A wry grin played at the corner of the vamp’s mouth. “I’m afraid that’s on a need-to-know basis, McConnell.”
“And I don’t need to know?” The words were sharper than he’d meant them to be, but his patience had dried up a long time ago.
“I’m not trying to start shit with you, man. I just want to keep the boy safe.”
Though a low burn of rage poured through him, coiling in his muscles, Seth fought back the urge to throw a punch. He was still pissed enough about Raine running out on him that it would have felt good to go a round with the Förmyndare, but he knew they didn’t have the time. So he settled for simply telling him off. “You’re being a prick, Granger.”
“And you’re acting like a cocky son of a bitch,” Gideon drawled. “As usual.”
Raine rolled her eyes. “I’m going to let you two keep trading insults and say goodbye to Thomas.”
Seth watched her return to the passenger side of the car, while Gideon watched him. He tried to school his expression, giving nothing away, but the vamp wasn’t an idiot. The Deschanel waited until Raine had crouched down beside the boy’s seat, before saying, “So you and Raine, huh?” He flashed Seth a sly smile. “Anything going on between you two?”
“None of your goddamn business.”
The vampire’s dark brows lifted with interest, his gray eyes gleaming. “Ah, so it’s like that, is it?”
Seth glared. “I like you, Gideon. I really do. So just shut up before I’m tempted to kill you.”
The guy’s laugh was rough as he climbed off the hood and slapped Seth’s shoulder. “I like you, too, man. And that’s why I’m going to give you a little advice.”
Seth ground his jaw, but knew there was no point in fighting against the inevitable. The vampire was going to meddle, whether he wanted him to or not.
And the bastard was clearly enjoying himself, his light gaze glittering as he lowered his voice and said, “Sometimes female Deschanel don’t come easily, no matter how good a time they’re having. But…there is one surefire way to get them going.” He gave Seth a measuring gaze, then added, “That is, if you can handle it.”
Seth held his breath as he waited for the vamp to finish, something in Gideon’s expression warning him that he wasn’t going to like what was coming. When a few seconds had ticked by, he lost his patience and barked, “Well, what the hell is it?”
Gideon gave a throaty chuckle, then turned and headed toward the driver’s side of the car. But Seth caught the vampire’s drawled words as they drifted over the guy’s shoulder, and his insides went cold.
“If you wanna make her come, just give her your vein.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
An hour later…
RAINE HAD NEVER been the restless sort, until now. Maybe McConnell’s pacing was rubbing off on her, because as she waited for him to finish the phone calls he was making out on the balcony, she could not sit still. Thankfully, their new hotel room was bigger than the last, with two double beds and plenty of floor space. When she’d asked Seth why he’d changed hotels, he’d told her that he suspected Westmore’s men might have been watching Schultz, seeing as how Spark had rushed to Berlin. And if they had been at the bar when Raine caught up with the Casus, she and McConnell could have been followed back to the hotel.
Raine had snuck out a service entrance when she’d run out on him, which had hopefully prevented her from being followed. McConnell had done the same when he’d come after her, which meant that, for the moment, they were off the radar.
Of course, as soon as she clued in on the next Casus’s location—a particularly slimy Casus named Wentworth—they would probably be walking into a trap, since she assumed Wentworth would be under surveillance, as well. But she wasn’t going to try to run again. A selfish decision, no doubt—but she couldn’t leave him.
And yet, just because she’d had a change of heart didn’t mean Seth would stick around. After the way she’d clawed at him, she wouldn’t be surprised if he finally decided to bail. The moment they’d entered the room, she’d immediately taken a shower, desperate to wash off the scent of his blood, still unable to believe what she’d done. God, how many times was she going to attack the poor guy before he’d had enough and washed his hands of her?
And why does it hurt so much to think of that happening?
It frightened her to admit it, but Raine didn’t want him to leave. Not that she knew exactly what she wanted…but she needed the time to figure it out. Time to figure out precisely what was going on between them.
