Revealed

by Zoe Allison

  He remained silent. In response, he jackknifed her over his head, slamming her into the door. She landed on her back in front of it. The man stood across the room by the window, his gloved fists raised. Vic got up to face him. She was between him and his only exit and she needed to keep it that way. She shifted toward him, trying not to stray too far from the door, and raised her own fists. Waiting a few seconds for him to make the first move, she examined his stance. She let him take a few jabs at her, effectively blocking each one, but without initiating her own attack. She wanted to suss out his fighting style, and it was very apparent that The Organization had trained him. He must be the mole. Something about his dark eyes caught her attention, something familiar…

  The door to the room burst open, and Vale was standing at the other side. Vic’s momentary relief at having some backup worked against her because the man seized the split-second distraction to grab hold of her. He pulled her into his torso, his arm around her neck and both of them facing Vale. She tested his grip and cursed herself when she realized his strength.

  Vale appraised him from the doorway. “What do you want?”

  Again, the man said nothing.

  “Let her go,” Vale told him.

  The man gestured toward the door.

  “Okay,” Vale said, narrowing his eyes. “Let her go, and I will let you walk out. But after that, you had better run.”

  The man shook his head and something cold dug into Vic’s back. Vale’s face fell. That meant a spear was poised, ready to plunge into her heart. Her pulse stepped up a notch.

  “You are not taking her,” Vale said quietly.

  The man nodded.

  Vale clenched his hands into fists.

  The man made to inch toward Vale and the door. Vic could see the conflict on Vale’s face. If he came at the masked man, then she would get staked. If he let him get away, she might well end up meeting the same fate.

  Fuck this.

  In series of lightning-fast moves Vic stepped forward, twisted away from the man’s arm and slammed her elbow into his gut. He doubled over and she punched him in the head, sending him reeling back toward the window. Vic ran and drop-kicked him in the chest, and he crashed through the glass, starting to fall sixty stories toward the ground. She ran forward with Vale close behind. They were just in time to see the man grab a hold of a window frame a few levels down by smashing his hand through the building’s facade and gripping hold of the steel surround. He flipped himself up and through the window, shattering the glass in the process.

  Vale sped to the desk and pressed a hidden button underneath. An alarm sounded throughout the building.

  “Lockdown?” Vic asked. “Good idea.” She rolled her shoulder. It was sore, but she thought no more of it because any bruising would heal up in a couple of seconds.

  Vale frowned. “Not really. If he is a mole, then all he needs to do is get away from that room and remove his mask. The perfect disguise is his own identity here.”

  Vic’s heart sank. Vale was right. They had no idea which of the hundreds of Organization members it was. And being a vampire, by now there wouldn’t be a mark on him because their wounds healed so quickly.

  Vic realized that Vale was staring at her. “What is it?” she asked him.

  He moved toward her. “I did not know what to do. I could not let him take you, but if I attacked, then I feared he would stake you.”

  She smiled. “Lucky for you I can handle myself.” She tried to stretch her sore shoulder again.

  He smiled. “I know.” He reached out to touch her cheek and his face fell.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Your shoulder,” he said.

  She craned her neck to look. There was a gash across it, which was bleeding profusely and not yet healing.

  “The spear was tainted,” he told her.

  A spear through the heart didn’t result in a vampire’s permanent demise as long as it was removed. A tainted spear to the heart meant certain death, but wounds elsewhere healed normally.

  “Shit,” she said. “That was a close call then.” She smiled at him, trying to make light of the situation but his expression was still pained.

  Vale pulled her closer. “We could have lost you.”

  Vic placed her hands on his chest, studying his face curiously. “But you didn’t. He only got my shoulder, not my heart. It’ll be healed in a few seconds.”

  He shook his head, searching her eyes with his. She could see pain brimming over in them. Why was he overreacting?

  Vale slid his hand up the back of her neck into her hair, bringing her even closer. Vic’s heart rate sped higher than it had during the fight she had just been in. What was going on? He been alternating between being her friend and not wanting her anywhere near him, and now suddenly he was behaving as if he had deeper feelings for her. She stayed absolutely still, terrified that he might break away. He tangled his fingers into her hair, bringing her face impossibly closer to his. Is he going to kiss me this time? She held her breath, praying that he would and that she wasn’t misreading him again.

  He rested his forehead gently against hers. “Can I kiss you?” he asked softly.

  The fact that he had asked permission made her want him to even more—and wanting it more hadn’t seemed possible a couple of seconds ago. She nodded as gently as she could, scared that speaking or making any larger gestures might break the spell.

  Valentino closed the last of the millimeters between them, kissing her softly. Vic’s knees started to buckle so she locked them in place. No way would she let it end that soon. She lifted her arms around his neck, desperate for him to deepen the kiss…but he didn’t. He moved his mouth over hers, making her head swim with each small motion. She pressed herself into him, trying to soak up all the contact she could, still frightened that he might break away at any moment. Just as that thought crossed her mind, he did ease back a little, causing her heart to plummet. But then he ran his tongue along her bottom lip, biting it gently, and she thought her heart might stop.

