Born in Blood (The Sentinels #1)(88)

She gave his lower lip a tiny nip. “Time for this?”

“Behave yourself, woman.”

Firmly settling her back against the headboard, Duncan reached for a strawberry and held it to her mouth.

Callie obediently took a bite, savoring the tart juices that exploded in her mouth. Duncan was right, it was a shame. Hell, it was more than a shame.

She’d much rather be feasting on his hard, male body, but time was slipping away too fast to indulge their need.

Neither wanted Fane coming to look for her.

With an indulgent smile, Duncan urged her to clean her plate, then while he whisked away the tray, Callie took a quick shower.

Returning to the bedroom she discovered her clothes had been freshly laundered and laid out on the bed and her heart melted a little more.

Crap.

This man understood women far too well.

Romance wasn’t about flowers or remembered birthdays, or surprise trips to Paris.

Not that all of those things weren’t great.

But it was the tiny, everyday thoughtful gestures that made a woman feel appreciated.

Loved.

Pulling on her clothes, she struggled against the aching disappointment at having to leave.

Someday she would put her foot down and insist she have the freedom to explore her relationship with Duncan.

But not today.

Until the danger was past, she had to be extra careful. Her nightmare had forced her to realize that she wasn’t taking Boggs’s warning as seriously as she should.

The vision of herself poised in front of Valhalla while a dark tide of death rushed past her was seared into her brain, chilling her to her very soul.

She didn’t know how or why her blood could call the dead, but if there was the slightest chance the rogue necromancer could use her in his sick plans then she had to stay out of his reach.

And if that meant cowering behind the protective walls of Valhalla, so be it.

Squaring her shoulders, she forced her feet to carry her out of the bedroom into the living room where Duncan was tucking his gun into his holster.

She choked back a groan.

His golden male looks might have been too pretty if it wasn’t for the dangerous edge to his features and the hard, lean body that was built for violence.

Instead he looked... mouthwatering.

Barely resisting the urge to cross the short distance and press herself against the sexy invitation that was Duncan O’Conner, she forced a smile to her lips.

No moping in front of the delectable cop. He was already worried enough about her.

“Thanks for the clean clothes,” she murmured. “I had no idea you could not only order a breakfast that was to die for, but you can also do laundry.”

“I’m multitalented.”

“You most certainly are,” she whispered.

He stilled as their gazes entangled, sharing all the words they couldn’t say. “Callie—”

“I should go,” she abruptly breathed, slipping on her reflective glasses. “Fane will be here soon.”

His jaw clenched, but he moved to place an arm around her waist, leading her toward the door. He might hate the fact that Fane was her guardian, but he wouldn’t jeopardize her safety.

“I’ll wait with you.”

There was no point in arguing, even if she’d wanted to.

Duncan wasn’t going to let her out of his sight until he’d handed her over to Fane.

Which might have been insulting if she hadn’t accepted that her pride had to take a backseat until the necromancer was found. In her mind she might be a kick-ass Xena warrior, but in reality... yeah, not so much.

Leaving the apartment, Callie felt a strange chill brush over her skin. Almost as if she’d been touched by death.

She shivered, hastily looking down the narrow hallway that ended at a heavy fire door. There wasn’t much to see. A few plastic plants in dire need of dusting and a shallow alcove that led to the second apartment.

So why did she feel as if there was something lurking just out of sight?

“What is it?” Duncan demanded, his hand on his gun.

She gave a last glance down the hall before giving a shake of her head. Obviously the nightmare had affected her even more than she’d realized.

She was jumping at shadows.

She shook her head. “Nothing”

Duncan nodded, continuing to lead her out of the building, but his hand remained on his gun.

She wasn’t the only jumpy one.

They stepped into the parking lot, briefly blinded by the late afternoon sunlight.

Callie blinked, scanning the lot for a sign of the heavy vehicle that Fane always preferred.

A Hummer, a truck, an armored tank.

When there was nothing beyond the expected minivans and midsize clunkers, she glanced at Duncan in surprise.

“Not here?” he demanded.

“No. Strange.” She pulled her phone out, discovering she’d missed Fane’s text. “Oh. He had to wait for the monks to arrange a car. He should be here any minute.”

“Good.” Without warning Duncan wrapped his arms around her and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “We have time for a little PDA.”

“PDA?” She tilted back her head with a lift of her brows. “Dare I ask?”

“Public Display of Affection,” he murmured, his sexy smile suddenly freezing as he glanced over her shoulders. “That guy looks familiar and not in a good way,” he said, in full cop mode as he shoved a key into her hand. “Here. Go back to the apartment and lock the door. I’ll call when Fane gets here.”