Fangs for the Memories Read Online Free PDF Page B

attack, Rhys felt no pain. He continued to struggle—until Christian bit him again on the other side of his neck, and Rhys felt the blood and energy being sucked from him.
    Christian didn’t intend to simply teach him a lesson, to show his strength or humiliate Rhys.
    No, Rhys thought as he began to fade into oblivion, his once much-loved brother intended to kill him.
     
    Jane shifted from one foot to the other and chewed at the corner of her nail. She’d carefully searched the sidewalk and even the gutters, but she hadn’t found the rings.
    Now she was back at the bar, and her nerve was waning. She hadn’t even worked up the nerve to get close to the bar’s front entrance, much less the alleyway.
    She tugged at her nail a moment longer, then dropped her hand to her side and straightened her shoulders. She had to look. She’d never forgive herself if she lost her parents’ rings because she was scared. She’d come this far. But just to make herself feel better, she slipped her hand in her coat pocket and pulled out the cylinder of hair spray. With the small can held out in front of her, she approached the bar, scanning the ground as she went.
    When she reached the entrance of the bar, she heard a sound. She froze and clutched the hair spray tighter.
    There it was again. The sound of someone gagging—no, gasping.
    Her heart clattered against her breastbone, and she held her breath. The sound came from the alleyway.
    She considered turning and running, but her feet were paralyzed.
    Another gasp, and the faint sound of a struggle.
    She pulled in a slow, quiet breath, sure the person or persons in the alley would hear her.
    Another wheezing gasp, which Jane was fairly certain didn’t come from her, then silence.
    Jane tilted her head, listening. Somehow the silence was now more unnerving than the scuffle and the strained breathing. Silence might mean whoever was in there struggling was now unconscious or—dead.
    What if Joey was attacking another woman? She couldn’t live with herself if she just stood by and listened while another woman was getting hurt.
    But maybe it wasn’t anything. Maybe she’d been hearing things. Her stressed, overactive imagination playing tricks on her.
    She looked around. The street was deserted. And the bar was dark. She had no idea what time it was, but it had to be late.
    Taking another steadying breath, she repositioned the hair spray in front of her. Cautiously, she crept to the alleyway. Clinging to the side of the building, she peeked around the corner.
    The alley appeared empty. Nothing but blackness and that small, dim bulb burning over the back steps. Relief washed through her, and she sagged against the wall.
    Then she saw it, just a faint movement, the shift of shadows, and a man’s face appeared.
    She peered harder. Not just any man’s face. Rhys’s face. His head hung to the side at an unnatural angle, and his eyes were closed.
    The shadows shifted again, and she realized that there was another man in the alley. He looked toward her, but she couldn’t quite make out his features, the light only illuminating his profile. But from his height and his width, he couldn’t be Joey.
    The shadowed man released Rhys. Rhys crumpled to the ground.
    Jane stared at his downed form, sickness welling in her belly. Rhys had to be all right. But she had a terrible feeling he wasn’t.
    “Well, silly mortal, this is what they call, ‘being in the wrong place at the wrong time.’”
    Jane blinked. The man who had been beside Rhys was now directly in front of her. Had she been focusing on Rhys so intently that she didn’t notice the other man moving toward her?
    “ Wh — what did you do to Rhys?”
    He took another step closer. The streetlight illuminated his face.
    Despite her fear, Jane couldn’t help but notice he was breathtakingly handsome with dark blond hair, streaked with gold, and pale eyes.
    “So you know Rhys? Very interesting. I didn’t think he mingled with