Hunt the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #11)(91)

“You won’t,” he assured her.

The dark eyes smoldered with frustration. “You don’t know that.”

“I trust you.”

Her fingers tightened on the box, her tension a palpable force in the air.

“Roke, maybe it would be better if I did this alone.”

He slammed on the brakes, sending the vehicle skidding onto the shoulder.

Sally gasped in surprise, her eyes widening as he reached across the seat to grasp her arms. He dragged her forward until they were nose to nose.

“Don’t ever say that again.”

Sally had heard the phrase “tugging the tail of a tiger,” but she’d never actually given it much thought.

Now she knew exactly what it meant.

Roke’s power blasted through the confined space, making the vehicle tremble and the windows frost over.

He was clearly pissed by her suggestion, which, as far as she was concerned, was totally unfair.

Hadn’t he seen what she’d done to that demon?

For God’s sake, the Nebule had been reduced to a weird glob of tar.

Okay, she wasn’t sorry that she’d killed the demon. He would certainly have squashed her without a second thought.

But it wasn’t as if she’d targeted Brandel and released her power to destroy him. She hadn’t even known she could destroy him.

The magic had simply crashed through her barriers, filling her with a heat that was so intense she couldn’t contain it.

If Roke hadn’t stayed back, he would be a tiny pile of ash.

A thought that twisted her gut with a savage pain.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Even if it meant finishing her quest on her own.

Not that her steely-eyed mate appeared to be in the mood to be reasonable.

As usual he looked like he wanted to bite something.

Preferably her.

“Roke—”

“No,” he interrupted, refusing to listen to reason.

Typical.

She heaved a frustrated sigh. “You are without a doubt the most stubborn creature I’ve ever met.”

The silver eyes narrowed. “Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

She jutted her chin. She wasn’t stubborn. She was . . . determined.

Completely different.

“There’s no reason for you to put yourself at risk,” she pointed out, ridiculously aware of the press of his slender fingers into her flesh. Now wasn’t the time to be remembering how those fingers had explored her body with exquisite dedication only a few hours before. “He’s my father and it’s my duty to release him, not yours.”

“You’re my duty,” he growled, unexpectedly kissing her with a stark need that stole her annoyance. “And my pleasure,” he murmured against her lips. “Without you, I can’t survive.”

“Stubborn,” she breathed in resignation.

His lips brushed softly against hers before Roke was abruptly pulling back, his gaze locked on the box that abruptly flared with light.

“Sally?”

“This is the place,” she muttered.

“Here?” He scowled. “It’s way too convenient that we’d stop at the precise place we need to be.”

Sally sympathized with his suspicion. It was way too convenient.

But she was beginning to understand that she wasn’t actually chasing her father, but rather finding a location that would allow his portal to align with this world.

It was fluid.

Holding Roke’s gaze, she waited until he muttered a low curse and slid out of the vehicle. Sally was quickly crawling out to stand beside him, no longer looking out of the box as she could feel the magic calling to her.

“This way,” she murmured, stumbling through the overgrown culvert that ran beside the road before making her way to the clump of oak trees at the edge of a field.

“I don’t like this.” Roke followed behind her, his disapproval crawling over her skin with a sharp chill.

Pretending she didn’t have a sulking six-foot-plus vampire on her heels, Sally walked between the trees, breathing deeply of the scent of moss and rich earth.

Was that the magic?

Her silent question was answered when an unmistakable tingle heated her blood.

“Here,” she said, stopping abruptly in the center of a small clearing.

Coming to a halt at her side, Roke continued to scan the shadows between the nearby trees, his muscles coiled to strike.

“Now what?”

“I’m not sure.” She leaned down to place the box at her feet, her heart leaping as a shimmering became visible in the air directly in front of her. “Oh.”

Unable to detect magic, Roke scowled in confusion. “What?”

“I see it.”

“See what?”

“The opening to the portal.”

She took a step forward only to be halted by a ruthless grip on her upper arm.

“What are you doing? You can’t just charge in there,” Roke snapped. “If your father is being held prisoner, then there must be guards.”

Tilting back her head, she met his seething gaze. “Waiting here isn’t going to change that.”

“Fine.” He reached to pull a gun from the holster at the small of his back. “Send me in and I’ll deal with the guards.”