Relentless: A Cyn and Raphael Novella (Vampires in America 11.5)

by D. B. Reynolds

  It wouldn’t work. The North American vampire lords were stronger than the Europeans knew, reinforced by their newfound alliance. But lives would be lost in the trying, and that was unacceptable. There was a much simpler solution to the European problem—thin the herd. It was something the European vampire leaders seemed unwilling to do.

  So, Raphael and his North American Alliance would just have to do it for them.

  CYN WAS HALF asleep with adrenaline crash by the time they arrived at the airport. She roused when their limo turned off the main highway and onto the utility road that circled the airport. Gone were the crowds and the paparazzi. Steve Sipes and his crew had ensured that Raphael’s private jet would be ready for him, waiting in a discreet hangar, well away from the main terminals. Most of the traffic on this road happened during the day, when the various mechanical crews reported in and out of their work shifts in the nearby maintenance hangars.

  Inside the hangar where the jet waited, there were no lights at all. They’d be taking off with a vampire crew. It was nearly impossible to fly from Europe to California without crossing through daylight, however, so a trusted human crew was on-board, ready to take over under Sipes’s supervision. Unfortunately, their abrupt departure meant they’d be landing in daylight in Los Angeles, which was even worse. They’d have to sleep on the jet again, until nightfall.

  “Daylighting on a fucking airplane. Again.” Raphael glowered at the jet from within the limo, as if it was the plane’s fault somehow.

  “I know, baby,” Cyn said, patting his thigh. “But I’ll take care of you.”

  He slanted her a suspicious look, probably trying to decide if she was teasing him or not. She was. But that didn’t change the truth of what she’d said. Nothing would happen to him or his people on her watch.

  The limo stopped, with Juro bailing while it was still rolling. A whole bunch of other vampires followed, spreading out to secure the hangar, checking every corner, every cranny, to make sure no assassin lurked. That was highly unlikely, Cyn thought. The plane had been held under guard since the moment of their arrival, and orders for the final flight check hadn’t been issued until they’d left for Laurent’s estate. Only Raphael’s innermost circle had known that they wouldn’t be returning to their rented villa.

  But that didn’t stop his security team from doing their job. Cyn yawned and stretched as they waited. There was no greater high than the adrenaline rush one experienced during battle, but there was also no greater crash than when it was over. All she wanted was a hot shower—to wash away the blood and vampire dust—and a long nap with her honey. Unfortunately, the jet’s shower wasn’t all that hot, and it was too small for him to join her. But the bed was more than big enough.

  She leaned in and kissed Raphael’s perfectly cut jaw, lingering to slick her tongue over his sharp cheekbone. His gaze shifted from his perusal of the many vampires running around outside the limo, and he smiled slightly.

  “I’m covered with things you probably shouldn’t be licking.”

  She licked him again. “So am I.”

  His smile widened. He knew she hated waiting around almost as much as he did. He also knew what she liked to do after they’d fought a good, bloody battle. “They’re almost finished.”

  The limo door opened on his last word.

  “Thank God,” she muttered, welcoming her first breath of the jet fuel-tainted air.

  Raphael laughed out loud and slid from the limo, pulling her with him into the noisy hangar. “Who gets the first shower?” he whispered, directly into her ear.

  “Pfft. You have to ask? I’m a girl.” She broke away and ran up the stairs, boarding the jet ahead of him. But only because he let her.

  CYN WAS CURLED up on the bed when Raphael emerged from a shower that had been cooler than he’d have liked. His Cyn had used up most of the bath’s hot water, probably washing her hair. But he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He loved the smell of her hair.

  Checking the internal clock that told him how much time he had before sunrise, he pulled on a pair of sweats and turned for the main cabin.

  “Hey,” Cyn called sleepily. “Where’re you going?”

  “We did all this to provide cover for Quinn’s infiltration of Ireland. I want to know if it was worth it.”

  She sat up, the sheet falling away from her naked body. “Don’t kid a kidder, fang boy. You did this for revenge. Helping Quinn was just a bonus.”

  He sank to the bed and cupped one full breast, thumbing her nipple to hardness. She wrapped an arm around his neck and lifted her mouth to his, kissing him until they were both out of breath.

  “Don’t tell anyone,” he whispered, then pinched her nipple hard and stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

  Cyn flipped him off as he opened the door. He swallowed his laugh and headed directly to where Jared and Juro sat across from each other. They’d showered, as well, using the hangar’s facilities, and both looked up when he joined them, with Jared pulling a pair of cordless headphones out of his ears.

  “Anything?” Raphael asked.

  “It worked, my lord. Lucas’s people say Quinn arrived in Kildare on schedule, and he’s already made his way to Dublin, with not even a whisper of interest among the Irish vampires.”

  “Excellent. Then I’m going to bed, and you should, too. We’ve done our part. It’s up to Quinn, now.”

