Embrace The Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #2)(84)

"Are you blushing, pet?"

"I didn't..." She gave a shake of her head before she pulled back enough to study him with a worried gaze. "Do you feel well enough to get out of here?"

A smile curled his lips as he glanced down at his blood-soaked body.

"I'm healed. Completely healed," he murmured in amazement. "It's little wonder that the Anasso is so anxious to get his hands upon you."

Shay grimaced as she studied the pinprick fang marks still visible on her wrist. "Actually, I don't think it's his hands he wants to get on me."

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Don't underestimate those pheromones of yours. They are potent enough to seduce any vampire."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she demanded.

Viper rose smoothly to his feet with a soft chuckle. "No, I suppose it wouldn't." With great care he set her on her feet and placed his hands on her shoulders. His expression settled into somber lines as his thumbs absently stroked the line of her collarbone. "Shay, you have given me a great gift. One that I will not forget."

She shifted in discomfort. "A promise is a promise. I gave you the blood-debt, nothing more."

He smiled ruefully. "Be quiet, pet. In just a moment I intend to tell you in no uncertain terms just how stupid it was to follow me and put yourself at risk. For now I simply want you to know that you bring honor to your Shalott ancestors. I have never met anyone, whether it's vampire, demon, or human, who possesses your courage or your loyalty. You are a warrior your father would have been proud of."

A hot blush stained her cheeks. Dang it, she wasn't good at this mushy stuff. Give her a demon to fight, or a witch to outwit, and she was in her element. Give her a compliment and she floundered and fluttered as if she didn't have a lick of sense to her name.

"Maybe we should be thinking about getting out of here," she muttered.

His lips twitched. "There are times when I despair of you, pet, I truly do." He brushed a soft kiss over her brow. "But on this occasion you're right. We need to get out of here. The sooner the better."

Chapter Twenty-Two

Viper was grumpy.

There was really no better way to describe his mood.

Oh, it wasn't that he wasn't grateful. He didn't enjoy being tortured any better than the next vampire. Probably less than most. And he wasn't indifferent to the knowledge that Shay had revealed the secrets of her heart that she wasn't yet prepared to confess. No woman followed a man for hours and risked her life out of simple loyalty. Not even his stubborn, utterly obstinate Shalott. And certainly they did not offer up their precious blood without possessing some feelings.

But as much as the display of her affection warmed his cold heart, he couldn't put aside the maddening knowledge that he had failed. Failed to realize the truth of who was hunting Shay. Failed to capture the damnable Evor and put an end to the curse. Failed to keep Shay from rushing headlong into danger.

It had pretty much been one big stinking heap of failure.

Dammit all.

Behind him Shay remained thankfully oblivious to his silent self-flagellation.

Not surprising.

To her the tunnels were a spider web of inky blackness. Even holding tightly onto his hand she was stumbling over the uneven ground as he led her away from the occupied caves.

"Ow." she muttered, nearly going to her knees as she tripped over a stray rock.

Coming to a halt he turned to study her pale face. "Are you all right?"

"No, I'm not all right" She reached down to rub her toe. "I can't see a damn thing in this dark."

"Don't worry there's really not much to see. Some dirt, some rocks, a few spiders," he said dryly.

She straightened. The better to glare at him. "That is so not funny."

"Neither is the fact that you risked yourself to come here," he retorted, his voice edged with his smoldering frustration. "How did you even find me?"

She shrugged. "When I escaped from the warehouse I ran across Levet. He was already following you."

"The gargoyle?" He gave a lift of his brows. "I didn't know he cared."

"He thought that I was with you."

"Ah." Viper frowned. "What of Dante?"

"He is gathering your clan. Once the sun sets Levet will return to Chicago and lead them here."

He cupped her chin in his hand. "And it never occurred to you to wait for Dante?"

Her eyes narrowed. Never a good sign. "You might very well have been dead."

"But you would have been safe," he growled. "Dammit, Shay, I will not have you risking yourself—"

"No." She jerked her chin from his grasp. "You might hold my amulet, but you have promised that I am not your slave."

He gave a hiss of exasperation. "Of course you're not."

"Then I'm free to make my own decisions. And if that means coming here to rescue you then that's exactly what I'll do."

It was without a doubt the most ridiculous argument that Viper had ever heard. And he had heard a lot of them over the centuries.

He gave a disbelieving shake of his head. "Even if it means being captured and drained?" he demanded harshly. "That's exactly what will happen if we're caught. You should have returned to Abby. You would have been safe there."