Katie's Hellion (Rhyn Trilogy, Book One) (26 page)

"It was one of Kris’s warriors," he said, his
voice lowering into another feral growl. "I knew when Gabriel
summoned me to you and went to Kris."

"I didn’t tell him. He went through my
memories," she said with a note of anger.

She felt him turn thoughtful.

"No, Rhyn. Have some respect for my mental
privacy!"

He snorted and pulled her down into his arms
again. Resistance was fruitless. She allowed him to wrap his arms
and one heavy thigh around her body.

"What’s Kris supposed to do to someone who
broke the part of the Code about someone else’s mate?" she asked
quietly.

"Don’t care."

"What?"

"Don’t care what Kris does. I’ll kill whoever
it is."

Her heart slowed. She didn’t like Kris, but
he did what he did for some greater cause than himself. He wasn’t a
bad man, just a misguided one.

"Is this Code written down anywhere?"

"Nope."

"Can you tell me what it says?" she
prodded.

"Nope."

"Rhyn, I --"

"Shut up and sleep. Nothing else bad will
happen to you."

She fell silent. Her body was still exhausted
from Kris’s attack and a day spent with Hannah and her friends.
Though she fought sleep, it started to claim her anyway.

"Rhyn?"

"What."

"I think I love you."

"
What?"

"I’m smarter than you, too."

CHAPTER TEN

Gabriel’s soft cluck of disapproval filled
the air around him as Rhyn sat in the corner, watching the most
vexing woman in the world --his mate --sleep. He sensed another
immortal in the house but couldn't place where exactly.

"You just don’t listen," the death dealer
said, materializing, a shadow darker than night.

"Why would I start?" Rhyn replied.

"Thought you’d learned something after all
those years in Hell."

"Nah."

Gabriel was his only friend who didn’t judge
him. Rhyn patted the chair beside him. The death dealer sat, his
trench coat rustling.

"You’re lucky you don’t have to defend Death
against anything," Rhyn grunted. "Much more complicated than it
looks."

"Free will’s a bitch," Gabriel lamented.

"Yeah."

They sat in comfortable silence, the quiet
room filled only with the woman’s soft snores. She was tired,
frustrated, and, worst of all, scared. She’d been scared since
Hell, if not before, for which he blamed Kris.

"Kris --"

"Don’t start," Gabriel warned. "At some
point, you two need to trust each other."

"Not gonna happen."

"Immortals are about as imperfect as humans.
I don’t know any more."’

Rhyn looked squarely at the death dealer,
sensing unease for the first time in their long history.

"It never sat well, what I did to you,"
Gabriel said.

"I never held a grudge," Rhyn reminded
death’s top assassin.

"Maybe you should have."

"Nope."

Gabriel chuckled then said darkly, "How can
you be so sure?"

"I know," Rhyn replied. "I know what I am, I
know what you are, and I know what my brothers are. The rest I
don’t care about."

Gabriel lifted his chin toward the bed.

"Work in progress," Rhyn replied with a
grimace. "She’s mine. The rest will follow."

"Wish I had your faith."

"I think you mean narcissism," Rhyn said.

"Big word for you."

"It was Kris, wasn’t it?"

Gabriel said nothing, and fury unfurled
within Rhyn as his gaze went to the sleeping woman.

"I know my brothers," he repeated more
softly.

"You are quick to assume the worst," the
death dealer said at last. "She refused to tell you."

"Yeah."

"Then leave it be. Listen to me this
time."

Rhyn didn’t want to leave it be, not when his
own brother had attacked his woman. Maybe Kris thought turnabout
was fair play. Or maybe he’d succumbed to the weird draw around the
woman. Or maybe to his own desire for power. In the end, it didn’t
matter.

"She never feared me before tonight," Rhyn
said in a growl.

"I’m sorry, Rhyn. I’ve wanted to protect her,
but Immortal Code --"

"Not your fault."

"I didn’t know he would hurt her. I would’ve
broken Immortal Code and interfered had I known," Gabriel said.

"You broke Immortal Code what? Twice in your
life? Both times for me. No, Gabriel, don’t do me any more
favors."

"I righted a wrong, which required another
wrong of sorts."

