Hunt the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #11)(44)

Roke took two more turns, each one taking them farther from civilization. Just as Sally was about to accuse Roke of refusing to admit he was lost, they came around a corner to halt in front of a large log cabin nearly hidden in the trees.

“Wait here,” Roke murmured, sliding out of the car and disappearing among the shadows.

It took him less than five minutes to make a complete sweep of the area before he was returning to the car and leading her into the house.

Keeping a watch on the nearby trees, Sally hardly noticed the wide terrace or the heavy steel door that swung open after Roke had punched in a series of numbers.

It wasn’t until she’d stepped over the threshold that she took stock of the actual house.

Her eyes widened as she took in the large great-room that was paneled in a dark, glossy wood. The floors were made of flagstone, matching the fireplace that towered toward the twelve-foot ceiling. Heavy leather sofas and chairs were arranged throughout the long room with a chandelier made from some sort of antlers spilling a soft glow over the entire space.

And peering down from the walls were a half dozen stuffed animal heads mounted on wood placards.

Yeesh.

It looked like a hunting lodge for one of the Rich and Famous, not a supersecret vampire lair.

“This is a safe house?” she demanded.

He shut and locked the door. “Most vampires enjoy their comforts, although there are a few who still prefer isolated caves and a ban on all technology.”

She turned her attention to watch as he moved through the room, touching a keypad on the far wall that turned on the monitors that were obviously connected to the security system.

Although he was dressed in modern jeans and a heavy motorcycle jacket, there was something raw and untamed about his dark beauty.

It was etched into the stark features that were framed by the silken ebony of his hair and the feral grace of his movements.

And those astonishing eyes . . .

He was a hunter who would never be entirely civilized.

“Including you?”

He sent her an exasperated glance. “Why do I sense you’re convinced I live in a teepee in the middle of the desert?”

She frowned. Was he offended? Impossible. His skin was as thick as a rhino’s.

“You don’t seem the type to feel comfortable being surrounded by . . .” She waved a hand around the large room. “This.”

He wrinkled his nose. “I’ll admit I prefer less wood. And I try to avoid dead animals staring at me from the walls.”

“No shit.” She glanced toward a moose that was eyeballing her with what felt like accusation. “They’re freaking me out.”

Roke moved to stand directly in front of her, gently adjusting the neckline of her sweatshirt before smoothing her hair behind her ear, as if he desperately needed the small, unnecessary touches.

“There are bedrooms upstairs,” he said, his expression carefully guarded even as his fingers traced the shell of her ear. “I know you’re probably not tired right now, but Alexei promised the rooms were fully equipped with TVs and attached bathrooms. There’s also a kitchen that’s kept stocked with human food.”

Sally shivered, nearly overwhelmed by the urge to press herself against his hard body.

Dammit.

She’d done so well keeping her intense need for him locked behind a frosty wall of offended anger. She’d allowed him into her bed once and what had it gotten her?

A door slammed in her face, that’s what.

But trying to nurse that sense of injustice was suddenly an impossible task.

Not only because he’d given her a glimpse of the lonely man who’d tortured himself for years, perhaps centuries, over the death of his sire. But because she wanted him.

That simple.

She wanted to shove her fingers into the satin darkness of his hair. She wanted to strip off his clothes and kiss a path over his hard, perfectly chiseled body. She wanted to wrap her lips around his hard cock before he was shoving her flat on her back and plunging so deep into her that she cried out his name.

Abruptly realizing he was studying her with eyes that had gone smoky with an answering need, Sally took a step back and tried to pretend that she wasn’t aching to feel those extended fangs plunged into her neck.

“What about you?”

His hungry gaze skimmed over her face before lowering to the exposed column of her neck.

“The sunproof rooms are in the basement.”

“No, I meant—” Heat filled her cheeks.

“What?”

She licked her lips. “Dinner.”

Her hair was tugged by a burst of chilled air as Roke struggled to contain his fierce need to pounce.

“There will be blood kept in the lower rooms.”

Her gaze dropped beneath the scorching need that smoldered in his gaze.

This was insanity.

Just because Roke had allowed her to see past his grim exterior didn’t change anything.

How could it?

They were still bound together by magic she didn’t understand.

They were still on the run from a crazy-ass demon and fairies who may or may not want her dead.

And he was still a chief who had pledged his loyalty to a clan who would never, ever accept her as his mate.

“Of course,” she muttered.

His finger slid beneath her chin to tilt her face up to meet his suddenly worried gaze.