Pray for Dawn by Jocelynn Drake Page B

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    “If he has to choose between the support of the rest of the coven and you, he will betray you in a heartbeat,” I continued, when she refused to speak.
    The nightwalker chuckled and took a couple steps closer to me. The scent of lilacs rose up around me as I sucked in a steadying breath. Her powers brushed against me in an almost nonexistent caress, leaving me wondering if I had actually felt something. “I have not lived this long trusting powerful creatures. I know Ryan will not hesitate to stab me in the back. It is how he learned to survive in my world.”
    “It’s just that when I saw you in his office earlier tonight it looked like…” The words trailed off in the back of my throat. What was I supposed to say? That it looked like I interrupted a rather intimate moment between those two. That they looked like they were already lovers?
    Mira just smiled a secretive little smile as she stared up at me. “Yes,” she purred. “Well, that was something else. Don’t worry, my handsome protector. I don’t trust your fearless leader in the least.” She extended her right hand toward me and I instinctively jerked backward out of her reach. She patiently waited until I had stopped moving and she slowly ran her fingers through my hair, moving it from my eyes.
    “You’ve let your hair grow,” she said in an almost absent manner. “I like it, but it hides your face. I can arrange for you to see my stylist when you’re in town.”
    “Don’t bother,” I spit out between my clenched teeth, trying to ignore the pounding of my heart. She was mocking me now, her dark mood lightening. I jerked my head to the side, moving an inch out of her reach.
    Mira shrugged, returning to her usual unflappable manner. “As you wish.”
    A knock at the door broke us apart, sending Mira back to her previous spot by the window, while I walked over to see who had interrupted us. James smiled at me when I jerked open the door. He was wearing a heavy wool coat, appearing for all the world as if he were preparing to go out for the evening. Stepping backward, I let the man enter and then followed behind him after shutting the door.
    “Are we ready to go?” James inquired eagerly.
    “We?” I demanded.
    “Ryan wants me to tag along with you during the investigation. I will be able to provide you with valuable research information,” James replied, his smile crumbling as he spoke. “I’m guessing that he didn’t mention it to you.”
    “No, it must have slipped his mind,” I said, frowning. My first reaction was to deny the researcher the opportunity to go hunting around the city with Mira and me for the killer, but I swallowed the words. The initial part of the investigation would be checking out the girl’s apartment and the body—two things that were unlikely to present any kind of significant danger to the human. Besides, James was looking to get more experience in the field, and it was better if he was at my side than wandering around at night alone down vampire-infested streets.
    “He must have been more concerned about the senator,” James said, directing his gaze to Mira, who was standing with her back to us, staring out the window. “Ryan was wondering if you’re going to take care of the girl’s family personally or send someone.”
    “What does he mean ‘take care of’?”
    “The senator and his wife are making too much noise about the unfortunate death of their daughter. It’s drawing too much attention to us,” Mira said, crossing her arms over her stomach. She turned toward us, leaning one shoulder against the glass. “We can’t do anything about the press, but we can adjust the memory of the senator and his wife, make them more…accepting of what the coroner has to tell them about their daughter. They will also be more effective in placating the press so that this all finally blows over.” She looked out the window once more as she paused, chewing her bottom lip in thought for a second before