Into the Darkness (9 page)

his posture disturbingly relaxed.

“So, I’m naked,” she blurted, “but I’m the one with the

gun in my hand.”

A soft snort indicated laughter, which only heightened her

fear. “Even if you managed to hit where you’re aiming, you

can’t win this battle, Natalie.”

A shiver racked her body. “I’ll manage just fine, but you

might have a little problem finding me without a head attached to your shoulders.”

This time the laughter sifted around her like a soft dusting

of confectioner’s sugar—delicious, light, tempting.

And before she could pull back on the 5.5-pound trigger,

he was beside her, his hand wrapping around hers on the

weapon. “Let go.”

She whimpered from fear and a sudden, dampening thrill.

“How?” she croaked, as curious about the speed with which

he’d moved as she was afraid and aroused.

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“I’m not going to hurt you,
mon enfant
.” He stepped closer

and wrapped an arm around her back, then leaned down to

nuzzle her cheek. “Just let go.”

Her body betrayed her. But unlike the powerful lust that

had driven her to take Rene past his good intentions, a strange,

enervating lassitude had her leaning into his solid chest.

Had he done this to her with just his voice?

He tipped the nozzle of her weapon down and dragged it

from her nerveless fingers. “There,” he said, “no fuss. You’re

a brave girl.” His chest rose beneath her cheek as he drew a

deep breath. “And a naughty one, it seems. Good for you.”

Was this how her friend Vicki had felt the moment before

her throat had been ripped open? Resigned, relieved—
willing

to let death come without so much as a whimper?

But she wasn’t ready to die. Not tonight.

With one last attempt to resist, she rallied her dulled wits

and shoved at his chest, lifting one knee to ram between his

legs.

He easily sidestepped her attack, then slipped a hard thigh

between hers and pushed her against the wall, trapping her

hands against his chest. One large hand gently cradled the

back of her head; the other still held her weapon. He drew

the cold metal slowly up her naked side, over her hip, letting

it bump against each rib, one by one, and then follow the outside curve of her breast.

Natalie drew a ragged breath, knowing she was entirely

at his mercy. The odd thing was all she could concentrate on

was the rasp of the coarse fabric that clothed the muscled

thigh pressed against her sensitive, heated flesh and the freshwashed scent of the man holding her. “What have you done

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to me?” she asked, recognizing the familiarity of the words.

Now she knew how Rene had felt. Compelled beyond his will

to respond.

She sensed his smile against her cheek. “Just a trick. One I

promise to teach you . . . if you’re good.”

The teasing note in his voice calmed her. His hand gripped

her hair and he tilted her head to kiss her lips, then he released her hair.

She heard the rasp of Velcro opening and felt the sting of

something sharp stabbing into her neck. She whimpered, but

curved her fingertips into the stiff vest cloaking his chest and

clung to him as darkness closed around her.

Rene prowled the house, sticking to the downstairs rooms

this time. He’d checked his cell phone again and left Chessa a

blistering message. What the hell was keeping her anyway?

Although his body still felt mildly drugged by his roll in the

sheets with Natalie, his emotions felt edgy and alert. Standing at the sink in the kitchen, he ran cool water to wash his

face—anything to stem the heat building again inside him.

He cupped water in his hands and stared at his palms, remembering the feel of her soft breasts with their erect little

points. He muttered an oath and splashed the water into his

face. If he dunked his whole head beneath the spigot, he still

wouldn’t clear the image or the feelings from his mind.

He was mad as hell at himself—and Chessa. She hadn’t

given him adequate warning. Partners didn’t leave partners

swingin’ in the wind.

If he’d known what he faced, the potent, irresistible temptation she embodied, he might have stood a chance of deflect-70 delilah

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ing Natalie’s allure—hell, he’d have tied a knot in his cock

sooner than fuck a vampire!

Sweet as she’d been, he didn’t need that kind of trouble.

Worse, he couldn’t trust that what he was starting to feel for

her was real.

But what exactly was he feeling? Desire? Certainly. Lust?

Absolutely. Connection? That possibility terrified him. Natalie was quickly becoming an obsession.

He poured a glass of water and took a long drink, hoping

the coolness slipping down his throat would somehow halt

his body’s arousal.

Even now, she lay naked in his bed. Moonlight bathed her

curved body. The lemon and apple smell of her still scented

the air—still clung to his own skin. He’d fled the room before the musky scent of sex overwhelmed him, hardened

him—again.

Earlier, pale light had revealed his deepest fear. Natalie’s

eyes had glittered with longing and trust. That had been the

scariest thing of all. Not that she was a vampire, but that she

trusted him to keep her safe and not betray her heart.

He just plain couldn’t give her what she wanted.

A floorboard creaked behind him, and he caught Chessa’s

reflection in the darkened window above the sink. She was

dressed in SWAT gear. “It’s about damn time you got back

here,” he growled. He placed the glass on the countertop

and turned in time to catch Chessa’s downward-sweeping

glance.

His cheeks heated. Wearing only blue jeans and his shoulder holster, he knew she’d jumped to all the right conclusions

as her lips thinned.

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71

When her glance met his again, the stillness in her set his

heart thudding with unease.

Then he heard footsteps coming through the hallway and

saw several men dressed entirely in black, walking quietly

through his house and up the stairs. He pushed away from

the counter. “What the hell’s goin’ on, Chessa?”

She glanced briefly over her shoulder and then turned

slowly back toward him. “We’re taking her out of here.”

“Let me go up to wake her. You’re gonna scare her.”

Her lips tightened. “And you’d care, wouldn’t you?”

