Magic Edge by Ella Summers

jerk who chowed down on my neck is in there?”
    “We’ll go together.” He moved beside her. “Get your knives ready, just in case. You know how vampires are.”
    Yep, she knew. Vampires were moody beasts. Whether shape-shifting, demon-possessed, or just plain old crazy common vampires—they liked to get themselves worked up into a fit. The first two breeds piled on some extra drama while they were at it. The third kind cut to the chase and went straight for the jugular.
    “Ok.” Alex slid a knife down to the tip of each jacket sleeve, where she’d be able to hurl them quickly if the need arose. “Let’s do this.”
    Side-by-side, they stepped into the doorway. Alex scanned the room, finding Drake immediately. But he wasn’t alone. He stood in a sea of big and buff vampires, every single one of their eyes glowing with demon-charged power.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Vampire Gunner

    “DRAKE,” SAID THE biggest of the vampire muscle men.
    From the way the rest of the vampires were looking at him, he was the clear leader of the pack. His body was bathed in leather, his skin aglow with magic aftershave. Yeah, that’s right. Demon vampires shaved, most of them at least twice a day. The demon powering their strength and speed also shot their hair growth into overdrive. Alex often wondered if they minded that little side effect.
    Drake’s weird hybrid magic went haywire. It split and sizzled like a torn power line. “Wait, Gunner. Please. I need more time.”
    Gunner the vampire gunner? Either his parents had the gift of foresight, or Gunner was really bad at picking stage names.
    “Time’s up. We want our money now.”
    “So this is a shakedown?” the vampire elf said, his magic letting out an uneven belch. It smelled like junkyard parts and day-old sweat—certainly nothing like the usual flowery aroma of the fairies.
    “It will become a beatdown if you don’t show us our money fast, you sniveling halfbreed.”
    “It’s not here.” As Gunner pulled back his fist, Drake winced. “Wait! I’ll have it soon.”
    “We’ve heard that before. Haven’t we, boys?” Gunner asked his gang.
    All the men nodded—and the two female vampires too.
    “Soon,” Drake said quickly. “Real soon. I’m just waiting to get paid for those Orbs.”
    “You stole the Fairy and Vampire Orbs?”
    “With my group, yes.”
    Gunner chuckled. “You must have a death wish. The Vampire Covenant is out for blood. They insist that they will find whoever is responsible for stealing the Blood Orb. And if they don’t find you, Gaelyn’s supernatural exterminator will. The Paranormal Vigilante, wasn’t it?”
    “People are calling her the Black Plague,” one of the female vampires told him.
    “The Paranormal Vigilante won’t be a problem. At least not for long,” Drake said smugly. “I bit her. She’ll either die or transform. Whatever the case may be, she’s out of the picture.”
    “A scrawny weakling like you took down the infamous Paranormal Vigilante?” the vampire with the mohawk asked in pure disbelief.
    “Yes.” Drake grinned, the little liar.
    “I hope she turns,” another vampire said. Tattoos covered every inch of skin on both his arms. “That Vigilante is hot.”
    “I’d love to see what’s under all that leather she wears,” added Mohawk.
    Ew. And double ew. Alex resisted the urge to inform them that they weren’t her type. First of all, she preferred living men. And secondly, those demonic eyes were just creepy.
    “Don’t do it,” Logan whispered to her.
    “Do what?”
    “You know what. I saw your hand reach toward your sword.”
    “My fingers were stiff. I was just stretching them out.”
    “Sure you were.” Though his aura rippled with amusement, his face maintained its granite mask. “The vampires haven’t noticed us yet. Let’s not do anything reckless.”
    Alex made sure he was looking at her before giving her eyes a long, slow roll. As she returned her attention to the vampires, she could