Guarding Valentina [Paladin Protection Agency 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free PDF

perfect storm of weirdness, and the child survives. Children born this way are different, all the way down to their DNA. We’re born something other than human. We’re like natural-born vampire killers. We have their speed, their strength, and an innate ability to sense when one is close by.”
    “So you’re a half-vampire?” Sin asked from across the table.
    “Sort of, only without the fangs, blood sucking, or the inability to get a tan. Every time the medical types try to explain it to me I only hear so much and then it all turns into an annoying droning noise. I am what I am. I don’t spend too much time trying to figure out the metaphysical mechanics of the whole thing.”
    “Holy shit!” Jase swore, and everyone looked at him as he stared straight at Aedan.
    “Don’t you see guys? He’s a day walker. He’s Blade! The comic books were right!”
    Sin dropped his head into his hands and groaned as Michelle and Val laughed.
    “Penguin patrol, Waters. Don’t think I won’t send you to Antarctica just because you’ve got some new talents.” Remington finished his threat and turned his gaze from Jase back to Aedan. “We lost a man last night. I take it you know more about Christoph than we do. I’d appreciate it if you told us exactly why he’s hunting my people, and what the hell we can do to stop him.”

Chapter 3
     
    Val’s mind was struggling to keep up. Aedan was a member of some ancient vampire-hunting group, and he was not human. Well, not completely human, anyway. She managed to look at him from the corner of her eye and then had to look down quickly when he caught her peeking and brazenly winked at her.
    As she felt her pulse quicken, she gave herself a stern talking-to. She was not falling for another glib-tongued charmer, not even one as panty-meltingly hot as Aedan. She had sworn off men just twenty-four hours ago, and there was no way she could fall off the wagon that fast. She had some pride!
    She tuned into the conversation still going on around her as Aedan answered another of Remington’s questions in that lilting accent, and she wondered where he was from. It sounded Irish or Scottish maybe.
    “…so when you took down that vampire nest last month, you inadvertently put yourself on Christoph’s hit list.”
    “He makes little vampire families for himself?” Remington spoke the word “families” as if it left a sour taste in his mouth.
    “He does. He creates fledglings and then teaches them until they grow into their vampire powers and are well in control of their abilities. Then he helps them get established in the world once they head out on their own. His sire did it for him, and so he continues on the tradition. It’s almost unheard of. Vampires are notoriously antisocial. The only ones they usually tolerate being around for long are their blood-bonded mates, and that’s only if they are lucky enough to find one.”
    “Vampires have mates?” Val couldn’t imagine the creature who attacked her last night having a loving wife stashed away somewhere.
    “It’s exceedingly rare, but it does happen.” Aedan turned his head to look Val in the eye, and she caught a flicker of something that might have been yearning deep in their hazel depths. “It’s the supernatural version of a marriage, with no option for divorce.”
    “And without the usual ‘until death do us part’ bit,” Val jokingly added.
    “A bond like that starts with the mate’s death.” Aedan’s voice was cool, and there was no humor in his eyes. “And that brings me to another bit of news you all need to hear. Before Christoph killed your man last night, he turned him.”
    “What?” Val’s stomach twisted, and she wanted to scream at him that it wasn’t true.
    “I’m sorry. I know that’s not an easy thing for any of you to hear.” Aedan’s words included everyone, but he never took his eyes off her.
    “So he’ll become a vampire now?” Val asked as the others reacted.
    “We can’t let