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near the door.
    "Okay," she began.  "So how is your situation more complicated?"
    "I'd like to know the answer to that, as well." Eidolon's deep voice made Tayla jump, and she whirled around to see him moving toward her in that smooth, confident gait that always made her hot.  "What, you think I didn't know you were hiding something from me?  We're bonded, remember?"
    She sighed.  Yeah, they were bonded.  Linked by a blood ritual and the matching glyphs on their arms.  They could sense each others' emotions and needs...especially the sexual needs, given that he was an incubus.
    "Look," Kaden said, coming to his feet.  "We didn't mean to cause trouble.  But we couldn't go to Tayla's Aegis headquarters because I can't enter, and even if I could, I'd be slaughtered before I made it past the threshold."
    Tayla folded her arms over her chest.  "So explain what you two need."
    "Kaden's not just a vampire," Andrea said, coming to stand beside said vamp.  "He's a Guardian."
    Jesus.  Okay, Tayla hadn't expected that.  "You were turned while you were an active Aegi?"
    "My little accident happened while on the job, in fact," he said wryly.  "Crazily, The Aegis has no workman's comp program for people who get turned into vampires during work hours."
    So the guy had a sense of humor.  Tayla had to offer up thanks for that.  There was nothing worse than a broody freaking vampire.
    "How long ago?"
    "A couple of weeks," Kaden said.  "I'm a newbie vamp."
    Cocking her head, Tayla studied the couple.  "I'm guessing you were together before this happened?"  At their mutual nods, Tayla whistled, long and low.  It couldn't have been an easy thing for them to go through, but they seemed solid and happy.
    Andrea ran her hand up and down his back in an affectionate gesture.  "He's been working undercover with vampires to feed us information.  Thanks to him, our cell wiped out a really nasty nest, but now that they're gone..."
    "Your cell isn't playing nice," Tay finished.
    "Exactly."
    "I get that," Tayla sighed.  "So what is it you want?  What makes you think my cell is any different from the Portland one."
    "We heard..."  Andrea cleared her throat.  "We heard that you are, ah..."
    Tayla didn't put the poor girl through more discomfort.  "You heard I'm half demon.  And that I'm mated to one."
    "Yes," Kaden said gruffly, shooting Eidolon a wary glance.
    "Well, you're right," Tayla said.  "I didn't know about my demon half until I met Eidolon."  She smiled at him, and he returned it.  He was just so cute.  "He's a Seminus demon, a rare species of incubus.  He runs Underworld General Hospital, which you might have heard of."
    Kaden nodded.  "The rumor has filtered down through The Aegis, but it's definitely known among underworld beings."
    "Okay," Tayla said.  "Here's the thing.  You're Guardians, which means you think all underworld creatures are evil.  Except now that Kaden is a vampire, you have doubts.  I'm here to tell you that underworlders run the gamut from good to evil the same as humans do.  I've got my Aegis cell working with some, because demons can provide awesome intel.  If you join up with us, you'll catch shit, because Guardians don't change their minds easily.  And it also means that you have to have respect for the demons I call friend and family.  Understood?"
    Andrea and Kaden exchanged glances and then inclined their heads. 
    "Good," Tay said brightly.  "Now, want a beer?"
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Nine
     
     
    Turned out that being a vampire Guardian instead of merely an outside "informant" as Kaden had been in Portland was pretty cool.
    He hadn't exactly been welcomed with open arms into the New York City cell, more like with wary looks and a few snide remarks, but once he started working and got into places human Guardians couldn't, he earned a lot of respect in very little time.  And when he got his arm nearly hacked off by an orc-like demon twice