“And the bad news?”
“I come with an angry Viking in tow.” He jerked his head toward the redheaded behemoth a short distance away. “He’s promised not to stay long, although getting him to leave before he eats a doughnut or two will probably be hard.”
“Guess I’ll have to take the good with the bad.”
She held the door open as the two men filed past. Ranulf leaned against the wall next to Kerry’s chair, but Sandor waited to see where Lena sat before choosing his own seat. He wanted to be near her without making her feel crowded. Since the hotel room wasn’t all that big to begin with, that wasn’t going to be easy.
When she sat cross-legged on the end of the bed, he settled on the floor, leaning back against the wall, and offered her the bag.
“You get first pick since we’re imposing on your hospitality.”
“As if I had any choice.” She rooted through the sack and pulled out a cruller. “Coffee, please.”
He held out a cup. “You did have a choice. You still do. Say the word and we’ll leave, even me.”
Although Lena made a point of not looking directly at him, she was acutely aware of him, judging by her body language. That was only fair, since he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He reached over to snag another doughnut and caught Ranulf watching him. He expected the man to be smirking, but there was a hint of sympathy in his expression.
Then Kerry leaned down and murmured something to him, and Ranulf said to Lena, “Kerry has already told you a lot about us. I suspect it will take some time for you to make sense of it all.”
Lena glanced at Sandor, then back to Ranulf. “That’s putting it mildly. I also don’t like being crowded.”
Sandor shifted to put himself more directly between her and his friends. She looked surprised that he was so blatant about which side of the fence he’d come down on if the confrontation grew more heated.
Ranulf continued, “We get that, but do you understand our people’s need for secrecy?”
Lena shrugged. “I understand that you think you’re above the law. Maybe you have your reasons for that, but I’m going to need some time to think this all through. To figure out what I need to do next.” She paused. “But until I make up my mind, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Fair enough.” Ranulf stood and offered his wife a hand up. “It was nice meeting you, Lena. Ask Sandor anything you want to. If you want to talk to us, just stop by or call. We’ll do our best to help you understand everything that’s happened.”
Then he pinned Sandor with a hard stare. “You will keep us informed on how this turns out. Kerry has enough to deal with right now without having to hunt you down.”
There was no mistaking the implied threat. If Sandor couldn’t come to terms with Lena, they’d step in.
The question was, would he let that happen, regardless of her course of action? Sandor might not be able to thwart their efforts completely, but he’d do his damnedest to protect Lena.
After they left, Lena threw the dead bolt and hooked the chain. Then she walked over to him, looking as if she was deciding where to kick him and exactly how hard.
He tried for a little humor. Holding out the bag of doughnuts, he smiled up at her. “A cruller for your thoughts.”
She shot him a look of pure disgust, but took the bag and resumed her seat on the bed. “Deep-fried sugar and grease, no matter how tasty, do not make up for bad behavior.”
He waved his napkin like a white flag. “What will it take?”
“I’d like the full explanation that your buddy Ranulf promised me. Your Grand Dame Kerry has already told an abridged version of the story. But before you start, you need to know that I believe in upholding the law. Without it, all we’d have is chaos.”
Okay, no surprise there. She couldn’t prove anything about Bradan’s execution. His ashes had been scattered, the evidence destroyed. But Sandor’s current investigation was a different matter. With her connections to the law enforcement community, Lena’s accusations could draw lots of unwanted attention.
First and foremost, all Talions swore to protect the secrets of their people. If Sandor failed in that duty, Kerry would have no choice but to deal with the problem herself or to send in someone who wouldn’t care if Lena was harmed in the process. He wouldn’t let that happen—though facing off against his own kind held little appeal.
“Where do you want me to start?” he asked.
“You tell me. All I’ve got is this nightmare playing out in my head every time I close my eyes. I can’t make sense of anything, except that at times, you taste exactly like the man I saw kill Coop.” Her fingers were busy shredding her empty coffee cup.
Sandor drew his legs up and crossed his arms on his knees.
“Okay, here goes. I assume Kerry told you that I’m not exactly human, at least not as you would think of them. Neither is she or Ranulf, or the bastard who killed your friend. Although we Kyth, spelled K-y-t-h, act and look and even live like you do, we’re physiologically different in some pretty fundamental ways.”
“The whole energy thing Kerry mentioned?”
“That’s part of it.”
“So you’re telling me that you’re all…what? Some kind of real-life vampires?”
He’d always hated that analogy. “No, we’re not vampires. No fangs, see?” He flashed his pearly whites at her. “You’d never miss the energy we take, especially when we’re in crowds like sporting events and dance clubs.”
The gears were clearly turning in that pretty head of hers. “So was Kerry out hunting humans in the dance club the night of the fire?”
“Hell no. We don’t hunt—not the way you mean. Besides, that was before Kerry even knew what she was. And trust me, she liked my explanation about who and what we are even less than you do. Since she turned out to be the strongest Kyth that we’ve found in over ten centuries, though, she had to accept the truth.”
“And where does Ranulf fit into this story?”
“Until Kerry took over, Dame Judith was our leader. Ranulf swore fealty to her as a young man, about a thousand years ago. He’s aged well, don’t you think?”
