The Warrior Vampire (22 page)

The pads of his fingers caressed the shell of her ear. A rush of liquid warmth suffused her and settled in a soft thrum between her legs. It seemed even innocent touches from the vampire made her ache with desire. “Are you the only hunter?”

Pride swelled in Naya's chest. That he would acknowledge her in such a way was more than even Paul could do. He called her tracker. Or
bruja
. But she wasn't worthy of the title hunter as far as the elders were concerned. “I am. Each pod only has one at a time. Though there is always an apprentice. My cousin Luz is mine.”

“How does an apprentice move up in the ranks?”

Ronan's interest in Naya's life—and
who
she was—warmed her heart. He was genuinely curious, not simply placating her. The tightness that had pulled her entire body taut for the past few days loosened and something rose up inside of her as though an empty pocket of her soul had been filled. Beside her, Ronan's eyes drifted shut and an enigmatic smile settled on his full lips.

“An apprentice moves up when the pod's
bruja
either dies or becomes mated.”

“Hmmm.” Ronan didn't open his eyes. “They plan to put you out to pasture, then?”

Naya laughed. As though her head acted of its own volition, she laid it on Ronan's shoulder. Her palm found his thigh and he captured her hand in his, twining their fingers together. Naya marveled at how natural it felt to settle her body against his. To allow the strength of his body to support her. This was dangerous. She couldn't afford to feel anything for him.

“More or less,” Naya responded with a sigh. Ronan's thumb traced a lazy pattern over her finger as she tucked in closer to his chest. “I just don't understand the rush. Luz isn't even close to being ready to take over and it's not like I've been botching up any of the repossessions I've done lately. If I had to guess, I'd say that Paul's nervous about the fact that I've tried to put some distance between my life and the pod's tight-knit circle. He probably thinks that mating me to Joaquin will bring me back into the fold.”

“Why bring you in at all?” With his free hand Ronan guided her chin up until their gazes met. “Why not let you leave to live your life as you wish?”

Naya gave him a sad smile. “There are few Bororo females who can hear the music of
magia
anymore. Paul needs me to stay. To make babies with Joaquin. Girls with the ears to track and take the magic that's been stolen or loosed upon the world.”

A territorial growl built in Ronan's chest. “If he thinks to keep you like a common brood mare, he'll find your current mate to be an obstacle in seeing his ambitions to fruition.”

Jealousy flashed hot in Naya's chest, followed by a rush of fierce protectiveness that left her muscles aching with the need to fight. By her physical reaction, the emotions gripping her might as well have belonged to her, but she knew that Ronan's emotions swirled in a violent whirlwind inside of her.

The tether?

“So…” Control seemed nonexistent when it came to Ronan. The urge to get closer—and with a hell of a lot less clothes on—consumed her. Naya's mind wandered to the incredible high she felt when he touched her. The magic and power that it evoked in her. If she didn't keep their conversation rolling, she'd be naked and begging him to do wonderful and delicious things to her before another minute passed. “Are you allowed to live your life the way you want, Ronan? When you're not busy losing your memory or searching for missing sisters?”

His lips twitched in a reluctant half smile. All she could think about was kissing the corner of his mouth, coaxing him to kiss her back. Gods, she was
hopeless
! A slave to her own desires. Weak.

“I own a firm that specializes in fixing problems for anyone with enough money to buy a solution,” he replied. “Mostly celebrities. And I only have one sister. Chelle is my twin, actually.”

Naya kept her attention focused on their joined hands and how his much larger one swallowed hers. A problem solver. She had a feeling that Ronan's business dealings ventured just left of what was legal. “Do you look alike?”

“I suppose. Though since my transition there are differences that weren't there before.”

“I've never seen a dhampir, either. There must not be many of them.”

“There are a few covens peppered up and down the coast,” Ronan said. “But most of them live as close to Mikhail as possible.”

“A mandate?”

Ronan chuckled. “A necessity.”

Naya was struck with a sense of rightness as she sat and talked with Ronan, exchanging bits and pieces of their lives. That rightness was also dangerous. If she let her guard down, she'd allow Ronan to wiggle his way into not only her life but also her heart. There was no room for him within the Bororo, and likewise, Paul would never,
ever
let her go.

