Read Kick The Candle (Knight Games) for Free Online

water’s edge and forcibly abducting them.”
    “Count themselves as baddies, do they?” I kicked the crumpled skin of the finfolk with my toe. It had already begun to stiffen to the consistency of beef jerky. When the stranger had shrugged out of his skin, he was, in fact, skinning himself. The flesh beneath where the coat had been was all muscle, fat and tendon. Apparently, a finfolk’s skin was a living thing until it was removed.
    “Yeah. And we’ve noticed an increase in vampiric activity here the last couple of weeks, too. Streets have been swarming with them.”
    “Vampires also have a penchant for the dark side.” This I knew from personal experience.
    “Exactly. Something is luring them to come here and mix with humans.”
    “Rick and I found a vampire coven living in Carlton City a couple of months ago. They’re organized, led by a vamp named—”
    “—Julius?” Silas rubbed his chin.
    “Yeah. You’ve heard of him?”
    “Yep. Our department has a long history with Julius and his coven. Seems like he’s always on the fringes of the crimes we investigate. Can’t pin anything on him though. Slippery.”
    “The coven was feeding on animals. Had a whole vampire-style butcher shop for blood collection,” I said.
    “I don’t trust him.”
    “Neither do I, but without any evidence, I can’t judge or sentence him. Not unless I want to start a war with his coven.”
    Silas nodded in agreement. “So, Julius sets up shop in Carlton City, and months later, the streets are swarming with supernaturals who normally wouldn’t set foot on pavement.” Silas nudged the finfolk body for good measure. “I can’t prove it, but I think Julius is behind this.”
    “He had a demon with him named Padnon. Evil SOB.”
    Silas narrowed his eyes. “He’s gathering allies. What the hell is he after?”
    “I wish I knew.”
    At that moment, Rick and a fae woman I assumed was the madam entered the alley. I’d expected the bordello madam to be an older, less attractive, former working girl, but I was wrong. She was the model of sophistication, grace, and beauty. Tall, lanky, with silky honey-colored hair, her golden skin stretched flawlessly across her high cheekbones. A warm breeze blew off her and chased the winter chill from the alley. Thankfully, Rick seemed unaffected by her beauty, although a surge of unwanted possessiveness came over me anyway. Silas, on the other hand was ogling her, lips parted slightly. Oh for crying out loud .
    I stepped over the body and extended my hand. “Hi, I’m Grateful Knight.”
    Graciously, she slid her manicured fingers into mine. “I am Soleil. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude, Grateful. Stella and Rick told me what happened. Thank you for saving us. Who knows how many fae he would have killed if you hadn’t stopped him?”
    “Did you know this man?” I used the term ‘man’ loosely. It didn’t seem to confuse her.
    “No. We’ve never had any finfolk come here before. But, as I told Rick, there is a legend among our people that if one of their kind touches one of ours, they are capable of draining our life force and turning us to dust. The dust is said to have magical properties useful in black magic.”
    The term black magic made my skin itch. As far as I knew, all magic was neutral; it was the spell caster who had either good or evil intentions. But I’d have to ask Rick about it when we got home. Caretaker magic was a different practice with a different source of power than mine. Maybe there was such a thing as black magic.
    A hand jutted between us. “Detective Silas Flynn, Soleil. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
    My eyes followed Silas’s hand to his face, which was flushed bright red. At first, the nurse in me wondered if he was having a heart attack, but then the woman in me recognized the look in his eyes. He was blushing. With a half grin, I took a step back, allowing him to move in closer. He still hadn’t released Soleil’s