McConnell had told her, point-blank, that he wanted her. There was a part of her that still doubted the truth of that statement—after all, he truly could get any woman he wanted—and she thought he might simply be trying to distract her from going through with the hunt in an effort to protect her. If so, it didn’t make him a bad guy. He was just trying to save her life. But…there was also a part of her that was starting to believe he really did want her. She could hear it in his voice when he spoke to her, see the hunger in his eyes. It didn’t make much sense, considering she was no great prize—but Raine knew she hadn’t been imagining those things.
And then there was the way that he treated her. The restraint he’d shown when dealing with her. He could have fought back the two times she’d struck out at him and easily taken her down. But he hadn’t and she’d have been lying if she’d said she wasn’t a little in awe of him.
So what the hell was she going to do about it?
Before she even realized what she was doing, Raine found herself picking up her backpack and heading into the bathroom again, the air still steamy from her shower. She set the pack on the counter and rooted around inside for the cosmetics the ladies back at Harrow House had given her, despite her assertions that she didn’t need them. She’d thought her new friends were crazy at the time, considering she couldn’t have cared less what she looked like, but now she was grateful. And while it only took a few minutes, the effect was…shocking. She applied a light tinted moisturizer, some smoky liner, lip gloss, and used a bit of styling gel in her hair to give the wavy locks that tousled, just-rolled-out-of-bed-with-Jude-Law kind of look. All in all, it wasn’t bad, she figured, considering how out of practice she was. Her eyes looked huge with the smoky liner, her mouth glossy and full. Maybe even kissable.
Yes, it was ridiculous to be putting on makeup in the middle of the night, but heck, it was almost morning at this point. And she liked the results. Felt a little more confident now that she didn’t look like a washed-out ghost—a look she’d been cultivating for months, just wanting to disappear into the scenery. But not anymore.
Taking a deep breath, Raine picked up her bag and walked out of the bathroom to find McConnell sitting at the foot of the bed nearest the balcony, his elbows braced on his parted knees, just staring at some distant spot on the ugly beige carpet. He turned his head toward her as she cleared her throat, then immediately jerked to his feet, his eyes going wide as he studied her face, her hair. His mouth dropped open a little, his breathing sounding a little rougher as he continued to stare…and she could hear the heaviness of his heartbeats, his pulse rapidly gaining speed.
Not knowing what else to do, Raine set her backpack on the floor and went to him, stopping when she stood only a foot or so away. He’d taken his shirt off and put fresh bandages over the wounds on his chest, the scent of an antiseptic sharp against the mouthwatering scent of his body. She wanted to lean forward and place a tender kiss against the white bandages, then the healing wounds in his shoulders, but was too nervous. Too ashamed. Instead, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out his knife, offering it to him. “I wanted to give this back to you.”
His brows drew together as he took the knife from her hand. “How did you—”
Taking another quick breath for courage, she said, “I took it when I left.”
He shook his head a little, clearly confused, his eyes lowered to half-mast as he held her stare. “Why?”
“B
ecause I wanted to have something of yours.” She coughed, then forced herself to go on. “It wasn’t an easy decision for me. Um, leaving you, that is. I didn’t…I didn’t want to go. But I don’t like knowing that your life is in danger because of me.”
The instant the words left her mouth, she knew she’d said the wrong thing.
“Jesus, Raine.” He towered over her, so big and muscular and deliciously male. And so impossibly angry with her. “What’s it going to take to prove to you that I’m strong enough to protect you?”
“I know you can protect me. That’s not the issue.”
He turned away from her, walking across the room, tension radiating off his back as he stood before the balcony’s sliding glass door, staring out at the city’s flickering skyline. It was the first time Raine had ever seen his naked back, and she felt like she’d been punched in the chest, her breath rattling from her lungs as she wheezed, “Ohmygod.”
“What?” he grunted, sending her a dark look over his shoulder.