"Don’t grow a conscience now. One of us has
to walk the straight and narrow. It won’t be me," Rhyn assured
him.

"You can’t go after Kris. That’s strictly
forbidden."

Rhyn said nothing, aware the penalty for an
Ancient killing another Ancient was death-death and eternal Hell.
He was sick of Hell, yet Kris’s crime deserved punishment.

"And you have to realize that he didn’t know
about Lilith’s betrayal," Gabriel added. "You’re lucky all he did
to your mate was take her blood."

"He made her fear me. He was an idiot to fall
for Lilith. She wasn’t even his mate --she had no protection from
Immortal Code. My mate does!"

"She’s barely made it this long, Rhyn. Before
you run off and kill your brother, you should probably see her
safe. Because of her, you can control and channel your power. You
aren’t surviving day-to-day anymore as you have your whole life,
and for the first time, you’re fighting for something other than
you."

Gabriel’s words struck hard. Rhyn thought
hard for a minute, then said with effort, "I don't know how to be a
mate, let alone take care of a human, Gabriel."

"I gave you books to read," the death dealer
said, bemused. "It's the best I can do. I’m not human."

"You were once."

"Too long ago to remember. You'll just have
to figure it out on your own."

Rhyn grimaced. He didn't know a thing about
being a mate. His gaze drifted again to the woman whose pale
features made him feel both proud and worried. He was the only line
of defense she had against the immortal world. Thus far, he'd
barely managed to keep her alive.

He didn't know what else to do. She couldn't
defend herself, and every immortal she drew to her ended up hurting
her.

Even Kris, the protector of mankind.

His thoughts darkened as fury blinded him for
a moment. Gabriel clapped him on the arm, and Rhyn shook his head
to clear the anger.

"Kris sent a message for her," the death
dealer said, withdrawing a folded sheet of paper from his
pocket.

Rhyn reached for it, but Gabriel pulled it
away.

"Only for her. If he's apologizing, let him
do so in peace."

Rhyn wanted to destroy the letter. Instead,
he watched Gabriel cross the room and leave it on the pillow beside
Katie. Rhyn’s gaze fell to her again.

What drew him and others to his mate? It was
her curse. He had to protect her while keeping her from those who
could help. He had to protect her from Sasha and the Dark One; he
had to protect her from Kris and his people.

I think I love you.

The woman was crazy, and yet, a part of him
liked that about her. She'd proven herself to him in a way no
immortal ever had.

He couldn't
not
believe her to be his
match!

Gabriel was right --he had to figure it out
before he lost his mate.

The assassin left him in peace, and he stayed
awake the rest of the night, watching over her. He braced himself
for more syrupy love sentiments when she awoke but was relieved
when she gave him a warning look and disappeared into the bathroom,
the letter clutched in one hand.

He stripped off his clothing and changed into
what Gabriel told him was
normal
for this place: jeans and a
sweater. And steel-toed boots that would go right through any bad
guys who got in his way.

She emerged still pale, her gaze troubled.
Her skin was scrubbed clean, her dark hair wet. He saw no sign of
the letter.

"Hannah won't approve of you being here," she
told him.

"Who's Hannah?"

"My sister."

"You have a sister?"

"You know, we mortals have real lives, too,
or do you immortals assume we're all just sitting around waiting to
have our lives intruded upon by the likes of you?" she snapped. She
whirled and marched to a closet, wrenching it open.

Despite her ordeals, she still had her spark.
He wasn't sure if he liked that or not about her. She reached for a
scarf, and he growled. Her hand dropped, though she didn't
acknowledge him otherwise. He took in her shape. She wasn't
beautiful, but she was pretty enough with a body she plainly took
care of.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" she
demanded.

"Someone's gotta keep you outta trouble," he
replied.

"Like you've bothered to do that yet!"

"It's a new day."

At his quiet response, she faced him,
searching his gaze. She frowned and he breezed past her, pulling
the door open before the woman on the other side could knock. The
woman he assumed was Hannah stared at him, her mouth dropping
open.

"Hannah, this is Rhyn, my…the guy I met in
Ireland."

Hannah was beautiful in the model sense, with
a slender form and large eyes that grew wider when they swept over
him.

"
Really
?" Hannah almost gaped.