“Why a necessity?” A sense of grief overtook her, weighing down Naya's heart.

Ronan's brow furrowed as though he felt it, too. “We're all interconnected,” he replied. His voice twined around her and Naya angled her face up so she could look into his eyes. “We draw strength from each other.”

“Has it weakened you to be away from your coven?” What was Ronan's family like? Did they manage him with a choke hold the way Paul did with her?

“No.” Ronan leaned in until his lips hovered over hers. Naya's breath hitched and her heart raced in her chest. “I have you now.” He touched his mouth to hers, the barest of contact. “My mate and our tether give me strength.”

The kiss was soft. Slow. A tantalizing tease that awakened her want of him. His tongue met hers in a silky glide. She sighed into his mouth and their breaths became one. How could she possibly agree to Paul's arranged pairing when in her heart of hearts she already knew that she belonged to the male cradling her in his arms?

Magic trickled over her skin like warm, tropical rain. Ronan's palm cupped the back of her neck. He deepened the kiss as he eased her back, stretching her out on the couch. As he settled himself between her thighs, Naya thrust her hips up to meet the hard length of his erection concealed by his pants. Gods, she needed him naked, his bare skin on hers.

“Naya!” A palm pounded on her front door with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. “Naya, I know you're in there!”

Luz.
Shit.

Ronan pulled reluctantly away, a half smile pulling at his lips. “Your secret lair doesn't appear to be so secret, you know.”

“Tell me about it.” Between Santi and Luz coming and going as they pleased, Naya figured it was time to move. Of course, in a town of around ten thousand people no “secret lair” was going to stay secret for long. She disentangled herself from Ronan and crossed to the front door, throwing it open. “You know, Luz—”

“Oh. My. Gods.” Luz waltzed in past her and stared at Ronan, mouth agape. “It's true!” Luz looked at Naya with wide, excited eyes and gave her a nudge. “You
do
have a new pet!”

Ronan smiled with amusement, but Naya was ready to get her cousin out the door. Butterflies swirled in Naya's stomach. If Santi hadn't already told Luz about her houseguest, she would have heard it from Joaquin. Which meant that by now Paul and the elders knew about Ronan as well. “Luz, this isn't a good time.” Naya's attention wandered back to Ronan. His pupils were rimmed with silver and his gaze was hungry. Gods, he flipped her world on its axis. She couldn't think straight when he looked at her like that.

Luz snorted. “I bet not. But my party crashing is the least of your worries.” She jerked her chin in Ronan's direction. “Paul's furious. He's put a bounty on the vampire's head. One hundred pieces of gold for his fangs.”

Ronan's amusement dimmed as he arched a brow. “Just one hundred pieces? Surely I'm worth more than that.”

How could he be so cavalier? Icy shards of dread speared Naya's chest. If the parasitic magic didn't kill Ronan, then Paul would certainly get the job done. And she was powerless to stop any of it.

 

CHAPTER

19

Luz was quite a spitfire. She resembled her cousin in many ways, but she lacked Naya's maturity and self-control. Not to mention any sort of a mental filter. Luz flipped the length of her dark curly hair behind one shoulder. Her lips pursed in concentration and she cocked a hip as she studied him. Shorter than Naya by four or five inches, she gave the appearance of a petulant teenager, not a powerful witch who hunted down demons.

“So … Is the size of a vampire's fangs in direct proportion to the size of his, uh…” She flashed him a mischievous smile. “You know.”

Ronan laughed and Naya cut him a look.

“Luz.” Naya didn't sound as amused. “Get a grip.”

“What? When am I ever going to get the chance to ask again?”

“We've got to get you out of town.” Naya ignored her cousin's antics in favor of her worry. The smell of it tainted her usually sweet scent and Ronan wrinkled his nose. A wave of anxiety vibrated through him—hers.

“I'm not going anywhere until I find Chelle.” That was only half of it, though. Finding Chelle was definitely a priority, but Ronan wasn't leaving Crescent City. Not without Naya.

