’t afford to live in the land of make-believe. Every instinct I have, as well as common sense, tells me the Vampire sent after me was a ploy, a poorly planned one at that. He was old, but not that old, and not very smart. He died decently enough, but the kill of the White woman was something more than run-of-the mill Vampire violence.”
    Rowan shook her head once, hard. “Rossinni wasn’t the killer. I’ll stake my reputation on that.”
    Celesse studied her for long moments and then sniffed delicately before one of those Gallic shrugs. “I believe you’re correct.”
    “Keep us apprised.” Susan shuffled the papers into the file before looking to the screen again. “Thank