Deadly Is the Kiss (20 page)

“Take my boots off,” she panted, needing to wrap her legs around his hips. To feel him hard and thick against the place she needed him most. “Please, hurry!”

He drew his weight off her, but instead of doing as she’d begged, he flipped her over with ridiculous ease, putting her on her stomach. “Damn it, Ashe! What are you doing?”

“Shh,” he rasped, gripping her hips. Before she even realized what was happening, her knees were on the table, her back arched, intimate bits on shocking display as he spread his hands over her bottom. Her breath caught as he slid his thumbs lower, through her swollen folds, and pulled her open. He made a thick, guttural sound in his throat that was sexy as hell.

“Always so candy-pink and juicy,” he murmured, the rumbled words so soft she had a feeling he was talking to himself, lost in the view. She could feel the press of his gaze burning against her cleft, a strange feeling of vulnerability and power twining through her, making her want to fight just as badly as she ached to submit.

“Head up and eyes open, Jules.”

At his rough command, she lifted her forehead from the table, her gaze locking with his in the mirror as she braced her upper body on her bent arms, the position pushing her hips up higher. She probably looked like some kind of commando porn actress, with the knife still strapped to her calf and her bottom in the air, her hair flowing around her flushed face in a wild tangle of waves, but it was obviously a look that worked for Ashe.

“That’s it,” he said with a growl. “Keep your eyes on my face. Just like that.”

He ran his thumbs to the top of her sex, stroking over the tight bundle of nerves, and she sank her teeth into her lower lip, feeling as if he could see right inside her. Her lashes started to dip, until he snapped another husky command for her to keep her eyes open. Glaring, she said, “You love to give orders, don’t you?”

His mouth curved with one of those sin-tipped smiles that always looked so good on him, his lips firm and sensual. “I just want you to see what you do to me.”

“What
all
women do to you,” she countered, suddenly compelled to make it clear this was nothing more than sex. Just because she believed he hadn’t fooled around with Lacey earlier didn’t mean he wouldn’t run to another woman the next time things got too emotional between them. Like those two repelling magnets, they would keep veering apart, finding it impossible to be comfortable in anything more than a physical relationship.

“I don’t want another woman,” he argued, his eyes glittering like bright chips of lightning. “And sooner or later, you’re going to believe that.”

“Stop it. I don’t want to fight with you, but lying is only going to piss me off again.”

“Just think about it, Jules.” She watched in the mirror as he lowered his gaze to her sex, the explicit position leaving nothing to the imagination. She could see the lust etched into the hard, masculine lines of his expression as he watched his thumbs stroking between her folds, her sex liquid and warm and pulsing. He rubbed the callused pad of one thumb over her tender opening, thrusting it into the slick heat, stirring her into a quivering froth of sensation. Then he pulled it out and wrapped both arms around her, yanking her upper body off the table and against his chest. “Why the hell would I touch another woman when I can have this?” he demanded, one big hand molding over her breast, the other burrowing between her spread legs.

She blinked at the erotic image they made in the mirror, and had to swallow as she tried to find her voice. “You can’t…you can’t have this forever,” she heard herself say, unable to just give in.

His dark brows drew together in a fierce scowl. He hadn’t liked her words, no matter how true they were. “I’ll have it for as long as I want it.”

“No, Ashe.” The compulsion to defy him was impossible to resist. “That isn’t how this works.”

He held her tighter, as if she was already slipping away from him. “Damn it, why can’t you just stop fighting me and let yourself go?”

“I…can’t,” she choked out, shaking her head, her long hair streaming over his chest. “Just because you’re important to me doesn’t mean I want you to have that kind of power over me. Over my emotions. It scares the hell out of me.”

His nostrils flared. “And you don’t think it scares me, too? I’ve been terrified ever since I spotted your little ass sitting on that damn patio in London!”

She wanted to scoff at that growled admission, but couldn’t. Not when she could see the truth burning in his eyes. “This is so crazy. What’s happening to us?”

“I don’t know.” His deep voice was tight, his expression etched with raw, devastating need. “But I can’t stand you trying to push—”

The sudden shrill ring of his cell phone drowned out his words. “Ignore it,” he muttered, burying his face in the curve of her shoulder, his mouth hot against her skin.

