When Darkness Comes (Guardians of Eternity #1)(68)

That zoomed way beyond her comfort zone.

Instead she sank to her knees and sucked in a deep breath.

"You can come out now, Dante. I know you're here."

Chapter 19

Dante stepped from behind the tree with a faint smile. He recognized that peevish tone. It meant that Abby was well aware of his extracurricular activity with the dark wizard and was not a bit pleased with him.

"You did well, lover. That fool will think twice about coming after you again."

She stepped toward him, planting her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you help me?"

"Did you want my help?"

That made her briefly falter. Her independent nature made it nearly impossible for her to admit she might need assistance. From anyone.

At last she shrugged. "It's not like you to stand back and watch me duke it out."

Dante cocked a brow at the unfamiliar phrase. "Duke it out?"

"Fight off the bad guys."

He reached out to grasp her arms and tug her close. He breathed deeply of her warm scent. A scent that now held his own blood. That knowledge made a purely male pleasure race through him.

Her eyes narrowed. "I've had your blood; I know there was some sort of fight."

His lips twitched. "More a minor disagreement."

"Dante…"

He cupped her chin in his hand. "Abby, I found the wizard, we exchanged a handful of threats, I had him in my grasp, and like a fool I allowed him to disappear. Nothing more."

"You're lucky he did disappear. I have warned you what will happen if you get yourself hurt."

Dante smiled as his gaze dropped to her mouth. Surely he had allowed her enough chiding? It was definitely time to move on to more interesting activities.

Debating whether he dared to pull her back in Ms arms and kiss away her temper, he was abruptly whirling, his fangs extended and his hands curled into claws. A vampire was near, and he wasn't about to take chances.

On cue, Viper stepped from the shadows and folded his arms over his chest. Even to Dante's eye he appeared a lethal threat with his large body attired in black and his pale hair pulled back with a heavy silver clasp. An ancient predator who wouldn't hesitate to kill.

The familiar mocking smile curved his lips.

"Really, Dante, I thought you would be knee-deep in witches by now, and here you are playing with your new toy."

Dante cocked a brow. "What are you doing here?"

"I was following the trail of your wizard."

"Too late." Dante glared toward Selena's dark estate. "He already made his grand appearance."

"And now?"

His hands were lowering to the flare of her hips when she was suddenly pushing against his chest.

"Wait."

"What?"

'You're not going to distract me."

His teeth nipped at the lobe of her ear. "It could be fun."

She gave a faint shiver before she was sternly stepping back and folding her arms over her chest.

"No. You lied to me."

Dante ruefully conceded that Abby wasn't going to be deflected. She was smoldering with the need to rake him over the coals. A pity. With the immediate threat gone, he could think of better means of passing the time.

"That's rather harsh," he mildly protested.

'You told me you were going to lay a false trail and pick up the scent of that demon." She poked her finger at his chest. "You didn't say anything about flexing your testosterone with that damn wizard."

"He's going to be a pain in the ass until we can get rid of him. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder."

"Did you…?"

"No." Dante gave a disgusted shake of his head. He had been preparing for battle. He hadn't considered the notion the bastard would use his powers to elude him. "The coward scurried away rather than fight like a man."

More chest poking. "There was more than just him running away. I could feel you, and I know that there was some sort of fight."

"Hardly a fight. Or even a skirmish." He held out his arms. "Look at me, not a scratch."

"You seemed to be holding your own."

She leaned back to stab him with a narrowed gaze. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"I could feel you behind the tree, and I know damn well you were itching to charge out and kill that man. What stopped you?"

He smoothed back a stray curl. "I needed to know that you wouldn't hesitate to fight."

She made a strangled sound. "God almighty, I've been in a full-scale war for days. Why would I hesitate now?"

"You've been fighting demons and zombies, not humans. In your mind there's a difference," he pointed out. "I needed to know you could overcome your fear of harming another."

A flush touched her cheeks. "Oh."

His finger brushed her lips. "Are you all right?"

Her lips twisted in a grim smile. "As all right as I can be right now."

"No regrets?" he pressed.

She took a moment as she glanced down the now-empty street. "Actually… no. This may be horrible of me, but it's nice to know that I didn't panic when the chips were down."