  Then he slid his tongue against hers. Her dizziness heightened and she responded with equal intensity. Her legs started to go again, and she tried to bolster them, but strangely it was a struggle. He tightened his grip on her, holding her up.

  Vale moved them both back and pressed her against the wall, his weight holding her in place. As he dragged his lips over her neck, she reveled in the heat of his mouth on her skin. Trails of fire spread out in rivulets over her entire body. She pushed her fingers through his hair, urging his mouth back up to hers so that she could taste him again. He ran his hand onto the back of her thigh, lifting her leg and hooking it around his hip to bring her closer. The fire on her skin burned with a deep intensity and her head started to spin.

  “Vic,” he whispered against her mouth.

  Suddenly pain exploded in her shoulder, making her gasp and break their contact.

  Vale’s handsome face swam in front of her. “Vic?”

  He was holding her up, but she was still slipping away.

  “Hold on—” His voice sounded weird and distant. He laid her onto the floor. Faraway sounds indicated him calling for help. Through the fog she heard more people enter the room. Then the gray faded to black.

  Chapter Eleven

  Valentino paced the floor of the medical wing. It was situated on ground level at the rear of the building. It wasn’t a facility they used very often, given the near-invincible status of vampires—however, from time to time the need arose, mainly when an operative had neglected to keep their blood uptake to the point that they healed effectively.

  Vale took a deep breath in an attempt to steady his anxiety about Vic. If it struck the heart, a tainted spear would cause decay to the weakened muscle so that regeneration with removal of the spear wasn’t possible. However, the substance used caused much less significant damage to tissues other than the heart and those healed pretty quickly, just a fraction slower than normal wounds. They were only an issue if th
e decay spread anywhere near the cardiac area. So how come Vic’s wound had caused her to collapse when it should have been healing?

  Her injury had cut quite deeply into her shoulder, so the medics were working on excising the damaged flesh to help the laceration heal. In order to enhance that process, she was being given large quantities of blood to ingest. However, as far as he knew, she had been taking enough blood to keep up her effective healing, therefore the severity of her injury made no sense.

  Vale went to sit on a chair outside her treatment room. He couldn’t stand the thought that she had come to harm and was terrified that something might still go wrong and threaten her life. Why on earth had he kissed her when he should have been assessing her wound and her condition? He couldn’t fathom what had come over him, especially when he had only just decided that it was best to keep some distance between them. He knew he shouldn’t have asked her to come with him to his office or up to the annex, but the separation after their tense conversation in Sydney had been killing him and he’d been desperate to have her with him.

  Vale shook his head and got to his feet again. Pacing kept his mind from wandering back to that kiss. He had been compelled to do it, like he couldn’t suppress the urge. He’d been holding back his feelings toward her for a while, even though he hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself.

  He’d been taking risks too, with regards to revealing his identity. That was something he had never done before, not even with Amber and Hayden. He’d let Vic witness him perform tasks that, by rights, he shouldn’t have been able to if he wasn’t Mr. X. So why had he done it? There was something about her, something magnetic. He couldn’t help but draw her closer.

  “Vale.”

  He glanced up and Gareth was approaching. A strange mix of emotion washed over him—guilt at being so short with Gareth before, when he hadn’t done anything wrong, but tinged with anger that he had tried to seduce Vic in Berlin. Yet he still didn’t have any grounds to resent Gareth for that. Victoria was just a friend, despite him having a lapse of common sense and kissing her in his office.

  Vale stood as Gareth drew level with him.

  “Hi,” Gareth said. “Is Vic okay?”

  Vale couldn’t stop himself from bristling. “I am just waiting to hear, but hopefully yes.”

  Gareth paused, clearly taking in Vale’s body language. “I’ve got some news.”

  Vale gestured to the seat next to him and they both sat. “I hope it is good news. We could use some of that.”

  “Yes,” Gareth said. “I’ve got a name.”

  Vale’s pulse quickened. “The Glassmarsh sibling’s name?”

  Gareth glanced down the corridor. “Yes.”

  “What is it?” Vale asked.

  Gareth turned back to him. “Harvey Moore.”

  Vale breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully that was the start of things going their way. “How did you find out?”

  “I’ll tell you later,” Gareth said. “Right now I want to get back to it and see what else I can dig up.” He gestured toward Vic’s room. “Tell Vic I hope her wound heals quickly.”

  “You can tell her yourself if you like,” Vale said, aware that there was no sincerity in that statement.

  Gareth shook his head. “That’s okay. I want to get back on it.”

  Something occurred to Vale. “How did you know, by the way? About her wound?”

  “Priyanka told me,” Gareth said, studying him. “You’re still mad with me, aren’t you?”

  Vale frowned. “Why would I be mad?”

  “Because,” Gareth said, “I came on to the woman you want.”

  Vale’s breath caught in his throat. “You are mistaken.”

  “About which part?” Gareth asked.

  Vale swallowed. “I do not want her, except as a friend.”

  Gareth sighed. “Listen… I think it’s pretty obvious to everyone except for you and Vic that you both want each other. And believe me, if that’s the case, you should just go for it. There’s nothing stopping you.”