It was good to hear her laugh. “Kerry already told me that about him. And am I to assume you’re the same age?”
“Nope, I’m only hovering around the century mark. If it makes you feel any better, Kerry’s only in her twenties.”
“So tell me what happened the night of the fire and afterward, when Coop died.” She’d evidently had her fill of Kyth history.
Sandor stood up and stretched, then sat on the bed next to Lena.
She moved over to put some room between them, but at least she didn’t banish him from her side. He took that as a good sign.
“It all started because Kerry loves to dance. She was adopted and raised by human parents, who obviously had no idea about her special needs. Somehow, though, she figured out that she felt better if she hung out in dance clubs and sporting events. Humans give off a lot of energy in those situations, so she kept herself healthy and balanced without even knowing how it worked.
“Unfortunately, once in a while one of our kind develops a craving for the darker spectra of human energy and emotions—like pain, fear, and terror. When that happens, they turn renegade. And to ice this particular cake, this renegade also liked to play with fire.”
“Bradan. His name was Bradan.” Lena looked up from her pile of shredded paper. “And he was your friend?”
“I certainly thought so. But it turned out none of us really knew him.” The usual stab of pain from Bradan’s betrayal ripped through his chest. “I don’t know how I missed seeing what he’d become. We grew up together.”
The grief and the raw pain of his friend’s be trayal was difficult for Lena to hear, and she said, “I’m not surprised that you missed it. Look how many serial killers were handsome and charming on the surface.”
She hesitated, then shared some of her own pain. “It takes years of practice to hide something like tha
t so well. Most people who have a secret that profound learn how to hide it early on, because it’s a matter of survival.”
Sandor immediately put two and two together. “Like your ability.”
She nodded. “I keep thinking I should’ve told Coop about it. At first I didn’t know him well enough, but later on I could have said something. Maybe he would’ve understood—but I never trusted him enough to give him the chance, for fear he’d reject me.”
Sandor threaded his fingers through hers. “Maybe he would have. Most people don’t like dealing with anything outside of their comfort zone unless circumstances force them into it.
“That’s what happened to Kerry. When Bradan set the fire, she was able to lead dozens of people to safety. Ranulf happened to be there that night, and saw her carry much bigger people out of that fire—all because she drew strength from the fear and panic around her.”
“She also met Coop that night.”
“Yeah. He was in charge of the investigation and interviewed her right after the fire. Then, while Coop was dealing with reporters, Bradan drew Kerry’s attention to himself by flicking his lighter in a toast to the fire. She knew instantly that he had to be the arsonist and drew a sketch of his face for Coop.”
It was all starting to make horrible sense. “And Bradan killed Coop to get the sketch back?”
“No—more likely, he was looking for information on Kerry. Bradan got all of Coop’s other files, but your friend died protecting that sketch. We honor his memory for that act of bravery. Without it, many more people—mine and yours—might have suffered and died at Bradan’s hands, until we figured out who was behind the attacks.”
Lena blinked back tears. When Sandor put his arm around her shoulders and tried to pull her close, she pushed him away, not ready to accept his comfort.
“Lena, you have to know that Coop would’ve died anyway. Bradan couldn’t afford to let him live—not with what he knew. When Ranulf went to meet Coop at the site of the club, we already knew a Kyth had set the fire. Ranulf discovered Coop’s body and the sketch wadded up in his fist. Because of your friend’s courageous act, we knew who we needed to hunt down.”
“And you killed this Bradan. You and Kerry and Ranulf.” She infused her words with her disapproval.
“Don’t judge us when you weren’t there, Lena. Bradan had killed at least two humans just for practice—his words, not mine. On top of that, he’d kidnapped and tortured our Dame. For that alone, he should have died a hundred times over.”
She heard the need for vengeance in Sandor’s voice and sympathized with it on one level. But the bottom line was that they’d still taken the law into their own hands. Maybe in their eyes their cause was just, but they were still cold-blooded killers.
“You still should’ve let the authorities handle it, Sandor. I know it sounds trite to say two wrongs don’t make a right, but it’s true.”
He lurched up off the bed and stood glaring down at her. “Don’t go all holier-than-thou on me, Lena. If terrorists captured your president and killed him, your military and law enforcement people would break every rule in the book to catch the bastards. Hell, look what they’ve done since nine-eleven, all in the name of national security!”
She got up to stand toe-to-toe with him, glaring straight up into his dark eyes. “Are you listening to yourself? My president? My military?”
She shoved him back a step. “They’re yours, too. You’re part of this country, subject to its laws like everyone else. You can’t live here and pick and choose which laws apply to you and which don’t just because your genes are a little different than everybody else’s.”
He came right back at her. “And ninety-nine percent of the time, I’m a perfectly law-abiding citizen. BUT,” he snapped, “that one percent of the time when following those same laws interferes with my duty to my own people, I say fuck them!”
She lost it. Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, she yanked his face down to her level. “And do you know what happens when we pick and choose like that? People die. Innocent people die!”
He jerked himself free, but not before she felt a zing of heat arc between them.
