Masquerade (50 page)

He lifted a dark brow. “For the same
reasons as you.”

“
You and I both know that
you already knew all about being a hellhound before China found
you.”

If he was shocked I knew, he didn’t
show it. Calmly he shrugged. “I have my reasons.”

“
What are they?”

He said nothing just stared straight
at me. I figured now would be the moment to see if he really
accepted me as leader. Finally something shifted behind his eyes
and then he said, “She never found it, after all this
time.”

“
You mean China and that
dumb map?”

Riley bent to pick up a few duffel
bags and swung them over his shoulders.

“
Is that why you were here?
You wanted it too?” What was the big deal over some stupid
map?

“
I’ll see you around.”
Riley said and headed for the door.

I hadn’t really expected for him to
answer my questions and really, I guess I didn’t care. I just
wanted him gone.

“
I don’t want you coming
back here,” I told him, the hint of threat in my voice.

“
Relax,” he said, “I’ll
stay away from her. I know who she belongs too.”

“
Don’t forget,” I
growled.

He grinned. “You don’t have to worry
about that.”

And then he was gone.

My conversation with him
left me oddly unsettled.
Hev? You
okay?

Yup. Waiting for
you.
How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days
is being played on TV in half an hour.

It’s a date.

I looked around the room once more and
my gaze landed on the open bedroom door. I moved quickly, pushing
the door all the way open to survey the room. It was as I noted on
first glance: empty. But there was something I hadn’t noticed
before. I went toward the bed and picked up the piece of paper
lying in the center of the bare mattress. I recognized Riley’s
handwriting instantly. I stared down at the words and committed
them to memory, not really sure why I bothered. Then I tossed the
paper back down and left the apartment all the while wondering why
Riley left me the location of where he was going.

Heven welcomed me as she always did,
with warm eyes and smiling lips. I wanted to grab her and kiss her
until nothing else existed but us…but I wasn’t sure it was the
right time. For some reason my brief encounter with Riley left me
feeling restless. I felt like something was coming, like there was
something out there that I didn’t know about. I told myself that I
was just too used to being on high alert, always on constant
watch.

But those thoughts didn’t go very far
in fighting my instincts. Instincts, I had learned, were usually
right. It wasn’t until I was settled in the warmth of Heven’s bed,
beneath a blanket, with her at my side that I began to feel any bit
of relief.

And if I held her a little bit tighter
and a little bit closer…she didn’t seem to notice, and I never once
let on.

If something was comingI would be
ready.

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

Heven

“
Can I ask you
something?”

“
Anything,” Sam said,
looking up from the bagged lunch I’d brought him.

I looked out across the lake. It was
calm and peaceful, the waves moving in the breeze. It didn’t appear
at all the way I knew it could be: black, choking and life
threatening. I shook myself and looked back at Sam.

“
I’m going to teach you how
to swim,” he declared.

“
What? No.”

“
Then you won’t be afraid
of the water.”

“
I’m never going to swim as
well as you.”

He laughed. “No, but at least you
won’t drown.”

I looked back at the lake. Maybe
learning to swim wouldn’t be so bad…if Sam taught me.

He grinned and took a huge bite of the
ham sandwich I’d brought for him. “Thanks for bringing me
lunch.”

“
You weren’t going to eat,”
I accused.

“
I can’t leave the shack.
I’m the only one here renting boats today.”

I know. So I brought lunch
to you.
I liked switching into the
Mindbond sometimes, it reminded me just how close I was to Sam, and
I liked having conversations that no one else could
hear.

I like to eat.
He grinned, taking another huge bite.

“
I noticed,” I said dryly,
then laughed.

A car pulled up and a couple got out
and walked up to the rental shack. “I’ll be right back,” Sam said,
hurrying off to help them.

I watched him work. He was friendly
and helpful, getting the couple into a paddle boat and seeing them
off. He came back only after he was sure they could work the boat
and were headed off toward the center of the lake.

“
So you wanted to ask me
something?” he said, picking up his sandwich.

I nodded. “They said that you’re Alpha
now.”

He paused from chewing and
looked up.
Not really.

But they said…

He sighed.
Hellhounds were never made to be pack-oriented.
We’re too independent. That’s part of the reason we were tossed out
of hell. Too hard to control even by an Alpha. We don’t really have
Alphas.

I don’t understand. They
said you were leader now. You told them to leave and they
listened.

The four of us lived
together for a while; China kind of took over and the rest of us
let her because we were younger and weaker. It just kind of became
our group dynamic.

Then you killed
her.

He finished the sandwich
and opened the bottle of water and took a long drink.
Then I killed her. I guess the guys thought I
would try to take over where she left off.

They wanted you
too.

Maybe. But only because
that’s what we are used too.

You wanted to be
Alpha.

He shrugged.
I guess part of me would enjoy the power, the
control. But I have other responsibilities.

“
You mean me.”

“
I mean protecting a
treasure who, luckily, is you.”

“
Why did you send them
away?”

He sighed. “They aren’t nice guys,
Hev. They might have been willing to accept me as leader for a
while, but then the fights and the power struggle would have begun.
I don’t want that. I don’t want them around you. They are
dangerous, and I don’t want to deal with them.”

I feel like you’ve given
up so much for me.

He made a scoffing
sound.
Those guys were nothing to give up.
Besides, I wouldn’t have anything if I didn’t have you.