  Vale shook his head. Gareth was wrong. Vic hadn’t indicated that she wanted any more from him than friendship and even if that weren’t the case, he couldn’t get involved with anyone, not with his responsibilities. Then why were we kissing in my office just now?

  Gareth was watching him. “Did she tell you that nothing happened between us in Berlin?”

  Vale’s heart rate spiked with anger at the thought that it wasn’t without the want of trying, on Gareth’s part. “She mentioned it, yes.”

  Gareth leaned back. “What else did she tell you?”

  “Nothing else. Why?” Vale said.

  Gareth met his gaze. “Don’t get me wrong. I like Vic, but just as friends. We’ve known each other for ages. I didn’t proposition her for my benefit. It was for hers…and yours.”

  That made no sense to Vale. “I find that hard to believe.”

  Gareth shrugged. “It’s the truth.”

  Vale frowned. He couldn’t fathom where Gareth was coming from.

  Gareth blew his breath out through pursed lips. “I know what it’s like to want something you can’t have. But you two can have each other, so I just gave you a push in the right direction. I’m sorry if it made you think badly of me.”

  Vale didn’t know what to make of that. Gareth seemed sincere, but why on earth go to such measures? Especially when he was mistaken about their intentions toward each other. “I am not sure what to say. Why would you go to the trouble?”

  Gareth ran a hand through his hair. “I told Vic it was because I’m a romantic at heart, which is true, but I do also have more selfish reasons.”

  “Go on,” Vale said.

  Gareth glanced at him. “Maybe if you were involved with Vic, it would keep you away from the person who I really want to be with.”

  Vale studied him, confused. What of Amber’s disclosure that Gareth had a reputation as a womanizer?

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Gareth said.

  “What am I thinking?” Vale asked.

  Gareth sighed. “My behavior is just a cover-up. A distraction to take my mind off the fact that I can’t have the only woman I really want.”

  A wave of sympathy washed over Vale. “And that woman is…?”

  Gareth looked down the corridor again. “I’m sure you can work it out.” He stood. “Anyway, I’m going to get back to work. Good luck. And if you want my advice, just tell her how you feel.” He walked away.

  Vale leaned back. Who did Gareth harbor feelings for? ‘Maybe if you were involved with Vic then it would keep you away from the person who I really want to be with.’ Why would he need to keep Vale away from that person? Then it hit him. He remembered how Gareth had told Priyanka that he would take on the search for the Glassmarsh sibling’s name and that he wanted to help her with the load she was bearing. There had also been an undercurrent of something between the two of them recently. He must have misconstrued Vale’s close working relationship and friendship with Priyanka and felt the need to keep Vale away from the woman he secretly loved.

  Vale blew out a deep breath. Did Priyanka know? Why couldn’t they be together? A terrible guilt overcame him. Is it because of my guideline about relationships within The Organization?

  The door to Vic’s room opened and a medic beckoned him over. Vale stood quickly and obliged, momentarily forgetting about Gareth and Priyanka.

  “The substance on the spear seems a lot stronger than anything we’re used to,” the medic said. “That’s why it caused her to collapse, despite the heart not being affected. Do you know the source of it?”

  Vale shook his head. “We do not know the identity of the assailant.”

  She frowned. “I hope we don’t see any more of these kinds of injuries at the hands of the malevolent. They could be quite debilitating.”

  Vale processed the information. The malevolent must have developed a stronger substance to taint their spears with, so that they could weaken the efforts of the
benevolents they fought without needing to strike a killer blow to the heart. That was not good news.

  The medic was speaking again. “We’ve managed to get her wound to the point that healing can begin. It’ll take a couple of hours, but after that, she’ll be one hundred percent.”

  Vale had to stop himself from hugging the medic. “Thank you. Can I see her?”

  “Yes,” she said. “But not for too long. She’s still a bit groggy.”

  He shook her hand. “Okay, thank you.”

  Vale entered the room. Victoria was lying on a hospital bed, a bandage around her shoulder. He winced at the sight of it.

  “What’s up?” she said.

  He startled. He’d thought she was asleep. “Your shoulder…”

  “It’s fine,” she said. “See? I can hardly feel it.” She lifted her shoulder and grimaced with pain. “Okay, so maybe I can feel it a little.”

  Vale didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Seeing her in pain was intensely painful for him too. Pushing that thought away, he made his way over to sit beside her. He wondered whether he should mention the kiss and apologize for it.

  She looked at him. “So…you’re some kisser.”

  He widened his eyes, and he found himself inadvertently glancing at her lips. “Pardon?”

  She smiled. “Just one peck and you make a girl pass out.”

  That time he did laugh. She always had the ability to bring a smile to his face. “Sorry about that,” he told her.

  “Hey,” she said, “I’m certainly not complaining. I wouldn’t have granted you permission if I hadn’t wanted to.”

  Vale met her gaze and got lost in blue skies and green emeralds again. Victoria in the sky with emeralds.

  “What is it?” she asked him.

  He came out of his reverie. “What?”

  “You seem far away,” she said. “I hope you aren’t worrying about that kiss. Honestly, Vale, you need to loosen up a bit.”