by Cynthia Eden
Her lips rose and he missed the touch of her mouth. “Why?”
Glancing over his shoulder, he met her stare. “Not all monsters are born, Dee, some are made.” Once upon a time, a very long-ass time ago, Grim hadn’t been the sick twisted bastard of today. He’d just been a man. One who’d been broken. Savaged.
“If the stories are true,” Simon said, watching her carefully, “the first thing he did on rising was to find every man who’d participated in his torture, and he ripped them apart.”
Her gaze held his. “Revenge.” The same thing she sought.
He gave a nod. “There’s a price, you know.” Why hadn’t he realized how heavy the price would be for her? Why had he only thought of himself? Of the way he wanted his life to be?
He’d pulled Dee into this war, yanked her into the blood.
“I’ve always known there was a price.” A mirthless smile tilted her lips. “Why do you think I put a kill order on myself?”
His hands knotted at that. No way. No damn way would that demon Zane ever come at her with death in his eyes.
“I’ve seen death for the last sixteen years,” Dee said. “I’ve always known I was living on borrowed time.”
Not borrowed.
“What I don’t understand is why me?” Pain there, breaking beneath the surface. “Why the hell am I one of the Born? I’m nobody. Nobody. I was a freaking clueless kid when the vamps came after my family. I wasn’t special. I’m not special.”
He caught her hands. Held her tight. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.” True. He’d never seen her back down. A fighter, straight to the soul.
Her gaze fell. “When I was a kid, my family used to go to church together every Sunday.”
He waited. Dee’s life, before the nightmares.
Her stare didn’t meet his. “A lot of people think God cursed vampires. Cursed the Borns and they spread the virus—”
Was that what people were calling it these days? A virus?
“—like a plague. That’s why the holy water works on vampires.”
Yeah, he’d been burned by that once. Holy water and vamps didn’t mix—that one wasn’t a myth.
“So what did I do, Simon, that would have condemned me at fifteen?” Her eyes rose. “What did I do that was so bad, I was cursed, too? I lost my whole family—what did I do?”
Nothing. His fingers tightened around hers. “I don’t know why you’re a Born.” He’d chosen this path. For her, fate had chosen. “I know the stories, too. That the first Born committed a betrayal, that all vamps were punished for his crimes.” He shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing, got me?”
Her face was as blank as a doll’s. “But I’ll still wind up like Grim, won’t I?”
“No! You’ll never be like him.”
She flashed a bitter smile. “I think I already am.” A pause. Then, quietly, “And deep down, so do you.”
No. “Dee, I—”
“Fuck!” A snarl from outside. “Dee!” Zane’s voice. His fist thudded against the door. Half a second later, the door came crashing open. “She’s gone.” His chest heaved and his eyes glinted back.
Dee nodded. “I know. I told Catalina that—”
“Not her!” He shook his head and snarled, “We both knew the witch would cut and run. Cat can’t handle fire. That shit just brought up too many bad memories for her and she’s too afraid of burning.” He slammed a hand against the door frame. “Nina’s bolted.”
A curse erupted from Simon’s lips. Her family killed—yeah, they’d had that confirmed by a quick call to Dee’s friendly cop contact.
A massacred family.
An Ignitor who knew the location of the Born vampire behind the slaughter.
“She’s gone after him,” Dee said, and it was what they all knew. “How long of a head start?”
His jaw clenched, Zane gritted, “At least three hours. I thought she was sleeping in her room. She’d been crying so much, I didn’t even think to go in there and check.”
Shit. Three hours.
Hell of a lead she had on them. With that much time, she’d definitely get to Grim first.
Ignitors were so strong psychically. Strong enough to create and control fire with their minds. But nature was a sly bitch. For all their psychic strength, Ignitors were so very weak physically.
A careless touch could bruise them, like when Zane had wrapped his fingers around the Ignitor’s wrists.
And killing them would only take one blow.
If Grim saw her coming, if he felt her, Nina would be dead.
But if he didn’t…
Burn, bastard.
“Simon.” Dee’s voice, vibrating with tension. “Let’s get on the road, now.”
He was already moving. He grabbed his bag. This was it. Final match.
Should have never brought Dee in on this.
He’d thought they would make the perfect team. Same enemy. Same goal.
But if anything happened to Dee…
Can’t lose her.
Won’t lose her.
How had his master plan gotten so screwed up?
Zane braced his legs apart. “He’s gonna kill her. We have to get there before—”
Dee marched up to him, that weird, faint smile on her face. Her hand pressed against his chest. “I told you before, this fight’s not yours. Not yours. Not Cat’s.”
Zane’s eyes narrowed as he stared down at her. “You think I’m walking away from you? You’re not going out on a death fight. I’ve had your back before, I’ll have it again. I’m not—”
“You don’t have a choice.” Her right hand snaked up his neck. “Sorry.” Her left hand came up, and delivered a hard, fast hit to his chin. The demon went down. “After all the times with Tony, you should have seen that coming.” She stared down at him, her body taut.
