Keystone (Crossbreed #1)(81)
Or at least he had, until their kiss.
While her leaping into his arms had taken him by surprise, it wasn’t nearly as startling as his reaction to her walking away. True, a little ego was involved, and when he sensed her indifferent response, he impulsively wanted to do something that would leave her breathless. But the moment he’d felt her body flush against his—Mother of God, the woman hadn’t a clue that her kiss could set Hell on fire.
And Christian had kissed many women—enough that he often preferred to get down to business rather than wasting time on all the licking and sucking.
He’d thought about their kiss often, rewinding to the moment when she’d turned and their lips met, remembering how stunned he’d been since she had professed nothing but hate for Vampires. Raven had a decadent taste, soft skin, and she knew exactly what to do with those lips. She kissed him as though she were starving for him.
While they both tried to pretend it had never happened, it made their training sessions brutally uncomfortable for him. She avoided eye contact and held back on some of her usual quips. Was she ashamed? It made him even more adamant about getting her out of the house.
He entered the training facility and scanned the empty room. Niko looked like a statue in the center, sitting on the floor with his eyes closed.
Christian rocked on his heels. “Let me guess, she decided to skip the afternoon session.”
Niko retained his perfect posture. “She never showed up.”
Christian cocked his head and gave him a peevish glance. “Don’t be daft. Of course she showed up.”
Niko drew in a deep breath and rose to his feet, stretching his neck and arms. “Viktor won’t allow her to make up for the time lost. It appears we’ve seen the last of Raven Black.”
Christian seized Niko’s arm when he walked by him. “You’re telling me she didn’t show up all day? Not even a phone call?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”
“And you don’t find that the least bit suspicious?”
Niko pulled out of his grasp and straightened his black T-shirt. “She’s not a predictable woman. Maybe she’s afraid of your scrubbing her memory, so she decided to leave town. I’ve spent hours considering different scenarios, and that’s the most logical conclusion. What more could she gain in one day? She knew she wasn’t going to leave this house with her memory intact.”
Christian bit his lip because he knew otherwise. “What other reasons did you come up with?”
“That she instigated a fight to test out some of her new tricks. If she lost the battle, we may never find out what happened to her. If she won, then she’s probably ill after drinking too much of his blood or stealing his light. Perhaps the real reason is that she’s not willing to accept the finality of this decision. The last day would serve as a reminder that she will not become a member of Keystone, and that is what concerns me the most.”
“Why do you say that? She has a few coins in her pocket now; she can afford a place to sleep.”
“This place was more than a roof over her head, Christian. Keystone was her salvation. When you strip away a man’s hope, you don’t know what he’s capable of becoming. All we can do is pray for her.”
Christian snorted. “Pray to whom? The Mage gods? The Vampire gods? What god created us?”
“The fates created us. The power that’s behind all the mysteries. Some things are too magnificent for us to see.”
“Like the middle finger I’m flashing at you?”
Niko smirked. “I don’t need to see your finger to know your intention.”
Christian shut down his feelings and locked them up in a tight little box. “I told you not to do that with me. I don’t use my gifts on you, and I’d appreciate the same courtesy.”
“Apologies. Some things are difficult to ignore.”
Christian put his arm around Niko. “Well, no sense in wasting the day away. Let’s have a pint and do some celebrating.”
Chapter 23
When we arrived at Darius’s property, I gritted my teeth and held my chin high. I refused to let him see me as a defeated woman. Superficial wounds and handcuffs aside, Darius was going to learn he was no match for a woman like me.
The guards had removed my gag when, after they’d placed a shirt over my head to blindfold me, I made heaving motions as if I were going to vomit. Hopefully they’d fall for it—I needed to get that strip of fabric away from my mouth. Words were the only weapon I had, and I’d be damned if they were going to deliver me like a prisoner of war.
They guided me from the cab, and we ascended the outside steps to his building. When we entered an open room, they removed my blindfold. I didn’t have time to survey my surroundings as they led me to the left. It felt like a death march by the way the guards flanked me, keeping a secure hold of my arms with me one step ahead.
When the smaller guy opened a door on the right, a gust of air swept my hair back. Everything moved in slow motion, including my heartbeat, as I marched at a determined pace toward Darius, who stood at the far end of the dimly lit hall.
Our footsteps sounded like a stampede against the cement floor. Darius didn’t seem to have a clue about interior decorating. This place had a nightmarish quality to it, as if those white walls were closing in on me.