“Your back,” she whispered, staring at the multitude of scars that marred his skin. She had no doubt that they’d been made by rogue Deschanel. When a bite was accepted willingly, a Deschanel could heal the wound by swiping their tongue across the punctures. It was only when the wounds were left to fester that they remained permanent.
He stiffened, as if only just realizing that he hadn’t put his shirt back on. “Haven’t you seen them before?” he demanded in a rough voice, heading over to the bag he’d left sitting beside the bed.
“How could I?” she asked, watching as he took a T-shirt out of the bag and pulled it over his head. “You always put a shirt on if you’re going to walk around in front of me.”
He hooked one thumb in his front pocket, his head angled forward as he used his other hand to rub the muscles in the back of his neck. “But if you’ve seen my memories, wouldn’t you have seen…my body in them?”
“I see your memories from your viewpoint, McConnell. So your back isn’t visible.”
“Guess that makes sense,” he muttered, sliding her a shuttered look from the corner of his eye.
“Why are they…?”
“Only on my back?” His mouth twisted with a bitter smile. “Because a vamp generally sneaks up on you from behind.”
“Guess that makes sense,” she murmured, echoing his words, hoping to make him laugh. But he didn’t soften, and she knew he wasn’t going to make this easy for her. Which meant she was just going to have to forge on and battle her way against his anger. “Seth, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking tonight, and I want…I want you to know that I trust you.”
He turned toward her, his hard gaze locking with hers as he crossed his powerful arms over his chest. “So saving your life didn’t mean anything to you, but it matters that I helped the kid?”
“What you did tonight,” she murmured, nervously tucking her hair behind an ear, “I know that couldn’t have been easy. But you did it, anyway. It was…amazing.”
“Yeah, well, we assholes do what we can,” he muttered, looking away, and then immediately bringing that smoldering green gaze right back to her face, as if he couldn’t help himself.
“You’re not an asshole,” she said softly.
A low, bitter sound tore from his chest. “Sure I am. If I wasn’t, you wouldn’t have risked eternal shame by breaking your Oath and leaving.”
“I thought I was doing the right thing,” she told him, moving a few steps closer to where he stood beside the bed.
“Don’t we all,” he said, pulling a hand down his face.
“Seth, about tonight.” She dared to take another step closer to him, the deep glow of the lamp on the dresser behind her reflected in the molten depths of his eyes, the green so hot it reminded her of wild jungle fauna. “I told myself that I was running because I didn’t want to put you in danger, but the truth is that—” A brusque knock sounded at their door, cutting her off, and she sent him a questioning look. “Were you expecting anyone?”
“Not unless it’s the grim reaper coming to slay my ass,” he offered dryly, heading past her and toward the door. He looked through the peephole, cursed something gritty under his breath, then ripped open the door. A second later, Ashe Granger, Gideon’s brother, walked into the room, looking every bit the gorgeous bad-ass that Raine remembered him from their travels across the Wasteland. His clothes were all black, his dark hair still incredibly short and the gleam in his silver eyes impossibly wicked.
“What are you doing here?” Seth growled, sounding anything but friendly as he closed the door behind the unwanted visitor.
The vampire’s curious gaze shifted between them, and he grinned. “Just wanted to stop by and say hi.”
Seth snorted. “And who’s watching Spark while you’re out socializing?”
“A cousin of ours who’s in town,” he offered casually, his six-foot-plus height making it easy for him to hitch his hip on the edge of the dresser. “I wanted a break from watching the redhead, so I put Liam on guard duty for a while.”
“Is Thomas okay?” Raine asked, drawing the vamp’s attention.
“I just talked to Gideon a few minutes ago. He said the kid hasn’t stopped chatting his ear off.” Looking at Seth again, he asked, “How did you find them, anyway? The boy told Gideon that Raine was alone when she found him, but that you tracked them down. Did you tag her?”
