Синтия Иден - I’ll Be Slaying You

No fangs. No black eyes. If the woman were a vamp, she’d be fighting for her life. She would have gone into hunting mode instinctively. Not just lay there like a lamb at a slaughter.

Dee froze. The tip of the stake pressed into the lace of Sunshine’s shirt. “Who the hell are you?”

Laughter. Low. In-freaking-sane.

Dee lifted the weapon. Staking a human was not part of her agenda for the night. She rose, never taking her eyes off the nutjob. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“No, you are.” The woman climbed slowly to her feet. “All alone. Poor little hunter. Will you beg at the end?”

What the—

“She’s not alone.” Hard, deep.

Not Jude.

Chase.

Sunshine’s lips parted.

“Get out of here,” Dee told her, fighting back the impulse to ram one fist into that thin little nose. “And stop screwing around in shit that you don’t understand.” The woman was obviously some kind of messenger. Most of the hunters at Night Watch had a standing policy of not hurting innocents. Well, Zane wasn’t part of that “most” group. But she didn’t like to hurt humans.

The Other knew the safest way to send their warnings to the hunters was to employ puppets. Humans who thought playing in the dark was fun.

When it was more like suicide.

Yeah, she didn’t normally hurt innocents. But this time, oh, talk about temptation.

“You don’t even have a week,” the woman said and when she tilted her head, Dee caught sight of the bruises on her neck.

Bite marks.

Figured. “Neither do you,” she told her, sadly, still not glancing back at Chase. Not yet. “You need to run from them, as fast as you can and never look back.”

A blink. “Why? They can give me everything.”

Or nothing. “You can’t trust vamps.”

Her smile dimmed. “You can’t trust anyone.” Her hand rose to her neck. Covered the wounds. “But when you can live forever, does it matter?”

Yes.

Fingertips brushed her shoulder. Dee spun around, the weapon up.

Chase stared back at her.

“What? Christ, man, how the hell did you move so fast?” And so quietly.

“Where’s your partner?”

Thudding footsteps. Dee glanced back in time to see Sunshine make a break for the line of cars. She lunged forward—

He jerked her back. “Your. Partner.”

“She’s getting away!” If she could trail her, they could find out where the vamps were hiding and—

“Good. The bitch just threatened you. If she didn’t get her ass out of here, I might have killed her.”

What?

An engine kicked to life. No time to argue. Dee elbowed him, twisted, shimmied, then kicked out with her foot.

He flew back, and she shot forward.

“Dee!”

Her legs pumped as fast and hard as they could. Go, go. A car lurched forward, a small, red Ford. Exhaust burned her nostrils and the squeal of tires grated in her ears. Tag, get the—

Damn. Her shoulders slumped.

Gravel crunched behind her. “That hurt, Dee.”

Doubtful. If she’d wanted him hurt, he would have been hurt. “You should have let me go.” She stared at the disappearing taillights. No tag. Sunshine had planned for their meeting. Turning back to Chase, she glared. “She got away.”

He rubbed his side. “Where. Is. Your. Partner.”

Dee tried to brush by him. He caught her shoulders, trapping her against him.

His eyes glittered down at her. “You know, the blond bastard who was licking your ear inside. Where is he?”

Ah, what was that? Jealousy? Men. Take away the jeans and designer labels and you had cavemen beating their chests. “Jude isn’t my partner.”

“Is he your lover?”

Her breath rushed out. “None of your business, okay? I’m on a case, you just let my lead get away and—”

He kissed her. Chase crushed that too hard mouth down on hers and drove his tongue past her lips.

She could have broken free. Could have given him another hard punch but—

Screw it.

She wanted to taste him.

So for a few wild seconds, she forgot the vamps and the death and she locked her arms tight around him and she opened her mouth wide.

Yes.

Her tongue met his. She wasn’t the kind of woman who liked to be taken. She liked to take.

His hands caught her waist, pulled her closer, and the rising ridge of his cock thrust against her.

His lips caressed. Savored. His tongue swept into her mouth. Slid against hers and had her wanting more. So much more.

A quiver began in the pit of her belly. A stir of hunger that she hadn’t felt in so long.

This man could make her feel. Make her want, and—the sex—it would be fantastic.

His fingers cupped her ass. Squeezed.

Then he lifted her, hauling her high in the air and holding her close so that her nipples, already tight, aching peaks, pushed against his chest.

Yes.

She liked her men strong. Liked her sex hot.

He sure fit the bill and—

“Dammit, Dee, I thought you were working the case, not screwing around with—”

He stiffened against her. Chase’s head rose and his lips, red and shining from her mouth, hovered over hers. “Not your lover,” he repeated and it took her a half-dazed moment to realize he was talking about Jude.

The guy who’d finally decided to make an appearance. “No.”

He put her down, nice and slow. “Then you won’t mind when I kick his ass.”

Um, nah, generally she wouldn’t mind but—

But this wasn’t a fair fight. No way would Chase be able to take down a shifter, unless—unless he was much more than human.

“Come and try,” Jude invited and she didn’t have to look at him to know he’d be sporting his come-get-some grin.

She grabbed Chase’s hands. “What are you?”

His eyes narrowed. “What the hell kind of question is that?”

“One that needs an answer.” In this city, you couldn’t take risks.

But he didn’t answer and his jaw locked.

She glanced over at Jude. “Kymine gone yet?”

“Mostly.” He sniffed a bit. “He doesn’t smell like death.” A grimace. “Just some fancy ass cologne.”

Her shoulders relaxed. Not a vamp. Okay. Everything else was pretty much doable.

Chase stepped back from her and Dee dropped her hands. He slanted Jude a seriously pissed glare. “Don’t come sniffing around me again, tiger.”

Tiger? He knew about Jude?

Not a flicker of surprise crossed the shifter’s face. “You gonna piss and moan all night or are you gonna answer the lady’s question?”

What are you?

Chance stared back at her. Gazed too deeply with those smoky eyes. “I’m the man who had her back, twice, when you weren’t anywhere around.”

“Dee doesn’t need anyone to watch her. The woman’s a freaking machine—”

“Everyone needs backup.” His fingers brushed over her cheek. Her breath caught.

“Aw, Dee…shit,” Jude muttered.

Her shoulders snapped up. She wouldn’t be weak. Not in front of Jude. He’d trained her. Walked with her on the first mission.

Not in front of him. “We had a visitor.” Now she was the one to back away. Because that soft touch wasn’t something she could handle.

Hard, wild, and rough—yeah, that was more her style.

Chase’s fingers fisted, then fell.

“And you noticed the…ah…visitor with your tongue down this guy’s—”

“I’ve got a name. It’s Simon Chase.”

“—throat?”

She stared at Jude. Long and hard and waited until his blue gaze dropped. That was better. “The visit came first. Some sweet little ball of fluff sporting bite marks on her neck.”