He heard a muffled whimper from above and stepped toward the doorway.

Chessa stuck out her arm, blocking his exit.

Close enough now that he could have pushed past her, he

glared down into her face. “Chessa . . .”

“You can’t help her now,
partner
.” Her head tilted slightly.

“Damn you, you can’t even help yourself. You fucked her.”

She inhaled, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed. “Hell, you reek

of sex. You couldn’t keep away, could you?”

She didn’t sound angry—which he would have preferred.

Instead, he read disappointment and resignation in her tone.

Feeling off center and ashamed, he retorted, “You could

have told me what I was facin’—spelled it out so this
human

would understand. Cheech, she was fuckin’ irresistible.”

“And now?” she said, her sharp gaze roaming his face.

“What do you feel now?”

“Nothing,” he lied. “Not a goddamn thing.”

Another rustling sound came from above, and then a thin

cry. He pressed against her arm.

“You need to let me handle this.” Her eyes narrowed and

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seemed to catalog every twitch he made that gave away his

concern.

Rene fought against the overpowering need to surge past

her and up the stairs. This was Chessa’s business now, but he

sure as hell hated not knowing what was happening.

“Did you come inside her?” Chessa asked, her voice dead

even.

His gaze slid away from hers. He refused to answer. The

shame burning his cheeks told her what she wanted to know.

“Of course, you did.” She reached into a pocket on the top

of her Kevlar vest and pulled out a syringe.

He eyed it warily and stepped back. “What the fuck’s that

for and what are they doin’ up there?”

“We don’t want her alarmed. Or harmed. So we’re going to

put her out for transportation.”

“Are they stickin’ her now?” he asked, anger stiffening his

spine.

“Yeah, and this one’s for you.” She shoved her forearms

into his chest, slamming him against the wall.

Rene roared and pushed back, but for the first time, he

experienced the strength in her wiry muscles that could take

down a linebacker. It happened so fast, he didn’t have time to

consider another strategy. He tried to pull back, but for the

second time that night, he wasn’t the one in control.

Her whole body strained against him, and she used one

elbow to press into his neck so hard his vision quickly filled

with prickling lights.

Her hand shot out, and she jabbed the syringe into his neck.

He pulled at her arm, but his already sapping strength was

fleeing. His muscles felt more leaden by the moment.

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73

As he found himself slipping to the floor, he heard Chessa

mutter, “Dammit Rene, you really fucked up this time.”

Chessa rode in the back of the panel truck.

Both Rene and Natalie, wrapped in sheets, lay in the center

of the floor between the long bench seats flanking either side

of the vehicle, snuggled close together.

The sight rankled.

“You don’t look happy. Everything went according to

plan.”

She heard mockery in the voice of the man sitting across

from her and wished Nicolas had chosen to ride in the vehicle

with the rest of the security team. These two weren’t waking

up anytime soon—she didn’t need help.

Worse, she hated his sharp-eyed perception. He’d read her

interest as she’d cradled Rene’s body on the floor and tenderly pulled out the needle from his neck after she’d shot him

up with enough sedative to keep him down for the rest of the

night.

“So, we have a baby vamp. That’s cause for celebration, is

it not?”

She leveled a glare at him, knowing he was only making

conversation to annoy her. Her mind was still reeling, and she

needed time to think. She’d taken a risk leaving Natalie with

Rene, but she’d hoped he would be strong enough to resist

her hormonal appeal.

Chessa’d had plans of her own for the Cajun. Four years

of sussing out his strengths and weaknesses to determine

whether he would be the right sort of man to enter her life.

Four years of yearning for his hard, toned body, patiently

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learning the secrets that kept him from committing to a

woman.

She’d been kidding herself there would ever be a time for

them. He’d never really let her close, never shared the intimate details of his life.

Sure, they’d spent half their waking lives in each other’s

company. But she couldn’t claim to really know him.

However, she did know he didn’t particularly like preternatural creatures. He distrusted what he couldn’t explain.

Over time, he’d come to tolerate her well, despite the fact she

had a second strike against her.

Rene hadn’t wanted a female partner of any kind. Ever.

It had taken deliberately choreographed incidents to prove

her physical abilities. Without revealing the true extent of

her powers, she’d cultivated a relationship with him built on

mutual respect. Eventually, he’d come to trust she wouldn’t

let him down or get in his way.

Tonight had dashed her hopes he’d ever see her as a potential lover. After this, he’d have eyes only for Natalie.

Over the years, she’d taken lovers for blood and sex, but

she’d carefully avoided entanglement. Although the hurt that

kept her heart apart and untouched was decades old, she’d

been unwilling to risk it again.

Until Rene.

Despite his sometimes coarse manner, at the core he was a

gentleman with a deep streak of integrity she admired. More

than once she’d wished she had found someone like him for

her life mate the first time around.

The truck slowed and bumped onto a gravel road.

“Almost home,” Nicolas murmured. “Time to get these

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two to bed. Sure you know whose bed you want him tied

to?”

The sly humor in his voice set her teeth on edge while his

words conjured a vision that pricked her sensual awareness,

making her shift on the thinly padded seat.

The thought of Rene stretched across pale sheets, his hands

and feet in manacles, tightened her body and sent a flush of

heat across her cheeks.

Nicolas tsked. “He’s not for you, but maybe you’d settle

for something else,
eh chère
?”

Chessa stiffened and lifted her chin. “Why? You offering?”

A single eyebrow rose like a dark wing. “I’m not nearly so

brave as that.”

“You think a man needs courage to be with me?”

His glance swept down her body, and he lifted his shoulders in an indolent shrug. “I think he needs many things to