“I would have,” he muttered, cutting her a dark look before returning his gaze to Granger, “but I never thought she’d be stupid enough to run.”
Ashe watched him carefully, a curious tilt to his head as he said, “If you didn’t tag her, then how did you know where she was?”
“I don’t know how,” he rasped, rolling his shoulder. “I just…found her.”
Ashe scratched his chin and “hmm’d” under his breath.
She and Seth looked at each other, then back at the vamp. “What does that mean?” they asked in perfect unison.
Ashe appeared lost in thought. “Nothing.”
Seth popped his jaw, then said, “I hate to sound like a dick, Ashe, but I’m low on patience tonight. So spit it out or get the hell out of here.”
The vampire’s mouth twisted with a smile and he held up his hands. “Sorry, man. I’m not trying to be a pain in the ass. I was just thinking about something that I learned during my Förmyndare training.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest and went on. “According to Deschanel lore, there have been cases in history where a human male forms a bond with an unmated Deschanel female. The bonds are based on protection, and he becomes her guardian, willing to risk life and limb to ensure her safety. They call it a Sangra bond, and in such cases the human male supposedly develops the ability to find the female, tracking her over long distances.”
Seth shook his head. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before.”
The vampire shrugged. “Like I said, it was during my training, when all the secrets of our clan are revealed. And it’s not exactly something that the Deschanel want advertised, since they frown upon humans and vamps breeding.”
“But you said the bonds were based on protection,” Raine murmured. “Not…breeding.”
“Honey, when a man wants to protect something that badly, there’s a reason for it,” he drawled, sliding a knowing smile toward Seth. “Usually means the bastard wants to nail her so badly he can’t see straight. That kind of hunger causes all his latent primal instincts to kick into high gear, which accounts for his ability to track her.”
A heavy silence settled between them, electricity practically crackling in the air, while Raine’s mind reeled. She couldn’t believe her physical reaction to the provocative news, her pulse racing, chest tight, while inside she went soft and warm. Desire coursed through her veins, making her burn, while a shivery burst of chills fluttered over the surface of her skin.
“But who knows if it’s true?” Ashe murmured. “So much of the Deschanel lore is just that—fiction.” His voice was deep and rich.
“You can’t always believe everything you hear.”
Seth paced his way to the sliding doors, rubbing the back of his neck again. “I just talked to Kierland a little while ago,” he rumbled, deftly changing the subject. “He said there’s been another Infettato attack.”
The vampire muttered a sharp curse, then asked, “Where was this one?”
“Russia. Aiden and Quinn are going to head out and try to handle the situation. There’s also a local Watchmen unit who’s going to help them.”
They talked for a bit longer about the threat of exposure posed by the Infettato, and then Ashe moved to his feet. “Okay, I’ll get out of here and let you both grab some sleep. We should plan to meet again in the morning, so give me a call when you’re up.”
They said their goodbyes, and Raine locked the door behind him. When she turned back toward Seth, he looked as confused as she was by Granger’s strange revelations. “Do you think that what he said is true?” she asked.
He lifted his shoulders, the muscles in his chest drawing her eye as the cotton of his shirt pulled tight across his firm pecs. Knowing damn well how dangerous it was to ogle him, since it always made her feel a little dazed, Raine set her jaw and forced her gaze back to his face, a sliver of wariness shooting up her spine at the intense, predatory way he was watching her.
Just because she’d decided not to run didn’t mean she planned to jump into bed with him, and her nerves had her babbling. “Personally, I think it sounds crazy. Not to mention impossible.”
His rough, breathless bark of laughter caught her off guard. “Impossible. Improbable. Christ, that seems to be the hallmark of our relationship.”
“We’re not in a relationship,” she argued, knowing she had to preserve as much emotional distance as she could.
“Sure we are,” he rasped, his head tilting a fraction to the side as he stared at her. “It might be dysfunctional as hell, Raine, but you can’t argue that there’s something going on between us.”
Rush of Darkness Page 14
