But the dead were not his main concern at this moment. No, he was more worried about the three undead bastards chasing him. Someone had apparently noticed him nosing around Christopher Heller’s lair. The Ministry member had increased his security more than Winter had been anticipating, and someone had spotted him. Fuckers.
It had been only a matter of time, though. Christopher Heller and Paavo Wetzel had aligned themselves with Damon James, easily the most powerful vampire left on what had been the Ministry. But the ruling body of the vampire world was no more—they weren’t even going through the motions. Damon had all but declared himself emperor, king, and dictator of all vampires in the Americas, and no one was arguing with him yet.
For now, the Variks were gathering their army to stand against the ruthless monster, and part of Winter’s job was gathering intelligence on Damon’s confederates. They had to know what Damon’s resources were. The vampire wasn’t going to simply challenge Aiden to a duel. Damon was too much of a coward for that and, as Winter was quickly learning, his sire was much older than he’d previously let on. Damon was no match for Aiden, and he knew it.
That left the would-be king scrambling for some edge over the Variks, and Winter was determined to uncover what Damon had found.
But if he was going to do that, he needed to be far more careful.
Winter slowed his pace as he reached the automatic doors that soundlessly slid open at his approach. He paused in the entrance of the store, eyes sweeping over the line of cashiers to his right. In the middle of the store was a pair of escalators leading to and from the second floor. Racks and racks of clothes filled the first floor, but the clothing on the left ended in what looked to be the camping section at the rear of the store.
Smiling, Winter took off at a jog, heading for the taller rows filled with tents and other random gear—that area would have lots of fun toys he could use. As he moved, he looked over the store. He counted only three employees leisurely making the rounds, putting goods where they belonged and generally tidying things up before they closed. Two shoppers strolled among the sports equipment, and he could only assume similar numbers were up on the second floor.
If he worked quickly, no one would notice him.
Glancing over his shoulder, toward the entrance, he saw the three vampires run into the store and pause, but they had yet to see him. Excellent.
Walking farther down the aisle, Winter called on his power. It came so easy now after the long years, almost like flexing a muscle. Before him, a dark slit appeared in the air, running from about the top of his head to the ground. With a slight wave of his hand, the opening widened, and thick darkness poured out. There was no hesitation as Winter stepped inside and closed the slit behind him. The darkness retreated, and his eyes adjusted to the new world around him. This gift was one of his greatest secrets. Besides his family, the rest of the vampire world didn’t know he could essentially become invisible, and it was critical for it to stay that way. So much of his dark reputation was tied to his mystery and how he simply managed to appear out of thin air.
While he might have spotted ghosts walking on the streets his first night as a vampire, his ability to slip easily into their world hadn’t kicked in for another several years. But even with the delay, he’d had plenty of practice walking here. He felt at home among the dead as much as he did with his brothers.
Looking around, he took in the usual pale glow that emanated from his surroundings, as if things in the living world took on a sort of heavenly inner light that beat back the overall darkness. As a creature that was still part of the living world, he couldn’t move through objects like the ghosts could, nor could he pick things up, which was more than a little annoying.
With one eye out for the vampires, Winter hurried through the aisles, glancing over the various objects on display for sale. There had to be something interesting here to use against his pursuers. There were only a couple of ghosts moving through the store. One actually appeared to be a woman fresh off a jog looking through the racks of yoga pants. He tried to move away from her, but she caught sight of him.
“Excuse me!” she called loudly. “Excuse me, do you work here?”
“No, I’m sorry I don’t,” Winter said solemnly.
She made a noise that was part sigh and part growl. “It’s like we’re the only ones in the store. I can’t find anyone to let me in a dressing room.”