Annie Nicholas - Sigma

A wash of heat burned his face at the reminder of how hungry he’d been for her. Hell, how hungry he was growing for her again. The sheet covering her body didn’t pose much of a barrier between them. Clementine’s combination of sweetness and strength was like nothing he’d encountered before in a woman. Shifter females were strong but those he’d encountered had a feral edge. This delicate vampire’s blush had a strong affect on him. How had she stayed so adorable?

Sam pushed those thoughts away.

It wouldn’t be long before she lost interest. It was best to keep things simple so he wouldn’t get hurt. “You can wear this, and we’ll tie the sheet around your waist for now.” He handed her his shirt and busied his mind with the directions Daedalus had left.

Scratching his head, he read over them twice, not believing what the fucker had done. He hated to admit it, but it was an excellent location. No one would ever think to look there.

“Are they not clear?” Clementine leaned against his arm to peer at the paper.

He stared at where they touched and took a shaky breath. His gaze traveled to her face, tracing over her delicate nose and her soft, short curls. She looked so innocent, yet she’d had no trouble pinning him to the bed and doing as she’d pleased to his body.

Her stare met his and her scent resembled prey’s.

Sam’s beast roared inside his head, almost shattering his skull. Apparently, the rest of him agreed with it as he crushed her against the wall and sought her soft, small mouth.

She made tender moaning noises in her throat as he parted her lips and entered her mouth, tasting his blood upon her tongue. His beast was so close to the surface. If he didn’t get his shit together he’d shift on her, and he doubted she’d be into that sort of thing.

He pushed away, digging his nails into the wall over her head. “We have to get you to the safe house. It’s almost dawn.” Fuck, fuck, fuck.

The way she sized him up with her doe-like eyes begged him to claim her. If she wasn’t careful, he just might accept her unspoken offer. There weren’t any rules about not taking a vampire into a pack. The Vasi tolerated Daedalus, so they would accept her. He shook his head and stepped away from Clementine before any more stupid ideas came to his mind. “Let’s go.” He grabbed her arm, not risking her hand. Boyfriends held hands. He wouldn’t fall into that trap, he had to stay strong. She’d be gone in a day and he’d only be a fond memory at best. The shifter she fucked after being shot kind of remembrance. Not very romantic.

“Sam? What’s wrong?” She yanked her arm out of his grasp. “Why are you so angry?”

“I’m not.” He just about yelled at her. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and shoved his beast back in his corner. “I’m not,” he repeated a little calmer, a little saner. “I just want to make you safe, and we’re running out of time.” He pointed to the sky.

She nodded and took his hand. “Okay, lead on.”

He should tug away instead of grasping her fingers, and enjoying the way her tiny hand fit so well in his, but it had been so long since any female had seemed willing to be with him other than in his bed. He didn’t want to let go.

“There’s the car.” Daedalus had left them a rental in the parking lot. The description had been with the directions. The vampire was nothing if not thorough. They belted in and he backed out, driving without needing to look at the directions again. He’d been to Daedalus’s safe house many times in his past, just not in the last few years. The sentimental asshole. “Exactly how did you get mixed up with Daedalus?” He squeezed the steering wheel tight while trying to keep his voice nonchalant.

“My master saved me from my maker not long after I’d been turned vampire.”

That title again, it grated on his nerves. “Do you have to call him that? It’s not like he’s around to hear you.”

“It’s a sign of respect. He’s done a lot for me over the decades and I appreciate all his efforts, enough to risk my existence.” She crossed her arms and glared out the passenger window.

“Were you lovers?” He groaned inside. He couldn’t believe he’d asked that. From her expression, neither could she. “Sorry, none of my business.” But the way she groveled for the Nosferatu ate at Sam. The chances that Daedalus had fucked her were pretty high. Let it go, dude.

They drove in silence, his autopilot on since he’d driven this route so many times. What was wrong with him? Maybe he’d hit his noggin when he slammed into those vampires with his car. Sure, Clementine turned his head and had his cock doing the one-man salute, but so had a lot of other females. However, none of them had twisted him in knots.

He glanced at her as she faced away from him. She’d stolen information from Pal Robi. That took balls. The tight security wouldn’t have been easy to breech. That kind of stunt required a warrior’s heart. However, she claimed to not be one. “What did you do at Pal Robi?”

She turned in her seat to face him, a new hurt in her eyes. “Accounting. I crunch numbers for a living.”

Shaking his head, he gazed up at the sky, asking for divine guidance. “Daedalus should never have involved you in this.” He eased his grip on the wheel before he bent it.

“He didn’t have a choice. I’m the only one he could really trust in the company who nobody would expect to betray them.”

Sam ground his teeth and grunted, since he couldn’t trust his mouth. They’d been lovers, he knew it.

“I owe him. He’d saved me. More than once. I couldn’t let him down. I only wish I could have gotten away clean, but I always refused training.” She slumped in her seat as if defeated.

“Hey.” He groped with his hand until it found hers and squeezed. “You did better than most. You got him the information. I think you did great.”

She contemplated their hands in her lap. “Sam?” She met his gaze. “I never slept with him. He’s too dominating for my taste.”

He barked out a laugh. “And I’m not?”

To his surprise, she laughed too. “You should be, but it’s different with you.” She shrugged and looked back out the window.

“Now, wait a second, you can’t say that to me and not elaborate. You don’t want me trying to read your mind. I’ll get it wrong every time.” He tried to make it a joke, but he was dead serious.

She gave him a shy peek, a blush on her cheeks. “His personality dominates everything around him, but yours doesn’t drown me out. You seem more laid back and easy going than an alpha-jerk.” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “I didn’t mean that.”

“About your master? Yes, you did.” He parked the car in front of a familiar building and leaned toward her until she was pressed against her door. “And I’m glad you like me better, because I don’t share.” He couldn’t resist brushing a curl from her forehead. “Come on, let’s go inside before you get a sunburn.”

He stepped out of the car and stared at the apartment building. Shaking his head, he led Clementine inside. The dead silence that greeted them set him on edge. He pressed his ear to the nearest door, only to have it swing open to an empty apartment. Had Daedalus bought the whole building?

They climbed to the third floor. Memories of carrying an empty coffin up this staircase flashed inside his head. He took a deep breath and shook off his ghosts.

A light touch on his arm almost sent him into the ceiling.

“What’s wrong?” She pressed against him while trying to look in three directions at the same time.

He paused in front of the only locked door they’d come across, and unlocked it. “Welcome to Sugar’s old apartment.”