He felt Katie tense. She crossed her
arms.

"Yes,
really
," the smaller woman said
in a sharp enough tone to draw Hannah's attention.

Hannah wasn't the immortal he sensed, though
she exuded a calming power that stabilized his powers, similar to
Katie's, though weaker. He began to believe Kris was right about
the bloodline of his mate's family. There was something unique
about them.

Hannah shook herself visibly and said, "I
didn't hear you come in last night. Are you staying for long?"

He felt Katie's gaze settle on him at the
question.

"No."

Hannah waited for more. When nothing came,
she mustered a smile and motioned down the hallway.

"I'll take you to meet Giovanni, my fiancé.
He's interested in meeting our Katherine's husband. Katherine, I
have a small breakfast waiting for us with the girls."

Katie grumbled beneath her breath. Hannah
paused a few doors down along the wide, tall corridor with plush
red rugs and gilded cornices. It was the kind of place his brothers
would love: opulent and openly displaying signs of wealth. With her
carefully crafted outfit and makeup, Hannah fit right in.

She tapped at a door and ducked inside.

"Really, how long are you staying, and what
do you want?" Katie hissed as they waited in the hall.

"No rush. We're immortal."

"I told Gabriel I didn't want you around. You
couldn't give me some peace?"

"I’m your mate," he grated. "I'm supposed
to…take care of you."

At the effort he put in the difficult words,
she looked up at him, her clear blue eyes vexed.

He hated how pale she looked, hated the scars
on her body. He admired her strength but knew everyone had a
breaking point. Hell had taught him this, if nothing else. He
wasn't sure what he felt toward the woman, but he didn't want her
to come to harm, and he didn’t want her out of his sight.

"Come on in, Mr. Rhyn," Hannah said, pulling
the door open.

The immortal he sensed sat inside a large
library. The man's stunned look didn't change at Hannah's quick
introduction or when she left. Even the sound of the door shutting
did nothing to jar him.

Rhyn studied him, taking in the tattoos only
other immortals could see. The immortal was relatively young, maybe
a thousand years old, with Mediterranean features tinted olive and
thick black eyebrows. At that age, he was relatively low on the
immortal totem pole, though his obvious wealth indicated he had
powerful connections somewhere.

"Forgive me," the man said, and stood,
shaking his amazement away. "I'm Silvestre Giovanni. I never
expected to meet one of the Council That Was Seven, let alone have
the honor of hosting you."

"It's fine," Rhyn said.

"Is there anything I can procure for you?
Please, my home is yours for as long as you like."

Rhyn almost wished he had even a fraction of
Andre's manners. He hadn't dealt with lesser immortals since before
he went to Hell.

"I'm fine," he said again. "My mate and I
won't be here long."

"Hannah told me about Katherine. I didn't
realize her Rhyn was…"

An awkward silence fell, and Rhyn knew what
the immortal before him wasn't saying by the look of half-alarm,
half-curiosity on his face.

"I get that a lot," Rhyn said. "You're house
is…nice."

"Thank you. I purchased it because it reminds
me of my beloved Venice. I left many years ago and haven't gone
back. Hannah and I plan on taking our honeymoon there."

"Does she know what you are?"

Giovanni gave a half-laugh at the blunt
question, and Rhyn sat. The lesser immortal relaxed some and joined
him, pouring him a glass of ice water. Rhyn took in the small
marble statues and portraits of wealthy Venetians on the walls.

"Not yet, no. I planned on telling her soon.
Does Katherine?"

"Yeah."

"You chose Katherine?"

Rhyn glanced at him. Giovanni appeared
genuinely puzzled.

"She's a good girl," Giovanni said, "but
she's a bit of a lost cause. We've been trying to help put her
through a good school for her advanced degree, so she can start
working some place and make decent money. She's never known what
she wanted to do, unfortunately. Just seems to float from job to
job. Hannah gives her all her old clothes, which aren't cheap, and
she never even returns Hannah's phone calls."

Rhyn bit his tongue out of respect for Katie.
Giovanni pitied Katie, and yet, Rhyn suspected he knew more about
the woman than either the man before him or Hannah. Part of him was
gratified to find she, too, was the black sheep.