Dead Certain (Eve Benson: Vampire Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

she
was dragging her feet, not wanting to go back to the other end of the mall.
Being there would mean learning who’d died, and there were only seven ladies
that worked the nail place or so. She wasn’t close to any of them really, but
she’d known them all in passing. It was going to hurt, when she found out.
    So she called Marcus’s home
number instead. Since that made perfect sense, right? He was a Greater Demon
and still in town, so why should he change it? To her surprise it picked up, on
the third ring.
    The voice was still male, but was
different now. Deeper, but also more friendly.
    “Good morning, how may I help you
this fine and rainy day?”
    “It wasn’t raining when I was out,
earlier. Cloudy though, so I can see it. Anyway, it’s me, Eve. Benson ,
in case you forgot about me? You know, the girl that you had your minion set on
fire? Left me all stumpy and smelling like extra-crispy bacon? I’m planning to
kill you soon, so I was wondering if you wanted to make an appointment for
that? Zack’s insisting that we let you come back to life after, for some
reason. Still, it’s worth it, just to break the link with Maggie that you have?
The other option is to kill her to break it, but I don’t know if I can
bring her back. I do have a plan for it, but it’s mainly speculation right
now.” She didn’t get a response, so started to run through it, expecting to be
interrupted at any moment. Instead the Greater Demon just let her keep on
chatting.
    Like they were friends, or
something.
    “There are a few minor holes in
that one, but it could work. You should make sure to research each portion of
it first. I’d rather not lose her right now, since she really is my favorite. I
have plans, too, you know. It’s part of why I got her in the first place… I
don’t suppose I could get you to wait a few weeks? I could send more cash to
your account, in exchange?”
    It was a very strange
thing to say, given that she’d just told him that she planned to kill him.
Then, she’d also said that keeping him alive might be in the works, too. He
seemed to be taking that as a sign that they could negotiate the whole thing.
Which, given everything, was probably as close to the best she was really going
to be able to get from the being.
    More than she really expected,
actually. She’d kind of expected threats and growling, with her dying later
that afternoon.
    “Hmmm. Well, I don’t need a lot
more cash at the moment. I have ridiculously low overhead now, you know? I
don’t suppose you have anything else to trade? For some extra time, I mean.” To
her that wasn’t that valuable a commodity, since what was she really going to
do, go to his house and drag him out into the street for a spanking? Her odds
of getting that done, given how kinky he seemed, would be a lot better than
actually killing him. It might even have been funny, if she wasn’t quite so
ticked at him.
    “I could give you an amulet that
will let you regrow your arms and legs inside six months? It’s worth several
billion dollars. Probably more than that, in the current market.”
    She snorted at him, wondering if
he was just being a tease.
    “I already grew those back,
thanks. You seem to have forgotten how cool I am. Got anything else?”
    There was silence on the line,
for a longer time than she would have suspected from a Greater Demon. Finally,
there was a gentle chuckling sound. It actually didn’t sound too insane, all
things being considered.
    “Well, fuck , Eve. That’s
pretty darned good for a Vampire. On your own, too? No one helped you at all?
Wow. I’m impressed. Okay, I doubt my tender flesh will thrill you either,
though I am looking pretty hot these days. Um… How about this, I have
some contacts in Russia, who just so happen to know the name of the
specific Vampire that’s getting ready to take his fellows in that area into rebellion
against the Council. Your folks don’t know who it is precisely yet either, so
the name has