“Damn it, Lena, you’re not listening! Innocent people were dying, and your precious cops were chasing their own tails. We put a stop to Bradan. I won’t apologize, because I don’t regret that.”
Flickers of blue rippled over his skin. He pointed at the doughnut bag, and a flash of indigo light shot from his fingertips. Instantly, the paper burst into flame. Before it could do any damage to the bedspread, he grabbed the bag and carried it into the bathroom. When he returned, he looked only marginally more in control.
“Let me tell you what would have happened if we had followed the law instead of going after Bradan ourselves.” His voice was cold enough to freeze water. “If ordinary cops had gone after Bradan Owen, he would’ve killed every one of them before they even got close.”
Were those sparks of gold fire in his dark eyes? For the first time, his different nature was all too obvious, too real. Instead of feeling repulsed, she found herself admiring his strength of conviction and his warrior nature, even as his angry tirade continued.
“Worse yet, even if they somehow managed to subdue Bradan, the minute they threw his ass in jail, he would have started feeding on all the despair and anger and pain that permeate a place like that. There’s no telling how many would have died then, cops and prisoners alike. You’re a smart woman, Lena. Add it all up any way you want to, but the bottom line is Bradan had to die. Humans couldn’t achieve that, so I killed him. Deal with it.”
Before she could think of a coherent reply, she stepped toward Sandor—or maybe he was the one who moved. All that mattered was that his arms crushed her against his chest as he plundered her mouth. Even as she surrendered, she knew she should fight back. They’d already fallen into bed twice, and look where it had gotten her.
She all but dragged him toward the bed, pushed him onto it, then fell on top of him.
He gave her a wicked grin. “I don’t want you thinking I’m easy because of this.”
“We both know angry sex isn’t smart.” She knelt right over the impressive ridge in his pants. “And that sex is no way to settle an argument.”
His hands slid up her thighs and around to capture the curve of her bottom. “Lena, honey, you’re killing me here.”
“Good!”
He peeled off her top and tossed it aside, then she suddenly found herself on her back. Sandor’s mouth felt so good nuzzling her breasts as his busy, busy hands were yanking off her pants. When he realized she wasn’t wearing panties, he murmured his approval.
“Hot damn, woman, I need this. I need you.”
She tangled her fingers in his hair and tugged to get his attention. When that didn’t work, she pinched him.
“Ow! Why did you do that?”
“Because this isn’t going to work if I’m the only one without clothes. Fix it.”
He immediately obeyed.
Chapter 11
With a heated smile and amber sparks flaring in his eyes, Sandor slowly stripped off his clothes, taking his time and letting her look her fill. She sincerely hoped she wasn’t drooling; it was so undignified. But, hey, a girl couldn’t help it when looking at something that damn hot. And impressive.
She knelt on the bed and waited for her lover to come back to her. He paused to pull a couple of condoms out of his wallet. One he tossed on the bedside table; the second he handed to her. She smiled her approval, liking a man who allowed a woman some control over when and how things got done.
She crooked her finger and used it to motion him closer. “Come here, lover.”
“Bossy woman.” He grinned and moved to kneel right in front of her. She set the foil packet aside to run her hands down his well-sculpted chest and arms. He had a warrior’s body, all lean muscles and strength. Her hands tingled even though she carefully skirted his bicep. When he realized what she was doing, he caught her hand, brou
ght it back up, and placed it directly over his tattoo.
“I can protect you from that, now that I know you’re sensitive to it.” After a few seconds, he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her fingertips. “I am sorry that happened, Lena. That darkness is my burden to carry. You shouldn’t have to share it.”
She twined her hands behind his neck and leaned into him, pleasing them both with the press of her breasts against his chest. “We all have darkness that haunts us, Sandor. Yours may be worse than most, but I have a few nightmares of my own.”
He sat back on his haunches and lifted her to straddle his lap. “Then share them with me. Maybe I can ease them for you.”
She shot him an incredulous look and gave his erection a long, slow stroke. “You want to trade bad memories right now?”
“Actually, no.” His chuckle was low and rough. “Remind me later.”
“I knew you were smarter than that.” She rewarded his brilliance with a kiss.
When she finally retrieved the condom, she took her sweet time sheathing him, interrupting the process with wet kisses, long bouts of touching and teasing, until finally Sandor lost patience.
“Keep that up and we’ll be finished before we even start.” He lowered her to the bed, ready to take charge. “Turn over, woman.”
She did as he ordered, but only reluctantly. Then he reached for the bottle of body lotion on her bedside table and poured some on his hands. Using long, slow strokes, he massaged her neck and shoulders, then worked his way farther down. Judging by the way his lady moaned when he worked the lotion into her skin, she was clearly loving the attention he paid to each curve and line of her elegant back. He moved onward to the firm cheeks of her bottom.
Oh, she liked that all right, murmuring both her approval and directions for which spots needed more attention. Then he moved down to her feet, giving each one plenty of attention. Then he made room for himself between her legs, gradually spreading them as he applied more lotion and smoothed it in, starting from her delicate ankles and working his way upward. The longer he prolonged their foreplay, the more tension thrummed through his body and hers.
Dark Warrior Unbroken Page 14
