Chapter 1

• Skylar
• I stood outside the motel room, the thumping bass and repetitive beat of the music vibrating through the door. It was loud enough to mask any sounds from inside, but I wasn't relying on human hearing. My supernatural senses allowed me to pick up on subtle vibrations, and I leaned in closer to detect any movement. Vincent Romana, the elusive vampire, had been evading me for weeks. He seemed to take pleasure in staying one step ahead, always moving to a new location before I could pin him down. Unlike most vampires, who preferred the security of a fixed lair, Vincent was a ghost, never staying in one place long enough to leave a trail. And that's what made him so dangerous. I needed to catch him, not just to collect the bounty on his head but to ensure the safety of innocent lives. The Essex House Motel was a dump, the kind of place that should be condemned. The pool was a breeding ground for algae and who-knew-what-else, and the air reeked of decay. I had been to some shady places while tracking Vincent, but this one took the cake. I steeled myself and reached for the door handle, ready to face whatever lay inside.
• The building itself was a bizarre teal color with peeling yellow trim. It wasn’t even trying to look respectable. Not that the marque advertising rooms by the hour wasn’t a dead giveaway.
• For once, I was grateful for my shifter blood that helped me heal quickly and avoid most human maladies. I had to admit, even my skin crawled at the thought of touching anything at this place. I hoped my wolf side could protect me from tetanus. And STDs. Cause ew. Just the thought of what was on the carpet once I opened that door made my stomach flip.
• I hunted and killed supernatural baddies for a living. But this place freaked me the fuck out. It was like something out of a horror movie.
• With a deep breath, I took hold of the door handle and turned. I had to swallow my glee when it didn’t catch. He didn’t even bother to lock the door behind him.
• Dude might be good at staying one step ahead of me for his nightly crash pads, but he sure wasn’t a bright one. Vampires seemed to fall into two categories. The first was brilliant, devilishly handsome, and all too proper.
• Then there was the second kind. The vampires that probably shouldn’t have been turned. They enjoyed the power while never taking responsibility. They burned through money, made enemies fast, and often ended up in trouble. They didn’t think before they acted and gave the good vamps a bad name.
• Guess which kind Vincent was.
• Slowly, I opened the door a crack and peeked into the dark room. The music made the floor vibrate but it didn’t hide the movement on the bed.
• I opened the door wide enough to slide in and closed it behind me. A male was sprawled out on the bed while a woman’s head bobbed up and down on his cock. She moved like a robot, mechanical and purposeful.
• A second woman had her tits in the man’s face and his hands were all over her. He was rough and grabby and there was absolutely nothing sensual about his movements. I swallowed back the vomit rising in my throat. There was nothing sexy about any of this. These women were both clearly compelled into these acts.
• Anger surged, sending a rush of heat through my chest. There was nothing worse than a supernatural who used their powers to reduce or remove someone else’s free will. I wasn’t going to hold anything back tonight.
• While the ability to see well in the dark, and smell better than I should, suited my job, it was times like this that I hated it. It was almost too much to see this kind of abuse. But I was the reckoning. Vincent was going down. Time to start the show and get this over with.
• I grabbed my stake from the custom pocket sewn into the back of the waistband on my black leather pants. Vincent was on the dead or alive list, and if he gave me any trouble I wouldn’t hesitate to end him. In fact, it would make my job easier if I did. Less paperwork and no being called in as a witness in a trial that might end up fixed anyway.
• Plus, after reading about the way he’d been abusing, kidnapping and selling women, I’m not sure he’s worth the time it would take for him to get a trial. The women in his bed right now were pretty damning evidence about his transgressions. Don’t get me wrong, I know my role in this. I know I’m not the judge. But sometimes I’m the executioner.
• Technically, I’m a hunter and my primary job is to bring the bad guys in for the enforcers to deal with. But if something went wrong and I had to protect myself, then assholes like Vincent sometimes ended up dead.
• Okay, they often ended up dead. It was easier that way and then I knew they wouldn’t get off after friends in high places bribed the powers that be. Nobody was going to cry for a low-level henchman like Vincent.
• Besides, I got paid either way.
• I flipped on the light switch.
• “I’m sorry, did I interrupt something?” I leaned against the doorway.
• A woman squealed and gathered the blanket off the bed, wrapping it around her as she fled. I stepped aside so she could go right out the door. Her compulsion was clearly broken and she’d end up with a raging headache in the morning.
• The second woman sat on the bed, staring at me with glassy, unfocused eyes. My heart broke for her but I couldn’t do anything about her right now. I made a mental note to call the enforcers to get rid of her compulsion when I was done here.
• I turned my attention to the male. He was balding, and his large, hairy chest heaved as he sucked in oxygen out of habit. Most vampires I knew rarely bothered with breathing. This guy was so new, his body was reacting as if he needed the air. He had yet to kick his old human habits.
• What the fuck had he done to get turned? He wasn’t turned for his looks that was for damn sure.
• “You want to do this now?” he asked.
• “Oh, honey, I’ve been waiting for weeks to dance with you.” I smiled sweetly as I twirled the stake in my palm.
• He growled, showing his fangs. “You’re not going to be smiling when I’m done with you, girlie.”
• I raised an eyebrow. “Girlie?”