When Darkness Ends (Guardians of Eternity #12)(83)

She wanted to shove him onto the floor of the foyer and rip off his clothes so she could explore every inch of that hard, male body with her lips.

Then she wanted to straddle him and . . .

Her breath caught as she forced herself to take a step back.

Not only was she shaken by the shocking images that were seared into her brain, but she remained acutely aware she was covered in filth.

Hardly sexy.

“I thought you were going to contact Styx?” she reminded him.

He grimaced, reluctantly pulling his cell phone from the pocket of his jeans.

“It won’t take long,” he promised, placing a lingering kiss on her lips. “Keep the water warm.”

Fallon hurried to her rooms, her heart racing with anticipation. Cyn didn’t have to worry about the temperature of the water. At the moment she was fairly certain her body heat could make it boil.

Lost in the delectable thought of sharing her bath with a very large, very naked vampire, Fallon allowed herself to be distracted.

A dangerous mistake she realized as she stepped into her room to discover a female vampire standing in the middle of the floor.

She froze, her gaze flicking over the stranger who looked completely harmless with her delicate features and big blue eyes. Not that Fallon was fooled for a second. Even at a distance she could sense the power that pulsed around the tiny figure that was barely covered by a pair of spandex pants and T-shirt that looked like it’d been painted on her.

Lise.

She recognized the scent from the first night they’d awoken at Cyn’s lair.

Now Fallon narrowed her gaze as she studied the female’s silky black hair that just brushed her shoulders and the exotic tilt to her blue eyes.

Of course the vampire was drop-dead gorgeous.

And no doubt she was completely independent with no need of anyone to help her kill a rabid troll.

The perfect partner for a clan chief.

Feeling distinctly grimy and at a total disadvantage, Fallon instinctively retreated behind her façade of Chatri princess.

“I don’t recall inviting you into my room.”

The female offered a cold smile, her fingers deliberately stroking down the blade of the dagger she had holstered around her slender waist.

“Sorry.”

The insincerity was palpable.

“I doubt that.” Fallon folded her arms over her waist. A tiny voice in the back of her mind warned her that she should probably be terrified. It was obvious the vampire wasn’t there for a social call. And if she’d decided that Fallon had overstayed her welcome, she could rip out her throat before Fallon could halt her. But it wasn’t fear that she felt as she met the female glare for glare. “What do you want?”

Lise strolled forward, deliberately allowing her power to press against Fallon.

“A little woman to woman chat.”

Fallon refused to back away. She’d been raised among Chatri royalty.

If Lise wanted a bitch contest . . . it was on.

“What do we have to chat about?”

The woman arched a dark brow. Was she surprised that Fallon hadn’t dropped to her knees and pleaded for mercy?

“Let’s start with Cyn,” she drawled, her voice frigid.

Fallon scowled. “He claimed you weren’t his lover.”

“I’m not, but he is my chief.”

“And,” Fallon prompted, knowing the relationship between Cyn and this female went way beyond simple clansmen.

“And he’s the man who turned me from my path of self-destruction,” she reluctantly admitted, the words sounding as if they were wrenched from her lips. “If not for Cyn I would be dead by now.”

A portion of Fallon’s resentment toward the female eased at the confession.

“He does have a savior complex,” she muttered, easily able to imagine Cyn rushing to the rescue of this fragile-looking female.

He just couldn’t help himself.

The blue eyes remained hard. Obviously Lise wasn’t interested in any girl bonding.

“He is a strong, loyal leader who is beloved by his people,” she rasped.

“He means a lot to you,” Fallon said. “I get it.”

Lise bared her snowy-white fangs. “No, you truly don’t.”

Fallon held up a slender hand at the woman’s foul temper. Yeesh.

“Fine. Then tell me.”

There was a tense silence, as if Lise was deciding between explaining her fierce loyalty to Cyn or just sticking the dagger in Fallon’s heart. Thankfully the female landed on the side of explanations.

“Cyn has never been a typical chief.”

Fallon rolled her eyes. There was nothing at all typical about Cyn.

“Yeah, no surprise.”

Lise ignored her, instead pacing toward the large stained-glass window. Fallon grimaced, knowing that the female had deliberately insulted her by turning her back to her.

She was implying that she wasn’t afraid of Fallon because she was too weak to be a real threat.

Bitch.

She was lucky that Fallon knew just how much Cyn depended on his top lieutenant. Otherwise she might just send a pulse of light to singe her perfect little ass.

Then she wouldn’t be so damned smug.

Instead she bit her lip and ignored the rudeness.

To be honest, she wanted to know more about Cyn and his clan.