Night Kings: The Complete Anthology by Gregory Blackman Page B

her
mind.
    This wasn’t the first time Elsa felt this
way. The festival of the moon introduced her to the man that would
see her world forever changed. That was the sight of one so dark
and grotesque that it would drive her to spiteful thoughts of all
those that she once called friend and neighbor.
    In the blink of an eye her world became a lie
and all those that kept it from her had done so with an ulterior
motive.
    “What about Remus Castalon?” Elsa asked. “I
must know!”
    “He is what you believe him to be,” Gemma
replied. “Although, should he come knocking at your door in the
middle of the night, a request for entrance would be the least of
your worries.”
    Elsa didn’t need to be reminded to fear the
man in black. The first sight of the many notched fangs did that
well enough as it was. There was no romantic attachment in her
heart, nor could there ever be, but Remus had given her the one
thing in this world none had given before. He showed his true self
and made no attempts to hide what he was on the inside. He never
hid the beast within.
    “And what are you?” Elsa asked.
    Gemma came yet another step closer until
there was nary a hair’s breadth between them. This moment had been
a long time coming and yet she still wasn’t prepared to answer. Not
to the degree her closest friend deserved. This wasn’t her secret
to give. Not entirely.
    “I am,” she said, trying desperately to place
the words, “harder to explain.”

Chapter Eighteen
    Night Kings: Sunkeeper
    Gregory Blackman

    Incriminating Behavior

    It was late into the night and still the
mayoral office was alive with activity. Only the lights in the
office were turned off and Victor Dukane had long since left for
the night. Bernhard Wendish was crouched down low as he flicked
through the furthest reaches of the Victor’s personal cabinet.
    He was one of the mayor’s closest friends. He
had been for over two decades. It wasn’t likeness of character that
drove them together. It was self preservation. Unlike the vampires
with their limitless coffers, werewolves were relegated to the
dregs of society due to their moonlight affliction. Only Bernhard
Wendish never received that message and kept those that would be
his enemies close at hand.
    The alliance of Dukane and Wendish saw both
families prosper over the years. One only needed to look up in the
sky while they walked the streets of downtown. It saw Bernhard to
unparalleled heights for werewolves all over the world. That
brought powerful enemies, but none ever stayed for long. Not while
Victor, Bernhard, and their unseen associate controlled the
streets.
    A stir in the lobby outside brought Bernhard
to his heels. He jumped to his feet and moved to respond, but
before he could get anywhere near the door, it burst open and
stopped him in mid stride.
    Bernhard was caught by the slender figure and
piercing blue eyes of Cetra Altaras. She looked him up and down
with her head tilted sideways in disbelief, and said,
“Continue.”
    “Whatever do you mean?” he asked, honestly
enough with his hands raised in submission.
    “Cut the act,” Cetra said with her eyes on
the cabinet Bernhard had just spent a half hour rifling through. “I
come for the same reasons you do.”
    She moved to turn on the light, but the firm
hands of Bernhard reached out to bring a halt to her movement.
    “You mustn’t,” he said with baited breath.
“The lights could give our plans away.”
    Cetra brushed off Bernhard’s words of
warning, but at the last moment she decided it wasn’t worth the
trouble and refrained from turning the light on. She was less than
pleased with the decision and yet she couldn’t fault the fiery Slav
for his caution. One gaffe and they would lose more than their
positions alongside the mayor.
    “We weren’t all born with canine vision,”
said Cetra, lip curled in distaste. She raised her hand around
waist high and faced her palm towards the ceiling. A small azure
light came to life