“Ronan.” Naya threw up her hands in frustration. She paced through the sparsely furnished living room while Luz hoisted herself up on the bar countertop that separated the kitchen from the dining area. “Paul put a price on your head. And not just money.
Gold.
”

“And…?” Ronan didn't give a fuck-all about the bounty. He'd take on anyone who thought they could kill him.

“Gold is big mojo, bloodsucker.” Luz swung her legs back and forth, making her seem younger. “It's the only precious metal that can safely hold residual magic.”

“Bororo gold isn't like regular gold, I take it?”

“Nope.”

Naya shot a glare Luz's way, but the younger girl seemed not to notice. “For non–magic wielders, it's like getting one hundred wishes from a genie. Naya and I can conjure up what we need with our own power. We don't need Paul's gold or his wishes. But everyone else…”

“Will be more than ready to put a stake through your heart for the opportunity to get their hands on the gold.” Naya's dark gaze met his and another wave of anxiety caused his chest to tighten.

“You can conjure up
anything
?” Ronan fixed her with a stern eye and cocked a brow. Apparently his mate had been holding out on him.

“Luz is overexaggerating.”

As though she couldn't wait for the opportunity to show off, the younger woman closed her eyes and opened her palm. Naya gave a derisive snort as quiet settled on the room. A lavender glow pooled in Luz's hand. “It's raw.” She slowly opened her eyes. “But with the right intent and maybe an extra ingredient or two, I can make it do almost anything I want it to.”

“Stop it, Luz,” Naya groused. “You're an apprentice for a reason, so stop being so cocky.”

The barb bit deep and Luz shot back, “Not for long. You're being retired, remember?”

They stared each other down for an uncomfortable moment before Naya resumed her pacing. “You can take my car, Ronan. I'll look for Chelle. You need to get back to L.A. before Paul—”

“I'm not leaving, Naya.” That she expected him to tuck tail and flee grated. “Not until
all
of my loose ends here are tied up.”

“Paul is sending out hunting parties to take you out, Ronan!”

Her exasperated tone and the sour scent of her fear ignited his temper. “Do you think I'm afraid?” he railed. “Let them come after me!”

He was fucking sick and tired of hiding. The gap in his memory was yet to be filled and he had no idea where to find Chelle. Hell, for all he knew, Naya had killed his sister on the pier last night. Sorrow crested over him. A feeling of helplessness that had no end. The key to finding her was lost with his memory. He had no doubt. And he'd be damned if he'd let a few closed-minded, self-righteous shifters get between him and
anyone
he held dear.

“Is it me, or did the temperature in here drop by about thirty degrees?” Luz rubbed at her arms and her comment wasn't simply an attempt at levity.

Power rose to the surface of Ronan's skin. The magic that attacked him like a parasite thrived on negative emotions.

“Ronan?”

He crossed the room and seized Naya roughly against him, bringing his mouth to hers. She melted in his embrace, her lips soft and warm, yielding to him. Her fingers threaded through his hair, her touch soft and reassuring. The cold that blanketed his skin abated until all that remained was a pleasant glow that left his limbs heavy with content.

“See.” Luz snickered under her breath. “A Bororo
bruja
can do
anything
. Even tame a raging vampire. Big mojo.”

Prying himself from Naya was a greater feat than he'd anticipated. But the physical contact had managed to calm his temper and sent the magic back to whatever dark place it hid inside of him. Luz studied him, her dark eyes shrewd and missing nothing.

Her gaze didn't leave Ronan's as she said to Naya, “You're in some deep shit,
chica.
”

Naya tried to pull away, but Ronan kept his hold on her. He brought her back tight against his chest and settled his hand at her hip. “Do you trust her?” Ronan trusted fewer than a handful of people. Inherent power or not, he didn't trust Naya's cousin not to collect on the bounty herself.

Naya remained rigid in his embrace. “I trust her. Luz, there's something going on here and it goes way past what we've been entrusted to take care of.”

“You fucking think so?” Luz hopped down from the counter, giving Ronan a wide berth as she headed for the living room. “You heard that, right, Naya?
Mis dioses! La musica es muerte
.”