Page 4 of Midnight Kiss

Going into any operation blind, even if it was a simple one, was a death sentence. And Haldren knew that, which was why the lack of instructions alarmed me.

Haldren took a breath, even though it wasn’t strictly necessary for us to breathe. He was a burly vampire, his shoulders broad enough to shoulder the stress of the missions our division of the U.C. had to carry out.

“You understand,” Haldren said, “that there are powers at work here beyond our control. I have superiors to report to at the U.C.. They want the best enforcer I have on the job, and that’s you.”

“All of this for a book,” I said. “Why?”

“It’s not any book you’re going after,” Haldren replied. “It’s a book that may help them find the reason for the unprecedented growth in Sanguine Nox’s strength and powers.”

My jaw clenched at the mention of the name. Sanguine Nox. The group I had once been a part of. The group of vampires who took no issue with shredding humans limb from limb, torturing, killing, women, children. It didn’t matter to them, as long as they got what they wanted.

It was only a pity that we had no idea what they truly wanted. Other than complete domination of the human race, of course.

I stared at Haldren, trying to read his thoughts, even though he already had a mindshield in place. I was stronger than him in vampiric ability. Overpowering those shields would be easy, but that would make me no different than Sanguine Nox and its … leader. And I was not them. I would never be them.

“The only details I can share with you were sent via email,” Haldren said, sweeping tapered fingers through blond hair he kept short out of habit. He softened, shaking his head. “You understand that if I could share more, I would. You know I trust you, Alex, but this is above my paygrade. And like I said, if you’d prefer not to take the task, then I can relegate it to Cassia. She’s been itching for a promotion.”

Cassia was a social and political climber, and it had taken me too long to realize it. I shook my head. “I’ll do it,” I said.

“Good. You’re the best I have. Don’t let me down.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t have to. I had yet to fail any mission I’d been handed, though a few of them had been close calls. Regardless, Cassia wasn’t going to take this away from me—mostly because I didn’t trust her to make the right decisions under pressure.

My ex was driven by the need for power and advancement, even if it came at the cost of the organization. That made her vicious and single-minded. Both of those traits came with strengths and weaknesses.

“Is there anything else?” Haldren asked.

“No,” I said, biting back my anger.

“Then you’re dismissed.”

I left Haldren’s study and strode down the hall, passing other operatives and enforcers who nodded to me, some wearing the black and gold uniform of the U.C., others in clothing that would help them blend in the city.

The New York headquarters of the U.C. was located in a high-rise building that bordered Central Park. Prime real estate purchased by the heads of the organization, who had enough wealth to do whatever they chose with it. They had chosen to help human beings rather than destroy them like Sanguine Nox.

Becoming a part of this organization hadn’t been a part of my plan. It had been a last resort. You were either with the U.C. or you were rogue. And being a rogue vampire, anywhere in the world, made you worse than scum. Almost worse than being a part of Sanguine Nox, because it meant you were ungovernable.

That you were an unknown entity and part of the problem. To be eradicated before you took the lives of humans and other vampires alike.

Haldren had been the one who found me after my escape from … him.

My fists clenched, and I released an easy breath, moving to the elevator that would take me down to my quarters within the building. As one of the most decorated enforcers the U.C. had, I had my own floor in their headquarters, where most vampires “came into work” when they were summoned.

I hated the lack of privacy. The cameras in the elevators and in the entrance to my apartment meant that I was always under surveillance, but I had no need for privacy any more. I was a killing machine. An extension of the organization. A tool.

The glass doors of the elevator slid closed, but a hand waved between them at the last second, and Cassia stepped into the compartment.

Exactly the last vampire I’d wanted to see.

She smiled at me, showing off fangs that she lengthened at will. Her lips were shapely and crimson, her raven hair long and curling at her ears. Cassia possessed the kind of beauty that left most men and vampires alike in awe, but I wasn’t one of them.

I had come to realize that beauty wasn’t skin deep. And the rot underneath Cassia’s appearance was endemic. A thing that threatened to take over anyone who came into contact with her.

“Going down, Alexander?” she purred, the words suggestive.

I didn’t answer.

She hit the button, and the doors slid shut, turning opaque as they closed. Immediately, Cassia turned to me, her breasts brushing against my arm, barely concealed in an armored corset that was part of the U.C.’s standard uniform. “I’ve missed you, Alexander,” she whispered.