“Ashe,” she moaned, trembling from the stroke of his thumb across her clit, her sheath pulsing around the fingers he’d buried inside her. But her conscience wouldn’t let her choose pleasure over her family. “You have to answer it. What if it’s Knox or someone with information?”

With a guttural snarl on his lips, Ashe stepped back and dug into his pocket for his phone. Punching the answer button, he put the phone to his ear and barked, “What?”

“Ashe, get the hell out of there!” Gideon yelled over the line. “Someone must have followed me to Nice. I just got a call warning me that a hit is coming for you and Jules at the club.”

“Who was it?”

“Don’t know, man. Didn’t even recognize the voice. Just get the hell outta there!”

“Watch your back,” he grunted, disconnecting the call and shoving the phone back in his pocket. Looking at Juliana, who had already moved to her feet and was pulling up her jeans, he said, “Someone just called Gideon and told him that an attack is coming. We’ve got to go.”

“Ohmygod! How did they find us?”

He started gathering their things together as he explained. “They must have had a surveillance team watching Gid in Marseilles, assuming I’d get in touch with him. Then they followed him here.”

She was hooking her bra when a knock sounded on the door, her eyes going wide with fear, the warm color beneath her skin fading to white.

Ashe motioned for her to be quiet, then moved to the side of the door. Stretching his upper body across it, he took a quick look through the peephole, then muttered a sharp expletive. “It’s your buddy,” he grunted, cutting her a dark look. “Kid’s got more balls than I’d have given him credit for.”

“Josh? I have to talk to him,” she said, yanking her sweater over her head.

“Not a fucking chance,” he snarled, ripping the door open, prepared to order the punk to get lost. But before Ashe could mutter a single word, a bullet tore straight through the side of Josh’s head.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

M
OVING
FASTER
THAN
SHE
’
D
EVER
seen him move before, Ashe pushed a screaming Juliana behind him as two vampires suddenly shoved their way into the room.

“I recognize your faces,” Ashe growled, keeping his gaze on the men as he backed her against the far wall, putting the entire distance of the room between them and the two steely eyed males. “You’re both in the Royal Guard at Court.”

A deep shudder of revulsion tore through Juliana’s dazed horror as those harsh words hit her ears. The last time she’d seen anyone from the Royal Guard had been the day the Court soldiers dragged her into the Wasteland, kicking and screaming.

“That’s right,” confirmed the sandy blond. He slipped his gun into the holster under his arm while the other guard dragged Josh’s body into the room, and then shut the door. Blood poured from Josh’s head in an ever-widening circle, but Juliana knew the wound wouldn’t be fatal. Still, it infuriated her that these bastards had used Josh to get into the room.

“Since when do Royal Guards shoot innocent men?” Ashe’s voice vibrated with fury. “For that matter, when do they accept assassination orders to kill innocent women?”

“We have no quarrel with you, Granger,” the blond insisted, holding up his hands. He had a lanky build, unlike his partner, who was bald and stocky. “We just want to talk.”

“Don’t trust him,” Juliana whispered, her intuition warning her that the blond guard wasn’t what he seemed. There was something about him that reminded her of Raphe, but she couldn’t say exactly what it was. He smelled like a Deschanel, and had the same pure gray eyes as she and Ashe did. But he didn’t seem…right.

“Don’t worry,” Ashe muttered under his breath. “Considering the way he just put a bullet through your friend’s temple, I’ve got a pretty good idea of why he’s here.”

“Sorry,” she murmured, wishing Gideon’s call had come in just a little sooner, so that they could have had time to get out of the room.

“We have no quarrel with you,” the bald guard said to Ashe, repeating his partner’s words. “We just want the girl.”

“She’s a pain in the ass,” Ashe offered in a sarcastic drawl, releasing his talons, “but I’m afraid I can’t just let you walk out of here with her.”

A slow, bloodcurdling smile spread over the blond’s mouth. “Is it going to be like that, then?” he asked, releasing his own talons. Juliana stared, trying to tell if they looked longer than they should, their width a little thicker.

