Hunter by Night Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn’t function well with silence. Lexi always had something playing in her room, usually music. He could tell her mood in an instant by what came out of her speakers.
    “So, I think what bothers you is that you don’t know what’s wrong with her. Or that Anton is the one giving her comfort. Or—”
    Something in the back of Lee’s skull snapped. “Stop. Please. There’s nothing going on with Lexi, and I wish you’d mind your own business.”
    The bustle of the hospital filled in their tense, contemplative silence.
    “Don’t you think it’s been long enough since you and Agnessa—?”
    “No.” His teeth snapped together.
    “Jeez. Sorry I said anything.”
    Lee’s chest tightened. “Look. I don’t deny that I care for Alexia. That doesn’t mean anything. I care for you, too.”
    She rolled her eyes at him. “You know damn well it isn’t the same.”
    No, it wasn’t at all the same. It had never been the same. Against Lee’s very will, he’d wanted Alexia from the darkest depths of his being since the moment he’d spotted her.
    “Tyra, it’s a bad fit. I can’t be with a human. To be honest, I’m not sure I can be with anybody. It’s not simply what Agnessa did. It’s me. I like the freedom of being on my own.”
    “To do what? Go bowling with your bros? You have the absolute opposite of a social life.”
    Lee withheld a snarl at Tyra’s attempt to raise his ire. “The greatest enemy our kind or humankind has ever known may be alive and well and lurking in Ash Falls. For fuck’s sake, Ty, he started the plagues.
    “We—I—will have our hands full if he manages to resurrect that magic once again. I’m trying to reorganize our forces so that our fighting power is stronger. Now is not the time for relationships.” And the thing is, I’m pretty certain I’m dying. Death and relationships do not mix.
    “Yet somehow I’ve managed.” She gestured down the hall to Anton.
    He scoffed. “It took you more than a century to settle down. With someone who is helping us to fight the war. We don’t have many female fighters, and I don’t sleep with subordinates. Or humans.”
    “You’re second to the king. If no humans and no subordinates are your rules, you’ll never get laid. What’s wrong with humans?”
    “Untrustworthy. Biologically inferior.”
    Tyra sniffed. “Until recently, we all thought my mother was human. You never thought I was inferior.”
    Oh, fucking hell. All at once, Lee’s skin itched everywhere. “Half human or half wizard, you always had your vampire side. Are we done with this insanity? What the fuck are you even doing here?” he whispered low and harsh.
    She chuckled. “Thad wants you to take Lexi back to the estate so she can pick up Isabel’s things, and he wants you to make sure things are secure there. Also, Xander and Flay have run across some suspicious goings-on out in Humanlandia. They’re coming over soon to give a full report, if you want to be back for the powwow.”
    Lee nodded, staring down the hall while Anton handed Lexi a cup of coffee. The girl nodded at something he said, while he placed a hand on her shoulder. Lee took another slow, deep breath.
    Tyra held up a slip of paper. “I have a list.”
    He snatched the paper from Tyra’s fingers. “Great.” With Tyra to guard the door, Lee shoved forward, his eyes rooted on Alexia. He tried not to take in the fullness of her lips or the tick of her pulse and the flush of her cheeks when she noticed his approach.
    He failed.

Chapter 4
    Theresa paced the waiting area outside of phlebotomy at St. Anne’s vampire hospital. Eamon Junior, her six-month-old, slept against her chest. Overhead, some speaker she couldn’t see announced something, called a name she couldn’t quite understand. Every time the address system roared to life, her nerves jangled. She was afraid this would be the time they’d announce it was his turn to get his blood drawn and she’d miss the call. A vampire covered in