Free Eternal Craving by Nina Bangs Page A

hung around the edges of the action in Houston. What did he know? Had he been in the Astrodome on that final night when Fin wiped out Nine’s recruits? Seir didn’t think so. He would’ve sensed the big cat.
    The important question was how much did Balan know about him ? Nothing, he hoped, other than that he wasn’t human. Balan could sense that much. After all, Seir had changed everything about himself. He wasn’t what he once was. If Seir’s luck held out, Balan would never know who he was or what part he’d played in Nine’s exit from Earth.
    He reached out to the cat with his mind. “Who are you and why are you here?”
    “I’m Balan. I’m here to observe and report. Nothing more at the moment.”
    “At the moment” was the operative phrase. Seir knew what Balan was capable of. Now for a little probing. “Why did you speak to me? Have we met before?”
    Balan’s soft chuckle made Seir uneasy.
    “I know you for a demon. I know you worked for the one the Gods of the Night called Nine. That is all I know.”
    Seir felt some of his tension drain from him. But Balan’s next question ramped up the tension again.
    “Why did you leave Houston?”
    “Yeah, I worked for Mr. Wyatt.” Think. “Too bad he failed in Houston. I don’t like failure. So I watched the news until I found a city where the murder rate had skyrocketed. Figured that was a good clue that another one of the immortals had set up shop. I’m here to help finish what Nine started.”
    Balan was silent for a moment. “Then good luck…with what ever you plan.”
    What the hell did he mean by that? Seir sensed rather than saw Balan leave. One minute the jaguar was there and then he wasn’t. Now that Seir knew Balan was in Philly, he’d move more carefully. It wasn’t just coincidence, though, that Balan had been in Houston when Fin was there and now once again he’d shown up in the same place as the Gods of the Night.
    But wondering about Balan was pointless. Seir walked to his car, his footsteps echoing along the dark, empty street. Somewhere in Philly, the dead were being left to be discovered by the living.
    Once in the car, he drove toward home. He didn’t need a vehicle, but it was a prop like everything else in his life, something that made him look normal if humans saw him.
    Seir had the ritual down pat. He parked his car as close as he could to his small apartment—unlike Fin, he was into keeping a low profile—and then dematerialized only to reappear in the park at Ritten house Square. With no humans around at this hour of the morning, he didn’t need to play the “normal” game. Then he sat in the shadow of a large tree and stared at the windows of his brother’s condo.

Chapter Five
    Jenna stared at the back of the men’s heads and wondered what she’d gotten herself into. Maybe she should’ve insisted on telling her sister where she was going. But Fin was right. Kelly would have tried to stop her. And even though her sister had promised to tell all, Jenna got the feeling she’d avoid it as long as possible. This would have been a wasted night waiting around for Fin’s meeting to be over.
    She compromised by pulling out her cell phone and trying to call Kelly. No luck. Phone turned off. She and Jude and Al had been driving around for hours now, but better to let her sister know late than never. Jenna sent a text message. There. Duty done. Not that she didn’t trust Fin. Okay, so she didn’t trust him. But thinking that he’d knock her off and dump her lifeless body in the Delaware River was a bit of a stretch.
    She wasn’t totally unprepared for trouble. All the women in the Maloy family carried pepper spray in their purses. And of course, she always had her cell with her.
    She glanced out the window. Jude was driving slowly down a dark street with far too few streetlights. Or maybe it was just that half of them looked like they’d been shot out.
    “So what’re you looking for?” She aimed the question at