Ashe’s response was to take a step forward, his body seeming to expand before her eyes as he prepared for the fight.

She placed her hand on his back, and could feel the power thrumming through him, his muscles hard and at the ready. “Ashe, let me help you,” she whispered, terrified that something was going to go horribly wrong. She knew he was an incredible soldier, but something about this whole setup felt…wrong.

“No!” he growled, keeping his eyes on the two guards who were still holding position on the other side of the small sitting room. “I can’t fight and keep an eye on you, as well.”

The bald vamp slid a look at his partner, and in the next second they charged, with Ashe meeting them in the middle of the room. The sound was horrific as punches and kicks connected, clothing and flesh ripping as deadly talons swung in powerful slashes. If the music playing in the club hadn’t been so loud, she was sure the noise would have drawn the attention of the patrons downstairs. But as it was, they were on their own.

Keeping a careful eye on the vicious fight, Juliana reached down, pulling the leg of her jeans up and taking her knife from its sheath. She wasn’t great with a blade, but she was thankful for the weapon, determined to help him if he needed it.

Clutching the lethal knife in her hand, she tried to edge her way around to the side of the room, thinking she could help by burying the blade in the bald guard’s back, since he was closest to her. If she took him down, she knew Ashe could easily finish him off. But Ashe must have been watching her from the corner of his vision, because he immediately spotted her. “Goddamn it!” he roared. “I said to stay the hell back!”

She dropped back, just as he’d commanded, but she wasn’t fast enough, the bald vamp twisting and lunging toward her. She flung herself toward the wall, but not in time to avoid the talons that slashed across her shoulder. Fire exploded across her skin, making her cry out, the stark sound swallowed by Ashe’s bellowing roar. By the time she’d shoved her hair out of her eyes with her free hand, Ashe was gaining ground as he fought with an almost animalistic frenzy, driving the two guards into the corner. Blood flew, the scent of it ripe in the air, as the three men fought with savage skill. Ashe ducked to avoid a kick from the bald guard, then landed a blow that whipped the blond’s head to the side. As his head turned toward Juliana, she saw the vampire’s eyes flash crimson. And she knew.

Oh, God. She was right! The blond guard wasn’t Deschanel. He was like Raphe,
exactly
like Raphe, which meant he could poison Ashe with those deadly talons he kept slashing toward his throat.

“Be careful!” she shouted, but she was already too late. Just as Ashe ripped his talons through the bald guard’s throat, completely taking his head off, the blond threw himself at Ashe with such speed he was nothing more than a blur flying across the space that separated them. The impact of his body colliding into Ashe’s cracked like thunder, both of them slamming into the far wall with so much force the plaster exploded around them, raining through the air in a hazy cloud of dust and fragments of drywall.

Coughing, Juliana waved her free hand in front of her face, struggling to see through the cloud of debris. She stumbled forward, knocking her shins into broken pieces of furniture, following the guttural sounds of the fight now taking place on the other side of the room.

Knowing she only had one shot at this, Juliana gripped the knife in her slick palm, blood pouring down from the wound in her shoulder, and edged closer as the air began to clear. The growls ripping from Ashe’s throat were deep and feral, his strength as he battled his opponent truly breathtaking. But he didn’t know what the assassin was, and now more than ever, she wanted to protect him from that truth. If the Delacourts had grown so powerful that Raphe’s corruption had spread to the Royal Guards, they wouldn’t hesitate to destroy Ashe and all that he held dear. Oh, she knew he would fight the bastards till the bitter end, but as long as there was still a chance she could save him from that nightmare, she would.

She didn’t know if it was the right choice, or even a fair one. But it was the only one she could make based on her past. The only one her heart would allow her to make.

Taking a deep breath, Juliana focused her sights on the blond soldier, tightening her grip on the blade. He and Ashe were circling each other, their chests heaving, talons extended at their sides. Lifting her knife, she waited until the blond’s back was to her, and then aimed for his throat. But he must have sensed the movement, because he spun at the last second, the back of his hand smacking her across her face. Ashe’s furious shout rang through her head as she stumbled back, her blade only nicking the guard’s arm.

No! I have to do this!

