Free Redeeming the Night by Kristine Overbrook Page B

decade, that behavior was romantic and not the warning sign it was now. Drinking had been a comfort then. A hug when she had no other way to get one.
    Since the sisterhood, she only drank to blend in with humans, to play the part expected of the prey to the slime she hunted. Most of the time she didn’t miss the effect. Occasionally, about once or twice a year, she would sip a cocktail for herself, remembering the warm and fuzzy effect fondly.
    Ashley sipped again, glancing at Nichole. She leaned against the wall while the hunter braced his elbow beside her head, leaning in to speak almost directly into her ear.
    They should be leaving soon. Ashley reminded herself she’d taught Nichole well. Taking too long made it too easy for people to notice you and try to help.
    After another ten minutes, Ashley was still anxious. Nichole needed to step up the pace. So, Ashley sat her glass down and strolled toward the exit, catching Nichole’s eye as she went. A clear sign
it’s time to go
.
    The night air felt good on her bare arms. Brisk. Almost as if the air passed along energy with the modest chill. She got in the car and started it. She barely noticed the music on the radio even as she tapped her fingers to the beat. Nichole should bring the hunter out any minute. Meanwhile, her mind wandered.
    Eric. What was up with him, anyway? He knew they weren’t sisters, but he couldn’t see through her disguises. No one could. He’d have to be able to see her true self. Her aura. And that was impossible for a man, or so her teachings in the sisterhood had taught her.
    Nichole emerged from the club with the hunter’s hand possessively around her neck.
Well, finally.
He steered her to his black SUV and opened the door for her. When he walked to the other side of his car Nichole grinned at Ashley and twiddled her fingers.
    Ashley smiled at her protégé’s excitement. Nichole should be eager; this guy looked tasty. A child predator. There was no greater sin than to taint the innocence of youth.
    Ashley pulled out of her space and followed them. They drove toward the Strip, passing the club where she’d met Eric.
    Without thinking, Ashley felt for him, to sense his presence. A pang of disappointment hit her. He’d left. Maybe he’d gone home with his friends. Or a woman. He was plenty attractive.
    She shook her head. He could do anything he wanted. She had no claim to him. The hunter’s black SUV changed lanes, and she followed suit to keep them in sight.
    There was always the possibility Eric had gone in search of her. The stray thought lifted her spirits immensely. But the grin on her lips only lasted a moment. What was wrong with her?
    She pushed her self-examination to the side when they drove out of Vegas and onto the desert highway. Not wanting to give herself away Ashley cut her lights and navigated by the glow of Nichole’s aura bouncing along in the vehicle ahead of her.
    By now, any normal girl would be getting nervous, with the lights of civilization only a glow on the horizon. No one around for miles. No one but cacti and coyotes to hear her scream. He’d done this before. He probably had a favorite dumping place as well.
    If this were her show, instead of Nichole’s, she’d make him live the terror of his victims. Fair punishment for any crime. But this wasn’t her show; every sister had her own way of drawing out the fear. Nichole was calling the shots tonight, and Ashley’s job was simply moral support.
    The car ahead of her veered sharply right beyond a stand of scrubby little bushes and stopped.
    Not wanting to warn him with the sound of her vehicle Ashley stopped, too, and waited.
    The hunter got out and walked around to the passenger side, opening the door and yanking Nichole out by the hair. He pulled her away from the road, far enough onto the packed earth for Ashley to see clearly.
    “Okay, lay it on him,” Ashley whispered under her breath.
    The hunter slapped Nichole across the face so hard she fell to