His fingers stretched
across the table to lace with mine, and we sat there quietly
watching the
people in the boat. They were
definitely in love, I watched as the pinks and purples of love
bloomed around their heads like little clouds and reached out to
one another. As the man rowed the boat rocked and one of the oars
slipped out of his hands. Mustard bloomed around the woman in worry
when the man leaned overboard to grab the oar. Then he rocked the
boat – on purpose
–
judging by the way his aura flared and the woman screeched.
When she realized his trick, she playfully pushed him then slid
over in front of him, as close as she could get, and he settled
back into a harmless rhythm of rowing.

I smiled to myself. The
guy sure knew how to get her closer.

“
I know Airis said that
there was a reason that I am considered a supernatural treasure,
but I just can’t imagine what that is.”

He shoved a whole oatmeal
cookie into his mouth as he thought about my words. The way his jaw
flexed as he chewed turned me on. And shot of heat streaked through
my body. He glanced at me, gold streaking his eyes. I was suddenly
glad Sam wasn’t able to see auras too
.
It was bad enough that he could
practically hear every thought I had.

I blushed and looked down. Sometimes
having a Mindbond was embarrassing.

“
I don’t really know what
is going to happen.” His voice was huskier than usual. “But to me,
you are a treasure with or without a supernatural
power.”

He had a way of making me forget
exactly what we’d been talking about. He came around the table and
crouched in front of me, taking my hands. “Thanks for
lunch.”

“
You’re welcome.” I stood,
Sam moving with me. “I’ll see you later.”

He groaned and pulled me in
for a long hug.
I wish I didn’t have to
work so much.

When are you moving into
your new place?
It was a lot less rent and
maybe he wouldn’t need to work as much.

They called me today. I
can move in tomorrow.

“
Great! Want me to help you
finish packing tonight?”

“
Sure. I get off here at
four. I’ll come pick you up.”

Sam’s two roommates actually kept to
their word and moved out. As far as he could tell they’d left town
too. It was nice not to have to look over our shoulders everywhere
we went. It was nice to see Sam actually relax a little.

I finally got to see the apartment
they’d been renting. It was a lot bigger than the tiny efficiency
he was moving to, with its two bedrooms, separate kitchen, and
living area. But the place was more depressing than I could have
imagined. It made me more determined than ever to make sure his new
apartment was a real home for him.

Even though the place had
two bedrooms, Sam didn’t have one. China had claimed a room of her
own, and the other two boys had
shared a
room. Sam had slept on the couch. It was an old sofa in blue plaid
that sagged slightly in the middle. A threadbare, ugly, green
blanket hung off the back that I pictured as being Sam’s only
source of warmth. Sure, he might be a hellhound, and he might not
need a lot of blankets…but shouldn’t he have a nice one just in
case? Shouldn’t everyone be entitled to at least one comfort?
It
made my heart hurt.

There was a TV on a little table
across from the couch and a brown, wingback chair with holes in it
adjacent to the TV. The walls had all probably once been white, but
were yellowed with age, and the carpet was rust-colored shag that
seriously needed cleaning. The kitchen was very outdated, and I
wasn’t sure if any of the appliances worked other than the fridge,
which was pitifully empty.

I understood Sam’s hesitation to bring
me here, even after he knew it was safe. I knew, because of the
Mindbond, that he hated for me to see the way he’d lived. He was
embarrassed that he didn’t have more.

I didn’t acknowledge that I knew these
feelings because I didn’t want to hurt his pride. And honestly, it
didn’t matter. I loved him. He did the best he could to take care
of himself, and I was proud of him for that. But I was equally
thrilled that he was moving, and when I was done with his little
apartment, it would be suitable for someone as special as he
is.

I was taping up the last of the boxes
from the kitchen when he caught me behind the waist and kissed the
back of my neck. His tongue snaked out to trace a line up to my ear
where he stayed to nibble. My heart thundered and my knees felt
weak. Oh, what he did to me.

“
Sam,” I
groaned.

“
Sorry,” he released me,
keeping his hands out to steady me.

Passion and teenage hormones were
pumping through my veins. I bit my tongue to keep from blurting out
that I wanted him. Although I was certain he already
knew.

“
Soon,” he murmured, taking
my face in his hands.

“
When?” I asked,
breathless.

His lips brushed mine. Once. Twice.
The third time they lingered. “Not here,” he whispered against
me.

I closed my eyes and willed
myself to calm. I took in the feel and touch of him. Finally, I
stepped back and cleared my throat. “This box, uh.” My voice
sounded like I’d eaten gravel.
This is
stuff that is going to your new place. I put all the other stuff to
be donated by the door.

He stared at me for long moments
before he nodded and took the box to add it to the ‘keep’ pile.
“That should be everything then. There’s just one room we haven’t
cleaned out…”

All the sexual tension disappeared.
“China’s room.”

“
Why don’t you wait out
here? I’ll take care of this, and then we can leave.”

“
No.” I shook my head.
“I’ll help. It will go faster and then we can leave.”

“
You don’t have to,” Sam
said gently.

“
I know.” I grabbed his
hand and we walked together back to Evil’s den.

Her room was a little nicer
than the rest of the place. That made me angry. She didn’t deserve
nice. Although, I guess it wasn’t really nice, just more
livable
.
If this
room had an aura it would be icky brown. She had a double bed with
sheets, a pale blue comforter and two pillows. A small ratty
dresser with a mirror sat off to the right and a small closet
filled with clothes. Two pair of shoes – one running, one heels –
were tucked to the side of the bed.