Read Good, the Bad, and the Vampire for Free Online Page B

side she rarely saw. “Who is she? What do you know about her?”
    â€œI know enough, and you know too much.”
    Before he could respond, Trixie shot up into the air and landed on top of a small pine tree. She braced her feet on the top branch and clung to the trunk with one hand. She peered down at Dakota, who remained on the ground.
    â€œAnd one more thing, cowboy,” she shouted down to him.
    â€œMa’am?”
    â€œKeep your hands to yourself.” She smirked.
    â€œI’ll try.” Dakota slipped his hands in his pockets and flashed a fang-filled grin at her, his white teeth glinting in the moonlight.
    â€œYou’ll try ?” Trixie scoffed. “How about you give me your word?”
    â€œNo way, darlin’.” He flew to the roof of the house and landed noiselessly in a crouching position, a cocky grin curving his firm-looking lips. “I’m not makin’ any promises I don’t aim to keep.”
    Trixie let out a sound of disgust as Dakota shot into the moonlit night and streaked across the sky like a bullet, leaving a trail of mist in his wake. She wanted to tell him “fat chance,” and no way was he gonna touch her again. But deep down, underneath the stream of protests, was a long silent voice of desire that whispered… yes .

Chapter 4
    Monday afternoon, Dakota woke up before the sun went down. He had barely slept after the run-in with Trixie, and he couldn’t stop thinking about the scent he’d detected at the cabin. It had been over fifty years since he’d been exposed to that pungent aroma. It was so faint at first that he wasn’t sure if he’d really smelled what he thought he did.
    A gargoyle.
    Eons ago they had been protectors for the humans but eventually their lust for gold took over and they abandoned humanity. As far as Dakota was concerned, gargoyles had no honor. Many in the supernatural world thought gargoyles were only a few years from extinction. Hell, some folks already thought they were. And that would be fine with Dakota.
    He might not have smelled that scent in decades but there was no mistaking it. That particular brand of stink had been burned into his brain with painful clarity. Hell, yes. A gargoyle had definitely been at the human’s cabin in the woods but the real question was why? Why would a gargoyle be hanging around a human after all this time, and why the hell was Trixie mixed up with it all?
    He could go to the czars about his suspicion, but he didn’t want to cause a ruckus if he could avoid it. Especially since it was connected to whatever Trixie was hiding.
    Right after Dakota had been turned, he and his maker were assigned a top secret mission to eliminate as many gargoyles as possible. They were considered a danger to the entire supernatural community. Driven by greed and their obsession with gold, they exhibited risky behavior. Some had even allowed themselves to be seen by humans with increasing frequency, and that wasn’t good for anyone. The top secret directive came straight from Emperor Zhao, and Dakota’s maker, Jonner, had told him he was never to speak of it. Ever . Then Jonner got dusted, the gargoyle activity basically died out, and Dakota got himself signed up as a sentry.
    If that human girl was mixed up with gargoyles, she was in a heap of trouble. They were dangerous and had no honor. Gargoyles cared for no one other than themselves and for nothing other than finding their long-lost gold.
    Greedy assholes.
    Dakota locked his apartment door and made his way down to the basement of the building. He passed a few other tenants, all of them human, but none of them gave him more than a cursory nod of the head. New York was not the friendliest place; moments like this made him miss the warmth of Texas.
    Luckily the laundry room was empty when he got there, and he was able to slip into the utility closet without any drama.
    He didn’t bother turning on the light; he