“She’s gonna be a problem, that one. Has a hard on for the Costellos a mile long. Heard she’s tough…it’s in her blood.”
“Isn’t it always?”
First the Costellos…and now the goddamn FBI. That’s all we needed with the Inner Circle breathing down our necks. “Did the Feds get everything?”
“Every fucking fiber. They’re having a goddamn field day. You know they’re looking for her, right?” He didn’t need to jerk his head, but he did…just to aggravate me.
“They can keep on fucking looking. I can make her disappear faster than they can blink.”
“You sure you want to do that?”
If she was gone…then she was gone. There’d be no coming back.
No, I wasn’t sure…not about anything when it came to her it seemed. Two days she’d been out. Two days, and still that mark on her side clung tight. I’d seen shit like that once. A dark Fae warrior taking a human as a sex slave. That shit kept her pliable…that shit kept her on him every second of the day.
The thought rose inside me. A sick, twisted thought. A raging hunger. One I shoved away. No, I wouldn’t do that…still, I turned my head and sniffed myself. That unmistakable scent was stronger than before.
Want her, the beast urged.
Silver eyes shining in the darkness of my soul. “Keep wanting. She’s not ours to take.”
“The men are ready when you are. I’ll make the call and summon the Genie.”
“Keep calling him that and he’ll give you three wishes that’ll terrify you,” I warned.
The bastard smiled before he turned.
“Church.”
He stopped at the doorway to his bedroom and looked over his shoulder.
“She’s different.”
His nostrils flared. Hunger moved behind his eyes. He felt her, too…I knew it. His jaw clenched and his muscles bulged. Even his fists were tight. “I know,” he answered before he went into his room and firmly closed the door.
I know. I closed my eyes for a second. Maybe I wasn’t the only one totally fucked in the head? Maybe I wasn’t the only one who felt her hunger like a furnace? I lifted my hand and pressed it to my chest. A goddamn ache burned there, blue flames burning the hottest. The woman was going to set my entire world on fire. I could just feel it.
I want her. The beast didn’t give a fuck. He wanted what he wanted, and took with savage need…The only thing was…he’d never wanted until her.
Never demanded.
Never raged.
But now he paced. Claws extended. Fangs bared. Yeah, he wanted alright.
I strode out of the bedroom, and lingered at my door, senses searching, finding her breaths steady, her pulse slow before I made my way along the hallway to the others. Two days they’d been holed up here, hiding, healing. The cops knew better than to descend on this side of the river without bringing everything they had. But they’d come…sniffing around, if only for her.
The heady scent of eggs and bacon wafted in the air. Feeding time was six meals a day in our house. We all took turns at cooking and cleaning, even me.
But they never said a word when I strode into the kitchen. Just sly glances at me, and at each other. I didn’t give a fuck. I’d killed more than my fair share that night. Saved more than one of their asses…and they knew it.
I grabbed a plate and moved to the heavy skillet. Only the best pieces, crunchy on the outside, thick and meaty in the middle. The smell of cure and salt made my mouth water. Still, I took my time, touching each piece, laying the bacon out flat before I hunted through the wreckage of what was left behind for another.
The hairs on the nape of my neck rose, then settled.
Eggs were next. I grabbed the spoon and carved through the fluffy scramble, searching for fragments of shell… then placed it to the side. “Tomato?”
“Didn’t cook it.”
My top lip curled with a flash of anger before I reached for the smaller frying pan. Knobs were turned, and hungry flames lit, heating up the surface before I reached for the refrigerator door. I grabbed the butter and the best tomato I could find, then straightened. I sliced the ends and through the middle, placed a blob of butter in the searing hot pan, then the tomato on one side, sizzling and growing softer.
“You okay?” Vitold asked.
“Fine,” I answered and turned, meeting his gaze.
“Is she…” the Wolf started before he licked his lips.
Ready? Is that what the bastard was asking?
“Healing,” he finished. “The Fae sickness.”
“A little,” I answered and turned, grabbing the edges of the tomato and flipping it. But my subconscious rose like a wave. “Shouldn’t have brought her here.”
“Where else were you going to take her? She saved your ass, right?” The Wolf shoved off from the counter and stepped closer.
The others were in the living room…listening.
“She saved your ass, so you’re indebted. That’s all. Heal her up, and send her on her way. Simple.”
Was that a warning…or a nice solid word of advice?
Either way, I swallowed it like a fucking stone.
One nod and I turned, grasped the handle of the pan, and slid the tomato onto the plate.
“You are gonna send her on her way, aren’t you, brother?” Vitold urged.
“Yes,” I forced through clenched teeth, that seething rage punching higher until it was all the way to the surface. “Yes, I’ll send her on her goddamn way.”
He was satisfied. It was all about the operation anyway, wasn’t it? Can’t have the Feds showing up here…can’t have the bastards sniffing around at all. What was gone must stay gone…forever.
“The money?”
“All taken care of. Hurrow flew down. Ruin took care of the rest. The girls are working…everything is running like clockwork,” he answered softly. “Can I see her?”
“She’s asleep.”
“Can I see her?”
I jerked my gaze to his. Inside, my Wolf went quiet and still, scenting…careful now. Hackles itching, a tremble in his lips. My gaze shifted from the Wolf’s gaze to his throat before I licked my lips and gave a slow nod. “Do not wake her.”
Part of the pack. What belonged to the Alpha…belongs to the pack.
Didn’t mean I had to like it.
I wasn’t like the fucking Vampires.
He never took his gaze from mine as the Wolf stepped backwards, turned a little, and left. I closed my eyes, sensing him as he headed along the hallway, each step toward her like a fist against the cage of my chest.
Hard breaths. Her food was cooling by the second. I tore my gaze away, fighting every fucking urge to lunge like the damn beast I was and take the enforcer to the floor, my fangs against his neck and that warning growl tearing through my throat. Back the fuck off.
I was moving before I knew it, long strides gaining speed. Church raised his head, following the movement, before he turned back to whatever was on TV.
The door to my bedroom was open…
The Wolf was inside.
A crack tore through my jaw as I clenched tight and strode through. Vitold stood against the bed, staring down at her, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, not touching her…not yet.