Keri Arthur - Dangerous Games

Jin wasn't in the kitchen, either, but he'd left a note propped up against the salt shaker in the middle of the table.

Sorry to run out on you, Riley, but work called and needed my help urgently. Grab something to eat, or a shower, or whatever you want before you go. I'll ring you tonight.

If not for his snoring mate, the perfect opportunity to snoop through Jin's things and find out a little more about him had just presented itself.

I bit my bottom lip for a moment, contemplating the kettle and whether my desire for an early morning coffee was bad enough to risk waking the housemate.

The answer was a definite no. I spun around and padded lightly back to the living room, collecting my things and taking a quick look around. There didn't seem to be anything odd or strange in the room, and nothing that snagged the interest of my instincts.

I blew out a breath and headed back to the bedroom. I needed a shower, but given the running water might wake the snorer, it was probably better to do a bedroom search beforehand.

I carefully closed the door, then tossed my things on the bed and began to quietly—and carefully—go through his drawers. One fact I discovered straightaway—Jin was a man who liked fine things. His boxer shorts were silk, for heaven's sake.

The only thing I found that snagged my interest was a stack of business cards in his neatly sorted sock drawer. They were black, with the name Hellion Club printed in red, and Jin's name underneath. I took one of the cards, then gathered my clothes and headed for the shower.

Thankfully, it didn't wake the snorer. I just wasn't up to dealing with a stranger right now. I needed to get home, send Jack my report, then grab some rest, because I was feeling shakier than a newborn pup.

The rain had cleared away during the night, and the morning was one of those crisp, sunshine-filled ones that Melbourne often got in winter. It was still cold enough to freeze the balls off a dog, but at least the sun was out.

I gently closed the door, then did up my coat as I padded barefoot down the steps. At the gate, I stopped long enough to put on my shoes, then headed for my car.

I'd barely gone two house blocks when a hand wrapped itself around my arm. I reacted instinctively, kicking backwards at the heated presence I could feel behind me.

Then realized who that presence was.

Quinn.

He released my arm and jumped out of the way of my kick. I turned around. He was dressed in black from head to foot, a shadow that looked out of place in the brightness of the morning. Just seeing him again had my hormones stirring—though with a whole lot less vigor than normal. Weird. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." His warm voice was edged with displeasure.

I snorted softly. "I'm dressed in last night's party clothes, and I'm coming out of a house not my own. You do the math."

"Oh, I get the equation, I'm just wondering whether it's for your own pleasure or for the Directorate."

"If you're not going to answer my questions, why the hell should I answer yours?" Especially when my answer would only result in having grief flung my way. Quinn might have decided he had to be in the race to win the race, but that didn't mean he was at all happy about me taking other partners. Especially when those other partners were complete strangers.

I spun on my heel and walked away before he could answer. I didn't need this crap now. I just wanted to get home.

"Riley, wait." He touched my arm again, but his grip was gentler this time, less demanding.

I paused and looked at him. "What?"

He tugged me around to face him, then looked intently into my eyes. "Are you all right?"

I tried to shake free of his grip but it tightened imperceptibly. "Of course I'm all right. Let me go."

He didn't. "You look drained."

Something resembling fear slithered through me. "What?"

"I said you looked—"

"I know what you said, but what the hell did you mean?"

"It means someone has been feeding off you."

That feeling of fear intensified. "As in vampire type feeding?"

He nodded, and with his free hand, touch my chin and gently guided my head from one side to the other. "No bite marks evident there. What about elsewhere?"

Everywhere, babe. I pulled free from his grip and stepped back. "The man I was with was not a vampire."

He frowned. "You sure of that?"

"He was human."

The expression on his face suggested he wasn't believing. "You remember the time in the plane, when you all but forced yourself onto me?"

I crossed my arms. "You didn't put up much of a fight, believe me."

"No. But I took too much blood, remember?"

Like I could forget? "So?"

"So, do you remember the resulting feeling afterward?"

"Washed out, shaky." I paused, finally catching his drift. "He didn't take any blood from me, Quinn. Trust me on that."

"Blood vampires are not the only type of vampire out there."

I blinked. "They're not?"

"No." He lightly touched my cheek, his fingers warm against my cooler skin. "You need to eat then rest. Immediately."

"Well, I was planning to do both before some rude person stopped me in the street."

His sudden smile didn't erase the concern in his eyes, and part of the anger I'd been feeling over his desertion in the middle of a dark night and hot date evaporated. But only part.

"What if I offer to buy you breakfast then drive you home?"

I eyed him for a moment, the desire to be with him warring with the need to get back at him for dumping me so abruptly the other night. "So what about the person you followed here?"

He smiled. "Should have known you'd guess."

"Not hard to. I mean, unless you're out whoring around as well, the only other logical reason for being here is the fact that you were following someone."

"I do not whore around—"

"Ah, yeah," I interrupted. "You're a billionaire who doesn't have to pay for it. Which makes it okay for you to fuck all comers and not me."

His sigh was a sound of pure frustration. "Can we not do this here? You really do need to replenish your strength."

I stubbornly remained where I was. "And what about the man or woman you were following?"

"I think my target will sleep most of the day. She prefers night, anyway."

And how would he know that? Doing a little non-whoring of his own, perhaps? "And your target is currently in the house I came out of?" Meaning the snorer was a woman?

"Yes." He paused. "I take it your date was the man who left at dawn?"

"Yes."

"There was something odd about that one."

"Tell me about it," I muttered, then turned on my heel and began walking toward my car. Quinn kept close, as if he were afraid I would topple over at any minute. I was shaky, but not that shaky.

"He did read as a human, but there was also an otherworldliness that suggested something more." He cast me a sideways glance. "What was the sex like?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What was the sex like for you?"

"I haven't had sex for several days." A smile touched his lips. "Now, last week I was with this stunning redhead—"

"Who is still extremely upset about being dumped the other night, and who does not want to be fucked around anymore."

He met my gaze for several seconds, then looked away. His smile faded, and his vampire face came online. "Riley, I do what I think best to protect you."

"And yet the shit headed my way always seems deeper when you do. You have to learn to trust me, Quinn."

Surprise flitted briefly across his impassive face. "I do—"

"No, you don't. Not out of the sack, anyway."

"Riley, you should not take the risks that you do."