  Epilogue

  Howth, Ireland

  QUINN KAVANAGH sat in the portside café, thinking about the cold. He’d forgotten about the winters around Dublin. Sure, it got cold—fucking cold—in New England, where he’d lived and worked for the last several decades. But no one sat around a damp café, sipping tea in the middle of the night, either. He sighed and signaled for another pot. His reasons for being in the port city of Howth had nothing to do with the quality of the cafe, and everything to do with the two vampires lurking on the dock outside. The two males were deep in conversation, and not happy about it. Though he didn’t know whether they were unhappy about the conversation, or about the necessity that had brought them together in the first place. He didn’t really care, as long as he wasn’t the unhappy necessity. He was confident no one knew he was in the country, other than the people who’d helped him get there. But it never paid to be overconfident.

  Regardless of whether he was the topic of conversation or not, however, the two vampires were both close to Orrin Sorley, who was the current Lord of Ireland, and that made them well worth some chilled bones. At some point, Quinn would have to face down and defeat Sorley in order to seize control of Ireland. But he wasn’t ready for that yet. He was just gathering information at this point, because information was power. And the more the better.

  He turned to greet the lovely waitress who was delivering his fresh pot of tea, trying to determine whether she was too young beneath all those lush curves, or if she might provide some entertainment later, when a flash of red hair drew his eye back to the scene outside the window. He gave the curvy waitress a faint smile and a big tip, but his attention was already focused on the sexy redhead in black leather and faux fur who was chatting up his vampire targets, with clear seduction in mind. She was human, no doubt of it, and from the looks of things, his two vampire thugs were more than willing to be seduced.

  Placing a flirtatious hand on one thuggish chest, she said something lighthearted and walked away. Two hard gazes swiveled to watch the sway of her hips until she turned into a narrow alleyway heading up the hill. The vampires exchanged quick grins, all but flashing fang in their eagerness, and took off after her.

  Quinn told himself it was none of his business, that the woman had put herself in harm’s way, and even if the two males hadn’t been vampires, they were obviously bad news. But a moment later, he was pushing his chair back and leaving his fresh pot of tea, cursing himself for a fool with every step.
/>   He slowed when he neared the alley. He had enough survival instincts left for that. It was more of a passage between buildings than a true alley, climbing the steep hill, too narrow for any kind of vehicle, and too dark for most humans to feel safe at night. There was no light of any kind, no lit windows, no public lamps, just old brick walls and lots of dirt, with an overflowing garbage bin or two thrown in for good measure. He frowned. Why the hell would a woman alone walk this way? And where the hell was she?

  A familiar scent abruptly wafted through the air. Blood. And something else that had his fangs trying to slide over his lower lip, uncaring who saw. He drew a deeper breath and scowled, just as the young woman tripped back down the hill from the deepest, darkest part of the alley, the spiked heels of her leather boots—so impractical on the uneven streets and wooden docks—making it difficult for her to gain a firm foothold as she drew closer. Her gaze was focused downward, on the rough surface beneath her feet and the shadows all around, so she didn’t notice him at first. But then some instinct kicked in, and she looked up sharply, suddenly realizing that she wasn’t alone. She raised a hand, and his vampire sight caught the gleam of a blade covered in blood. But it wasn’t the blood that drew his attention, it was that other scent, the one that had brought every one of his defensive instincts to high alert.

  The woman was covered in dust. Dust that had been two vampires before they’d followed her into that alley.

  Quinn stared. What the fuck?

  To be continued . . .

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  Unforgiven

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  Compelled

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  About the Author

  D. B. Reynolds arrived in sunny Southern California at an early age, having made the trek across the country from the Midwest in a station wagon with her parents, her many siblings, and the family dog. And while she has many (okay, some) fond memories of Midwestern farm life, she quickly discovered that L.A. was her kind of town and grew up happily sunning on the beaches of the South Bay.

  D. B. holds graduate degrees in international relations and history from UCLA (go Bruins!) and was headed for a career in academia. But in a moment of clarity she left behind the politics of the hallowed halls for the better paying politics of Hollywood, where she worked as a sound editor for several years, receiving two Emmy nominations, an MPSE Golden Reel and multiple MPSE nominations for her work in television sound.

  Book One of her Vampires in America series, RAPHAEL, launched her career as a writer in 2009, while JABRIL, Vampires in America Book Two, was awarded the RT Reviewers Choice Award for Best Paranormal Romance (Small Press) in 2010. ADEN, Vampires in America Book Seven, was her first release under the new ImaJinn imprint at Belle Books, Inc.

  D. B. currently lives in a flammable canyon near the Malibu coast, and when she’s not writing her own books, she can usually be found reading someone else’s. You can visit D. B. at her website dbreynolds.com for information on her latest books, contests, and giveaways.