"Oh, right. Like I have ever encountered a vampire who obeys anyone," she muttered. "If they decide to make me a tasty smorgasbord, there's not a damn thing either of us can do to stop them."

Viper angled through the shadows of an empty office building as he considered his response. Vampires rarely revealed the inner workings of their culture. Not even to other demons. The Secret Service had nothing on them. Unfortunately, he would have to give Shay some reassurance or she was bound to fight him the entire way.

"I'll agree that vampires can be independent, but I am a clan chief," he at last said.

"And?"

"And to challenge my authority is to challenge me."

He wanted that to be the end of the conversation, but of course it wasn't.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that they must either confront me one on one, in direct combat, or leave the clan," he grudgingly confessed "There are few who would dare either fate."

"They're that frightened of you?"

He paused at a corner, carefully surveying their surroundings. It was late enough that most humans were tucked in their beds leaving behind a shadowed landscape of silence. Prime hunting ground for all sorts of demons. Some that might not be interested in a vampire and a Shalott unless they were stupid enough to stumble over them.

Assured the way was clear he headed swiftly toward the closest alley.

He felt her fist punch him in the middle of his back. "Answer, the question or put me down " she commanded.

His own teeth did a bit of grinding. "Being clan chief has given me ... powers beyond most vampires."

"What sort of powers?"

"It is individual for each chief and never spoken of."

She made a rude noise at his response, but for once accepted he would reveal no more.

"What if one of them wanted to become clan chief themselves?" she instead pressed.

"They must first enter the Battle of Durotriges. If they survive, they can establish their own clan as I did, or challenge another chief to the death."

"Have you ever been challenged?"

"It has been several centuries."

"I take it that you defeated them?"

"Yes"

"So now you're a major badass that no one wants to challenge?"

Viper gave a choked laugh. He had been called many things over the years, but he wasn't sure that badass had ever been among them.

"I can be a . . . badass when necessary, but in truth most in the clan are simply content." He weaved through the narrow alleys, his swift speed taking them into the less savory neighborhoods. "I am not an overly demanding master and unlike many I have no wish to acquire more power. They do not fear being tossed onto the bloody frontlines of a clan war."

"A benevolent dictator?" she muttered.

He resisted the urge to give her backside a smack. He didn't want to risk a revolt at this point.

"You sound disapproving. Would you rather I was a tyrant?"

"I'm just saying."

"Just saying what?"

"If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a . . . shit."

Viper didn't hesitate as he came to a halt and lowered Shay to her feet. He had caught the scent at the same moment as his companion.

Trolls.

With fluid motions he pulled the sword from its scabbard and tossed it to Shay. With the same ease he retrieved two long daggers from his bag before dropping it to the ground.

A troll possessed skin too thick to be pierced by a bullet. Only a magically enhanced blade would have a chance.

"Aim at the lower stomach," he commanded in clipped tones. "It's the only place the blade can pierce and there is an artery there that can be severed."

Shay instinctively moved to place her back to his own. The best means for them to fight as one smooth unit.

"You don't have to tell me how to kill trolls," she said in bitter tones. "It was the first thing I learned after Evor forced me to his side."

"I don't doubt you, pet, but I smell more than mere fear on these trolls. They are desperate and there is no enemy more dangerous than one ready and willing to die rather than be defeated."

She gave a short humorless laugh. "They can't be anymore desperate than I am."

Viper could hardly argue with her logic. And in truth there was no time as the darker shadows shifted and five large mountain trolls came into view. It would be easy to presume that their slow, lumbering movements meant an equally slow and lumbering mind. A mistake that could lead to a swift death. They may not be intelligent, but they possessed a bloodthirsty cunning that made them dangerous in a battle.

Only a fool would underestimate them.

A dead fool.

Keeping the daggers hidden, Viper carefully studied their approach. As expected they fanned out to surround them, but they did not attack at once. Each herd was held by a fierce hierarchy, and the leaders would send in the weakest first to determine the skill of his opponent. A waste of soldiers, but a good means to discover how best to be victorious.

Eying the smallest of the trolls, Viper was prepared as the troll gave a rumbling roar before awkwardly charging forward. He could hear the same sound coming from behind, but he trusted Shay to hold up her end of the battle. There were few demons beyond vampires that could hope to best a Shalott.

Even a half-human Shalott.

Holding his position Viper ignored the head that the troll lowered as he came forward. It was a deliberately tempting target, but he was well aware that the skull was the thickest part of a troll. The demon could put his head through a steel wall and never blink.

Waiting until the beast was nearly upon him Viper at last raised his hands, using one dagger to make a motion toward the red eyes. As expected the troll instinctively flinched back and Viper used the opening to smoothly thrust the other dagger in the lower right of his stomach.

There was a startled grunt from the troll as the enchanted blade slid through the thick skin and found the soft tissue beneath. Viper didn't hesitate as he twisted the dagger until the putrid smell of spilling blood filled the air. Just for a moment the troll continued to struggle forward, as if he weren't yet aware he was dead. Then with a rattled breath he slowly began to sink to his knees.

Viper was quick to jerk the dagger free and kick the carcass to the side. He didn't want to be hampered during the next attack.

Not daring to cast a glance over his shoulder to make sure that Shay was coping, he squared his shoulders.

At the moment she was still on her feet.

That had to be enough, as the next two trolls realized the danger of attempting a single attack, and charged together. They were also smart enough to keep their heads lowered and their arms protectively held in front of their stomachs.

Realizing that the charge was bound to throw him backward into Shay, and perhaps knock her off balance at a critical moment, Viper smoothly moved to the side, luring the beasts with him. At the same moment he pointed at the ground, murmuring beneath his breath.

There was a sharp crack as the dirt beneath the pavement abruptly bulged upward. It was nothing dramatic, but enough to trip up the first troll who went down with a startled growl. The second fell over the legs of the first and ended up on his knees.

Viper was moving before the troll hit the ground and had his dagger shoved into his stomach while the troll blinked at him in amazement. He even had the decency to fall forward to trap his brethren beneath his twitching body.

Good troll.

With a moment to spare, Viper allowed his gaze to dart toward his companion.

Shay already had her first troll dead on the ground, and was circling the second with a sinuous grace. The sword was too long, and the balance wrong for her, but she moved it like an extension of her own arm. The mark of a true swordsman.

Or woman.

A taunting smile curved her lips as she baited the increasingly frustrated troll. Over and over she slipped close enough for him to take a swipe at her with his massive hands, and over and over she managed to dart away untouched. There were growls and rasps and sounds that were no doubt curses coming from the troll as he began to swing with an increasing carelessness. More importantly his fury and frustration was bringing him ever closer to the sword held in Shay's hand.

The troll at Viper's feet began to struggle from beneath his dead companion and never allowing his gaze to stray from Shay he planted his foot on the thick skull. He had more important matters on his mind at the moment.

Unaware of his fascination Shay made one last feint and danced backward. The troll stumbled after her, his arms outstretched. It was all Shay needed as she held the sword high, and then swept it downward in a motion too fast for the troll to counter. He was still moving forward as she plunged the blade deep into his stomach and gave it a deadly twist. There was a grunt of surprise as the troll gazed down in disbelief at the wound. Then he was falling forward to hit the ground with a resounding thud.

Bending down Shay efficiently wiped her sword on the troll's tattered tunic before straightening to regard him with a lift of her brows.

"Are you going to play with that troll all night or are you going to finish it?" she demanded.