Page 37 of Wicked Ways

“What?” Santiago barked. “But we’ve had plants on this site before. He doesn’t take the bait!”

“Miranda’s the real thing, Santiago. If we don’t track him in the feeding rooms, and he goes back online to find prey, he’ll find her.” A pause. “And we’ll be waiting for him.”

Sam snorted. “Like you were last time? Because that worked out so well.”

Cain turned his stare on him. “He won’t get away from me again.” A vow.

Miranda believed him.

“Fine. But if you’re going to Miami,” Santiago huffed, “you’d better hurry and get your asses on the road.”

The feeding room was waiting.

Cain swept a considering stare over her. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

Hell, no. Her lips parted. “Yes.” It felt like she’d been living most of her life on the sidelines, watching others go out and take chances.

Now it was her turn.

Cain offered his hand to her. “Then let’s go, baby, and I’ll show you a whole new world.”

A world of blood and death.

She placed her palm in his, lifted her chin, and pretended that her knees weren’t shaking as they left the station and headed for hell.

Chapter Seven

Just after eleven p.m., Miranda walked past the doors of one of the biggest feeding rooms in Florida. Her head was held high, her walk was confident, a little cocky even, and her skirt a bit too short for Cain’s peace of mind.

The guards stationed at the doors didn’t hesitate. They waved her right inside, as they’d been doing with all the attractive human women he’d seen in the last hour.

Time for him to make his move.

Cain sauntered across the street. Headed for the door. The place wasn’t located in the trendy, tourist area of Miami. It was hidden on the broken backstreets, in a building that looked like it could be torn down by the city at any moment.

The male guards stiffened when he approached. Their scents marked them as humans, and if he played his cards right, the guys wouldn’t realize he didn’t belong in their little death trap until it was too late.

He flashed fangs, just the edge of his teeth, and never slowed his steps. Closer inspection would show the differences between his shifted teeth and those of a vampire’s. But he wasn’t going to give the humans time for that inspection.

He grabbed the handle of the door and stalked inside.

The security at the place was shit. Most feeding rooms had a hell of a lot better protection to keep the “undesirables” out.

Undesirables like him.

Miranda was at the bar. Already, several vamps were glancing her way. Cain’s gaze focused solely on her, and he cut a quick path through the crowd of humans and vampires.

The humans were there because they liked the thrill of walking with death.

The vamps were there because they either wanted to screw the humans or to drain them.

Miranda’s back was to him. He reached out, curled his hand over her shoulder, and spun her around.

Her breath heaved out, and her eyes widened. “What are you⁠—”

“Dance with me.” Cain didn’t give her time to refuse. His fingers locked around her wrist before he pulled her behind him and onto the small dance floor. He could feel the gazes on him now, the awareness. A vamp’s sense of smell was much more acute than a human’s, and all the vampires there would know that he was different.

He’d once heard that shifters smelled like animals. Maybe they did.