Juliana raised her arm again as the blond lunged toward her, talons raised, ready to strike. But the blow never came. At the last second, Ashe threw himself at the guard, taking him to the ground. They grappled over the floor, punching and snarling, both of them covered in blood. Somehow, they ended up back on their feet, moving so fast it was difficult for Juliana to tell what has happening. She would have jumped into the fray, but was too afraid she’d stab Ashe by accident. She could hear herself screaming for him to watch out for the guard’s talons, but then everything went strangely quiet as she watched Ashe suddenly stumble against the wall. He staggered and tried to brace himself, then slid to the floor, blood smearing on the wall behind him, as the blond turned, his eyes glowing bloodred in his face.

“You’re going to be worth every penny, you meddling little bitch,” he snarled, coming for her. Juliana held her ground until he was almost on her, then lifted the knife and plunged the blade into his throat, just beneath his jawbone. He staggered back, making god-awful noises as blood spurted from the wound, more blood gurgling in his throat as it came out his mouth and nose. Within seconds, he was dead.

Looking away from the gruesome sight, she rushed to Ashe and sank to her knees, tearing at his sweater so that she could check his injuries. Blood poured from the deep claw marks that were carved into his side. But the skin around the wound didn’t appear to be poisoned. “Ashe, which guard made this cut?” she asked, wadding strips of his sweater together and pressing them against his shredded flesh.

“Bald one,” he breathed out, and the sudden spike of relief made her dizzy. He was going to feel rough for a day or so while he healed, but he’d be okay, his body mending the injury with ease. But knowing how close it’d been made her sick with worry. She should have anticipated that Raphe would use every weapon in his arsenal to take her down, instead of relying solely on the Assassin’s League.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice heartbreakingly weak.

“Don’t worry about me,” she muttered, applying more pressure to the wound in his side. “You’re the one who’s been torn open!”

A cocky smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Naw. It’s just a flesh wound.”

A burst of laughter escaped her tight throat, but it sounded more like a sob. “You idiot. I can’t believe you’re quoting Monty Python at a time like this.”

“Jules, relax. I’m going to be fine. Just…help me get to my feet.”

“Okay, but go easy,” she told him, her voice rough with worry as she helped him to stand.

Searching for his cell phone in his pockets, she said, “I’m going to get you somewhere safe, so you can recover. Then I’m leaving.”

“What?”
he thundered, the bellowing sound immediately followed by a groan as he leaned more heavily against the wall. “The hell you are!” he growled, his pale face misted with sweat. “Damn it, I told you the truth. I didn’t touch Lacey tonight!”

“It isn’t that,” she said, pausing her search for his phone long enough to meet his worried, pain-filled gaze. Her voice was thick with tears. “It’s because I was…I was wrong to involve you in this. It’s too dangerous. You need to get out now, while you still can.”

“You think I’d run and leave you to deal with this shit on your own?” His lip curled, his dark eyes filled with rage. “What kind of man do you think I am?”

“I’m hoping you’re a smart one,” she said, reaching behind him to check his back pockets. “Trust me, you don’t want to get involved with this mess. Your family has already been through so much, and this thing will come crashing down on their heads. You need to cut your losses now and let me deal with it.”

Finding the cell phone, she yanked it from his pocket and started to punch the button for his contacts, when he grasped her wrist. “What is it you’re not telling me?” His dark eyes bored into hers, demanding the truth.

“What makes you think I’m keeping anything from you?”

“Because that’s all you do is keep secrets. You don’t know how to— Damn it,” he cursed, sluggishly dropping to one knee.

“Oh, God,” she cried, finally noticing the claw marks on the back of his right shoulder, the edges of the injury already turning black. “I thought you said that blond guard didn’t cut you!”

“Didn’t think he did,” he muttered, the low words kind of slurred. “But my shoulder feels funny. What’s hap—”

“You’ve been poisoned!” she choked out, helping him to the floor so that he was sitting with his back propped against the wall. With her heartbeat roaring in her ears, she searched frantically through his contacts until she found Gideon’s number. Seconds later, the vampire answered, and she spoke in a tumbling rush. “It’s Juliana. Your brother’s been hurt. Do you know somewhere safe I can take him that’s not too far from the club?”