Read Online Know Thine Enemy by Rosalie Stanton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rosalie Stanton
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just a bit, and became all the more menacing. A shudder coursed through her, but Izzie ignored it. Whatever she 'd said had visibly struck a nerve, and she wasn't the sort who dabbled in other peoples'—or vampires'—affairs. When it got personal, it got nasty, and she was already in it up to her hips in Wright's personal war. No way would she allow some two-bit vegan bloodsucker manipulate her into doing his dirty work.
" Mr. Ryker and I were once very close," the vampire confessed.
" And he broke your fragile heart?"
Prentiss stiffened, but the disgust on his face was too genuine for a star-crossed lovers thing. Perhaps his self-proclaimed conservatism extended to bigotry.
" Mr. Ryker is the worst sort of monster," he said. "He feigns empathy to get close, but, rest assured, Izzie, he will destroy you just as readily as he would anyone else. He only has his own preservation in mind."
She barked a laugh. "How is this different from any other animal?"
Prentiss slammed his hands against the table. "You're not listening!" he snarled. "Ryker and all like him must be put down. You're the professional in this sort of pest control. I have a problem and I want it fixed."
" So you admit that this might be just a teensy bit more personal than you let on?"
Juliette and Moira exchanged glances.
"Let me be very clear," Prentiss said slowly as his facial muscles plainly attempting to pull his mouth into a grin. "My personal feelings have little weight on this matter."
That grimace of his was one of the most disturbing displays Izzie had ever seen. She snickered again. "Obviously."
" You are not the easiest girl to reason with."
" And I wanted so bad for you to like me. Though get real—I can't imagine anyone would like being tied up by a bunch of bloodsuckers and lectured as to who the really bad guys are."
Moira stirred at that, her expression darkening. "We're not bloodsuckers."
" Dollface, you wouldn't be standing here if you weren't getting it somewhere, on or off the tap." Izzie shook her head. "There was this small religious sect a few hundred years back in New England. One of the tenets of their faith was they couldn't bump uglies, so guess what happened?" She paused. "Yeah, if you don't do the nasty, you can't survive. That includes you guys. Except in this case, 'the nasty' is blood and is, well, actually nasty."
Prentiss made a sound that might have been a chuckle in a former life. "You either have utter faith that we won't bring you harm or an inflated superiority complex."
" Can't it be both?"
His frozen grin tightened. "We drink blood because we must," he acknowledged. "But no one here takes pleasure in the act. We survive only to reach others . . . and hopefully put an end to this epidemic."
" The vampire epidemic?"
" Yes."
" This isn't like smallpox or something," Izzie said. "There will always be vampires who like violence and mayhem just as surely as there will always be Presbyterians. You can't just hope someone doesn't fall into their line of thinking."
He shook his head. "If we isolate and destroy the problem, we will have order."
" That sounds an awful lot like a dictator I've read about . . . ."
Prentiss glared at her. "You're not interested in helping us, are you?"
" Gee, you catch on?"
" You truly do not want to be part of the solution."
" Not the Ultimate Solution."
He snickered. "Some hunter."
" The ones you want are the ones who'd just as soon kill you as look at you." Izzie fought the urge to look at her dagger. God, what she wouldn't do… "The ones like me struggle enough to give a shit about what they do in the first place."
" There are none like you," Juliette offered, the hungry gleam still present in her eyes. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but either way, the lady gave Izzie the wiggins. "You're the first without a vendetta. A reason to do what you do. We thought you could help us."
" Sucks to be you," Izzie replied. "So, what? Is this the part where you kill me out
" Mr. Ryker and I were once very close," the vampire confessed.
" And he broke your fragile heart?"
Prentiss stiffened, but the disgust on his face was too genuine for a star-crossed lovers thing. Perhaps his self-proclaimed conservatism extended to bigotry.
" Mr. Ryker is the worst sort of monster," he said. "He feigns empathy to get close, but, rest assured, Izzie, he will destroy you just as readily as he would anyone else. He only has his own preservation in mind."
She barked a laugh. "How is this different from any other animal?"
Prentiss slammed his hands against the table. "You're not listening!" he snarled. "Ryker and all like him must be put down. You're the professional in this sort of pest control. I have a problem and I want it fixed."
" So you admit that this might be just a teensy bit more personal than you let on?"
Juliette and Moira exchanged glances.
"Let me be very clear," Prentiss said slowly as his facial muscles plainly attempting to pull his mouth into a grin. "My personal feelings have little weight on this matter."
That grimace of his was one of the most disturbing displays Izzie had ever seen. She snickered again. "Obviously."
" You are not the easiest girl to reason with."
" And I wanted so bad for you to like me. Though get real—I can't imagine anyone would like being tied up by a bunch of bloodsuckers and lectured as to who the really bad guys are."
Moira stirred at that, her expression darkening. "We're not bloodsuckers."
" Dollface, you wouldn't be standing here if you weren't getting it somewhere, on or off the tap." Izzie shook her head. "There was this small religious sect a few hundred years back in New England. One of the tenets of their faith was they couldn't bump uglies, so guess what happened?" She paused. "Yeah, if you don't do the nasty, you can't survive. That includes you guys. Except in this case, 'the nasty' is blood and is, well, actually nasty."
Prentiss made a sound that might have been a chuckle in a former life. "You either have utter faith that we won't bring you harm or an inflated superiority complex."
" Can't it be both?"
His frozen grin tightened. "We drink blood because we must," he acknowledged. "But no one here takes pleasure in the act. We survive only to reach others . . . and hopefully put an end to this epidemic."
" The vampire epidemic?"
" Yes."
" This isn't like smallpox or something," Izzie said. "There will always be vampires who like violence and mayhem just as surely as there will always be Presbyterians. You can't just hope someone doesn't fall into their line of thinking."
He shook his head. "If we isolate and destroy the problem, we will have order."
" That sounds an awful lot like a dictator I've read about . . . ."
Prentiss glared at her. "You're not interested in helping us, are you?"
" Gee, you catch on?"
" You truly do not want to be part of the solution."
" Not the Ultimate Solution."
He snickered. "Some hunter."
" The ones you want are the ones who'd just as soon kill you as look at you." Izzie fought the urge to look at her dagger. God, what she wouldn't do… "The ones like me struggle enough to give a shit about what they do in the first place."
" There are none like you," Juliette offered, the hungry gleam still present in her eyes. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but either way, the lady gave Izzie the wiggins. "You're the first without a vendetta. A reason to do what you do. We thought you could help us."
" Sucks to be you," Izzie replied. "So, what? Is this the part where you kill me out
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