Fatal Sight (Harbingers Of Death Book 2) by LeAnn Mason (book club reads .TXT) 📕

a little. “It’s contagious, isn’t it? Jessica would probably never leave.”

Ember shook her head, turning back to reason with the hellhound. His eyes were on some doe-eyed chick smiling at him from across the room.

“I think we should split up,” the big man said without breaking eye contact with the woman.

“What? No,” Ember started. “The plan was—”

“Gunhilde, Torgny, Seke, and Aria are busy trying to learn more about Enid’s holding spot. We have a lot of ground to cover with just the three of us.” He wrenched his eyes from the woman to look at Ember. His strange amber irises were turning slightly red as his canine side came out to play. “It’s for the mission. I’ll sniff, you can... do your thing, and Raven—”

“Will make any potential vamps want to spill their innermost secrets. One way or another. For the mission!” Raven cheered. “So, let’s meet back up with the others in, say, two hours?”

“Three,” Cole bargained.

“Deal.”

“No. No deal.” Too late, Ember whipped around, seeing Raven’s black hair slip out the door. “I really think —” Turning back, she caught Cole’s dreads vanishing into the crowd as he worked his way across the mass of bodies on the dance floor. She finished the sentence with a swear.

“Looks like you got ditched.”

Ember spun to blink up at a man who was impossibly tall — though that defined most men when you were petite. His smile was wide, dark eyes penetrating as if the rest of the room didn’t exist and nothing mattered but her.

“Yeah, uh...” She really did not know how to flirt anymore.

“I could use a drink.” His head cocked. “Are you a thirsty girl?”

She licked her lips, squinting. Was he inferring what she thought he was inferring? “Very.”

“Excellent.” His grin expanded. “I do love a redhead. Red is my favorite color.” He nudged his head toward the door. “I know a place just down the street. Quieter, where we can talk. Shall we?”

Ember hesitated, her eyes flicking around the club, but she could no longer make out the tall, dark form of Cole, and Raven was probably in the middle of something at another loud joint already.

She considered the man again. The flashing, multi-colored lights made it difficult to tell if his skin really did have a pale blue hue. His teeth were hard to make out without much light.

Her lips pulled up, and she blinked her big, round eyes alluringly, or so she hoped. “We shall. I’d love to talk, get to know more about you.”

For the mission, she told herself.

My eyes popped open and for a moment, I was disoriented, uncertain about my location. There was a lot of darkness above me, a rushing sound, wetness beneath my body. I whispered, crossing my fingers, “Did I do it?”

“I’m afraid not.” Seke’s voice made me deflate, though his warm fingers slipping through mine were comforting.

I blew out a breath, tipping my head up. The darkness above was just the night sky. Away from the lights and sounds of the tourist attractions, the light pollution was almost non-existent. With this new angle, I could make out waves breaching the shore not far away from where I was sprawled on the coarse sand. “I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. It worked last time.”

I lifted my free hand, admiring the ring. Why wasn’t it working like it had before? We’d been at it for over an hour and that was after another session of coaching from Seke and Gunhilde. The others would be getting back soon. And I’d have nothing to tell them. Hopefully, they’d found out something from some of the locals. Or, better yet, bagged us an actual vamp visiting the mainland.

“Maybe there’s too much distraction here.” Gunhilde was building a sandcastle to my left. She picked a shell out of the ground and threw it toward the surf.

I lifted my head to watch its trajectory, and my brows drew together. Torgny was in horse form, prancing around amongst the crashing waves, tossing his mane. His sleek, muscular body glinted in the moonlight as his hooves danced in the water.

“Ugh.” I dropped my head back onto the sand. “I don’t think it’s that.”

“Maybe it’s too uncomfortable. We could find another hotel...”

“No.” Although there were grains smuggling their way into my pants and digging into my skin, I didn’t think getting another hotel with Seke would be less distracting. I wouldn’t be able to think about anything but getting him into my pants instead. “Thanks though.” I smiled softly at him.

He was deep in thought and missed it. “Perhaps she is difficult to locate right now. Enid may be on the move.”

“Well, that’s not good.” I pushed up onto my palms, turning half to face him. “We need to know where she is. If they move her to a new location, then my visions are no good at all.”

“Unless you keep checking on her.” Gunhilde was adding small shells as windows to her castle.

“It’s not going well this time, so I’m unlikely to be able to do it many more times before we get there,” I retorted, feeling frustrated. I rooted a stone from a small dune near my hand and threw it. It crashed through the delicate balustrade, and the tower slumped onto a lower portion of the edifice.

Gunhilde turned wounded eyes on me.

“Sorry.” I stood and brushed off my hands and pants, shaking loose sediment from my jeans, which just sent most of them into my shoes. “I’m going to take a walk.”

Seke rose to join me, and I held out a hand, stopping him.

“I need to be alone for a minute.” If we strolled along the beach, hand in hand, I’d definitely lose track. “Thank you, though.” I needed to regather my thoughts, focus on my mom.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I started to amble, looking around at other late-night couples spaced out on the beach. It wasn’t cold, but I felt despondent.

A warm nose nudged my arm, prickling my skin