The Way You Bite(27)

“She’d make a good negotiator between our species. A somewhat neutral party.” He should’ve told her she wasn’t full vampire. Even a meeting with Ambrose shouldn’t have delayed the need to get the truth of her origins out in the open.

Ambrose’s body stiffened. “That’s out of the question. If you go near her again, I will make this my own personal war with your kind.”

“Are you threatening me and my people? Do you intend to drag all the DiFalcos into the Stateside skirmish?” Lexan smiled, allowing his canines to show. He relished the opportunity to kick this pompous kid’s ass. Damn, this was more excitement than he’d had in centuries. The prospect of a good fight with a decent opponent caused him to smile broader.

“We will come after you,” Ambrose warned.

“What we? Your pitiful group of soldiers is no match for us. They’ve never been tested by battle. I could exterminate all of them myself before you’d even know the fight had begun.”

Ambrose shifted. A poker player he was not.

“You plan to run to Daddy for help? Go, then. Run to Viktor in Italy. It’s been a while since he and I faced off in battle, but I look forward to finishing the fight we started long ago. You think he lost his arm in an accident? He surrendered to me on bended knee, screaming like a child while clutching the stump that remained.” Lexan slowly rose.

“Stay the hell away from her.” Ambrose shot upright and stalked out of the coffeehouse.

Not ideal. He’d ramped up Ambrose enough for him to put Vee on guarded lockdown. Not Lexan’s intent. Maybe he was the shittier diplomat.

Lexan’s cell buzzed with a call from TC. He clicked the Accept Call icon. “Speak.”

“What the hell is wrong with her?”

Dread cramped Lexan’s gut. TC only did dramatics over beer. “What do you mean?”

“She went back to her apartment, which was loaded with Squad vamps. I stopped her from going in—saved her ass from getting caught—but then while we waited until the vamps left she went pale and weak. She said something about being hungry, but where the hell am I supposed to get blood?”

“Is she okay?”

“No. She’s not bloody okay. I got her a soda at the gas station. She drank it and passed out. What do you want me to do with her?”

“Take her to the house. We’ll be there is a few minutes.”

“Who was that?” Eric asked as he cranked the car.

“TC. Vee passed out, and he’s got her in his car. I should’ve known she wasn’t strong enough to be on her own after losing so much blood last night. I shouldn’t have left her.”

“She was bleeding? Did she fight you or something?” asked Eric.

“Someone knifed her at the wedding.”

“Because of us at her work?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s put her on a plane right now and let her wake up in Europe,” Eric suggested with a hopeful tone.

“Your life would be easier, but this has to be her choice.”

“I get this would be a political nightmare if we took her, but what about her fake suicide? She doesn’t want to be here. Even if your special skills can’t work to convince her, she seems to like you. If you won’t kidnap her, then maybe you could sway her to speed her evacuation the fuck up. The longer we’re here the more likely we’re going to end up fighting Scarpas or DiFalcos. I want to think odds are in our favor, but a lot of us will get hurt.”

Lexan massaged his forehead. He agreed with Eric and wished they could all board a plane right now. She might not want to be in the States, but that didn’t mean she wanted to be with them. He could remove her and smooth it over, but it wasn’t that simple. He’d promised to let her decide. His word was his word. Damn it.

He also sure as hell wasn’t walking away from her after all this. Nature had the last laugh in this catastrophe.





Chapter Ten


Lexan was out of the SUV before Eric had the car in park.

TC stood beside his car, arms crossed, scowling.

“Where is she?” Lexan demanded. He couldn’t see through the car’s dark window tinting to ascertain her presence.

TC nodded to the backseat. “She’s still out. You didn’t tell me she was…” He lowered his voice. “In heat.” He swiped a hand across his forehead, wiping sweat. Now night, it remained warm, but not warm enough to sweat. “You said she’s a mix so I guess it’s possible. Is it for you?”

Lexan didn’t reply as he yanked open the backseat door. She looked so peaceful sleeping with one arm curled above her head.

“I haven’t been around a female in heat in a long time. It’s…” TC rubbed his eyebrows with one hand. “It’s a problem.”

“It’s my problem.” Lexan gathered her into his arms. The unease he’d forcibly ignored since he let her walk away after burning her car lessened. In her in-heat state, even unconscious, she would drive his wolves nuts. He needed to put her somewhere private. Somewhere he could watch…guard.

Lexan kicked open the door to his borrowed bedroom and laid her on his bed. He sat, watching her breathe in and out for a while. When it became clear she wasn’t waking up, he moved to leave. Her hand landed on his thigh, arresting him. Her palm was limp as if the act hadn’t been conscious.