A Kiss of Blood (Vamp City #2)(96)

This was coming down to a battle of wills, she could see that. And she was ready for it. Shifting the candle to one hand, she held out her other to Micah. When he took it, she nodded toward the wall. “Go.”

Giving her a wary look, he reached out his hand and watched it disappear. Stepping forward, he left the bubble, releasing her hand at the last minute. She held out her hand to Kassius and he did the same.

When they were alone, she turned to Arturo. He stared at her for a long moment, his hard expression slowly melting to one of resignation and misery. He held out his hand to her. “Come here.”

She gave in, placing her free hand in his, and he pulled her close, careful to avoid the candle as he buried his face in her hair. “I do not want to agree to this.”

“I know.” She stroked his back as he held her tight.

“You are coming to mean too much to me.” His words, and the depth of emotion behind them, burrowed into her heart, warming it, filling it.

“I need to do this, Turo. Not only do I owe that son of a bitch . . .” She pulled back, forcing him to look at her, to meet her gaze. “But this is what I was born to do. You know that as well as I.”

He tipped his forehead to hers. “You are too strong for your own good, tesoro mio. And a thousand times too stubborn.”

She smiled. “Better to work with me than to wonder what I’m doing behind your back, right?”

“Too strong.” He cupped her jaw.

She stroked his cheek. “You’ve attempted to be my master.”

“A spectacular failure.”

She smiled. “You’ve been my protector and my teacher. But the student has learned much and is becoming strong. And while I still have a lot to learn, it’s time we worked together, Vampire. It’s time we became a team. Partners.”

He sighed. She’d won, and they both knew it.

“You will be the death of me.”

“I’m counting on being your ace in the hole.”

He stroked her cheek, then gripped her jaw, his eyes as soft as they were intense. “Not partners. Teammates. And I am the leader of the team. I call the shots. You do not know that castle or its dangers. And I do.”

“I can live with that as long as you don’t try to protect me.”

His jaw tightened. “No heroics, Quinn. I mean it.”

She tugged on his hand, not quite ready to promise him anything more. “Come on, Vampire. Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.”

He followed her out of the bubble and back into the kitchen, where she placed the candle back on the table as Kassius and Micah watched, and waited.

Arturo started issuing orders. “Feed if you need to, then get ready to ride in an hour. We’ll be returning to the safe house to hammer out a primary plan and at least two backups. Quinn will need adequate food to take with us. She’ll be expending energy and power and will become quickly depleted. Micah is right, we must be fully prepared this time.”

“All four of us?” Kassius asked.

Arturo nodded, his mouth twisting ruefully. “All four of us.”

Kassius nodded. Micah gave her a small smile.

An answering smile lifted Quinn’s mouth, then quickly fell away. Yes, she’d succeeded in getting herself included in this critical mission. A mission that required her to return to Gonzaga Castle and put herself once more within reach of a vampire who, if he caught her, would hurt her beyond imagining. A monster even the vampires feared.

She had power, now, at least. Abilities that she lacked before.

But whether or not they’d prove adequate against such evil was anyone’s guess.