“He’ll never punish me!” the vampire said, full of defiance.

“Oh, I see, you’re a betting man.” Cain grinned at Amaury. “Wanna make an easy twenty bucks?”

Amaury chuckled. “It would be like taking milk from a baby. I have ethics.”

Cain winked at him. “I keep forgetting.” Then he wiped the smile off his face and glared at his captive. “Now move your fucking ass out of here before I get really pissed off.”

The other two vampires seemed to shiver at his commanding voice, but the mayor’s nephew clenched his jaw. His eyes darted past Cain, as if looking for an escape route.

“Don’t even think about it.”

When the idiot lunged for one of the girls, in a misguided attempt to use her as a shield or a hostage, Cain had had enough. He jumped and wrapped his arm around the kid’s neck, taking him down in a chokehold. For a few moments, the mayor’s nephew struggled, trying to use his hands to pry Cain’s arm off him, but not even the claws digging into his forearm stopped Cain from choking the air out of the defiant vampire.

Only when the kid went slack in his arms, did Cain ease off the pressure. While vampires could lose consciousness when out of oxygen, they couldn’t die from loss of air.

Amaury shrugged. “You put him out, you carry him.”

Cain shook his head. “I have a better idea.” He motioned to the two other vampires. “You two carry him.”

“You heard him,” Amaury concurred and pointed toward the back of the club. “Back exit. Now.”

Cain had never seen two juvenile vampires follow a command so swiftly and without complaining. It only took moments until they reached the door that led to the back exit. Cain opened it, peered outside, and surveyed the area.

“The coast is clear.”

As they reached the outside, Amaury pulled his cell from his pocket. “I’ll get us a van.”

Cain nodded and kept his eyes on the three delinquents. “You’re a disgrace to our race.”

“It was his idea,” the shorter one said, motioning to his unconscious friend. “I swear.”

Most likely it was true, giving that the one Cain had tackled was the one putting up most of the resistance. “That’s not an excuse for bad behavior!”

The vampire dropped his head. “No, sir.”

“Don’t call me sir!” Cain growled.

“No, don’t call him that. He deserves more than that,” a voice from the other end of the alley said calmly.

Cain’s head snapped in the direction of the newcomer. From his aura it was instantly evident that he was a vampire. And not just that. He looked like a warrior, one who’d seen countless battles and emerged as the victor. A force to be reckoned with.

“If you must address him, show him the respect he’s due. Call him Your Majesty.”

5

In shock, Cain stared at the stranger, not believing his own ears. In human years he looked to be no older than thirty-five, but there was no indication as to his true age. Although by the way he carried himself Cain suspected that he’d been a vampire for a long time. He wore loose-fitting cargo pants with plenty of pockets, which looked like they were filled with weapons. A black T-shirt stretching over his muscled torso and an open jacket made of the same material as his pants completed his outfit.

“Who are you?”

The vampire glanced at the two juveniles and the unconscious vampire they were still carrying. “If you remembered anything of your former life, you wouldn’t want me to disclose that information in front of outsiders.”

Next to Cain, Amaury grunted in displeasure. Cain put a hand on his forearm to stop him from whatever he was going to do. If this stranger had any knowledge about Cain’s past, he needed to find out what it was.

Cain turned to his colleague. “I need to deal with this.”

“Not alone, you won’t,” Amaury countered. “Scanguards looks out for their people.”

For a moment, he wanted to object, but he knew Amaury well enough to know that the linebacker-sized vampire wouldn’t take no for an answer. At the same time, Amaury’s acknowledgment that Cain still belonged to Scanguards gave him peace of mind. “Fine.” He motioned to the three juvenile vampires. “Let’s send them on their way.”

Amaury hesitated then grunted his approval a moment later.

Cain pointed to the three offenders. “Tonight’s your lucky night. We’re letting you go. But don’t think you’re off the hook. If we hear one word about you three behaving inappropriately again, we’re on your ass like a fly on shit. Is that clear?”