The Immortal Hunter(49)

Did she even have the right to wonder about this stuff when Stephanie was kidnapped and in peril? Dani didn't feel like she did and felt selfish and uncaring for doing so.

Sighing, she pushed the button to allow the tub to start to drain and stood up to reach for a towel, making a silent vow as she did. From now on, she would concentrate on the most important matter at hand. Finding Stephanie.

Decker paced to the windows, peered out over the fields behind the house, and then paced back to the bed, only to repeat the circuit. He'd made a quick run to his room to change into clean jeans and arrived back in the room to hear splashing from the bathroom. It hadn't been the violent sounds that had accompanied her coughing earlier, however, so he'd begun to pace as he waited for her to finish.

The sound of the bathroom door opening brought Decker's pacing, and thoughts, to an abrupt halt. He turned as Dani stepped into the room. She was rosy-cheeked, her damp hair brushed back and flat to her head. The sight was endearing, he decided, and then noted that she had been forced to redon the clothes she'd worn earlier. They would have to look into getting her some more clothes.

"You look adorable." The words tumbled from his mouth unbidden. They brought a suspicious glint to Dani's face, as if she thought he was being sarcastic.

"Thank you," she muttered finally and added, "You look like hell."

It surprised a laugh from Decker, and he smiled wryly and said, "Thank you."

"I mean you look tired," she added quickly, flushing.

Decker grimaced, but nodded and admitted, "I am."

"Well, for heaven's sake, go to sleep then," Dani said, sounding exasperated.

Decker sincerely wished he could. He was exhausted, but shook his head. "I can't."

"Oh right. You have to keep an eye on me," she said with irritation, and then exploded with annoyance. "This is stupid. I'm not going anywhere, I have to wait for my phone. And if you don't sleep now, you'll be useless when Nicholas calls and we have to move."

Decker cleared his throat and said, "Speaking of Nicholas-"

"I don't want to hear it," Dani cut him off sharply, and immediately hurried to the bed to drag the soft wool blanket off it. She then rushed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Decker asked in a hissed whisper as he hurried after her into the hall.

"To sunbathe," Dani hissed back, apparently no more eager than he was to wake Lucian and the others again.

He opened his mouth to argue with her, but then snapped it closed and rushed down the stairs after her. Decker waited until they'd moved into the kitchen before opening his mouth again, but she beat him to it.

"I'm only going to be on the lawn. You can keep an eye on me from the house... or am I not allowed to go outside at all?" Dani added, and paused at the door next to the breakfast nook to turn a glare on him.

Decker hesitated. He didn't want her to feel like a prisoner, and he could keep an eye on her from the house, but he really wanted to talk to her about Nicholas. He knew Dani didn't think she wanted to hear it, but she had to. Lucian was right, it was better if she understood the true situation.

At least, Decker hoped his uncle was right, because he sure as hell didn't know what was best anymore. The problem was he was torn by several different motivations. Part of him wanted to protect Dani from the knowledge he had to impart, and keep her hopes alive by allowing her to count on a man who just might not be that dependable. Another part was irritated as hell that she appeared to trust Nicholas more than she did him. And yet still another part thought it might be best to tell her because, while it would shatter her illusions, it would also prepare her for the worst if it turned out Nicholas wasn't on their side.

Decker was torn from his internal struggle by the sound of the door closing. Glancing up, he saw Dani through the door window, stomping off across the deck toward the grass, dragging the blanket with her. It appeared she'd grown tired of waiting for him to make up his mind and made it for him.

Cursing, he moved to the door, peered out as the sun peeked out from behind a cloud, and then ground his teeth together and pushed the door open to follow her.

"What are you doing out here? You guys are supposed to avoid the sun," was Dani's irritated greeting when he caught up to her halfway down the yard. It was obvious she'd hoped to escape him by coming out here. For some reason that just made him more determined to stick with her.

"We do, but not all the time," Decker said. "Besides, there's plenty of bagged blood in the house."

Dani glared at him, obviously annoyed and then snapped, "Fine," and turned to continue walking.

"Where are we going?" he asked, smiling despite himself. She really was quite adorable when all huffy like this.

"I"-she emphasized the word-"am trying to find a dry spot to lay out the blanket."

Decker's gaze slid over the dew-kissed lawn. While it was hot and muggy out, it was still early and the sun wasn't making a very good showing. Decker smiled as he eyed the clouds overhead. If he wasn't mistaken, they were storm clouds. Mother Nature was on his side, it seemed.

His gaze slid back to Dani. He'd allowed her to rush ahead a couple of feet and now found himself staring at her behind and the backs of her thighs and even her shapely calves as she hurried along. Distracted as he was by the view, Decker was completely unprepared when she stopped abruptly and turned around. He nearly crashed into her before he could stop himself, but managed and-ignoring the scowl she was giving him-lightly asked, "Giving up?"