Simon approached her slowly and very, very cautiously. “Wanna tell me what that was about?”
She glanced up. The demon lay sprawled across the threshold. “In case Cat’s vision wasn’t pure shit, no way am I gonna risk him.” Emotion there. Affection. Love.
The fist that slugged his gut told Simon that he was jealous. Had been jealous of the demon from the very first. A bond existed between Dee and Zane. One born from time and struggle. Trust.
What he wouldn’t give for Dee to care enough to punch the crap out of him.
Trust.
Love.
Her shoulders sagged. “I pulled the punch, you know. I used my left hand.” Still, she had vampire strength now, so the punch wouldn’t have been anywhere near soft. She bent, ran her fingers over Zane’s jaw. “But demons are strong and he won’t be out long.”
No, he wouldn’t be. And when he woke, Simon knew Zane would come after them. Because the demon cared for Dee, too. Cared enough to come on his own with a kill-order.
If you cared enough to kill…
Simon lifted his gaze. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” Not lovers. Dee and the demon had never been together sexually, so he shouldn’t even think about attacking the guy while he was out.
But he’ll be there for Dee when this hell is over. When she doesn’t have to fight the nightmares of her past any longer, the demon will be there.
And where will I be?
Would Dee even want him in her life once Grim’s threat was gone?
He hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Dee dragged Zane inside the room. Simon grabbed Zane’s legs, and they hoisted the demon onto the bed. Dee shoved a pillow under his head. “Don’t come after me,” she whispered.
Zane wouldn’t be able to hear her.
She reached for his hand. Turned his wrist over. “I-I have to know where you’ll be. I can’t risk you. Won’t. Not for my revenge.”
You’d kill us all for vengeance? The witch’s question.
No, Dee wouldn’t.
She stared at the demon, swallowed, and bit him.
Simon froze. No, no—he didn’t l
ike to see her mouth on the demon. Not one bit. Taking his blood. A growl rumbled in Simon’s throat. Not her. Not him. No—
Dee wrenched her mouth away. Her eyes met Simon’s.
“Not…another.” His snarl was a guttural demand.
“Simon?”
He grabbed her arms and hauled her away from the bed. No time. His jaw locked. “Get in the car.”
And away from the demon.
A demon now forever linked to her. Just what he needed. More competition.
As if he didn’t have enough shit going on.
Simon hauled her out, left the demon, and didn’t look back. As far as he was concerned, there had never been any use in looking back.
They climbed into Dee’s SUV. Zane’s motorcycle was gone. Either courtesy of Nina or the witch. Either way, he knew the demon wouldn’t be slowed down for long.
Backup would come, whether they wanted it to or not.
“Uh, it’s my vehicle, you know, I should be the one to—”
He floored the accelerator and they shot out of the parking lot, leaving a trail of spewing gravel behind them.
The black SUV fishtailed out of the lot. The two in the vehicle were so intent on their prey that they didn’t glance around. Didn’t take notice of the one watching.
Pity.
Another mistake.
The key turned and the ignition kicked to life. Trailing them would be too easy.
Killing them—harder. But not impossible. Nothing was impossible.
The slow twang of country music filled the car’s interior, and the vehicle pulled from the concealing shadows.
“How long until we reach Hueco?” Dee’s voice was steady. The words were the first she’d spoken in the last hour.
Simon kept his foot stomped all the way onto the accelerator. Even burning up the black interstate road, it would still be “after dawn.” A piss-poor time to go riding into the town. He’d be weak. All the vamps would be.
He and Dee would be outnumbered. Grim would have a guard force. Lots of vamps and who knew what else.
“Then if we’ve got nothing to do for the next six hours—”
Probably longer.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s got your butt in such a twist?”
His knuckles whitened around the wheel. “You didn’t have to drink from him,” he bit out. Your butt in such a twist. Nice.
“I wanted to know if he was coming after me. Us.”
He could still see her mouth on the other man’s wrist. Her lips so red against his dark flesh. Tasting him. Taking him.
The SUV swerved onto the median and Simon yanked the wheel so the vehicle slipped back into the right lane. “You took his blood. You linked with him.” Wasn’t it enough that the two of them already had some kind of bond he didn’t understand?
Trust. Yeah, Dee trusted her demon.
“I linked with you, too. I didn’t hear you complaining about it.”
No, that was the problem. He’d all but begged for more. The feel of her lips. That tongue—
Good fucking thing the demon had been knocked out.
“I-I thought I had to do it. After what Cat said, I didn’t want him following us.” Quiet, subdued.
Since when was she subdued? What the hell? He slanted her a quick glance and tried to get the crazy bat-shit jealousy under control.
Fear. That’s what it really was. Fear about facing Grim. Because what if the bastard was too strong? And then…cold-eat-your-soul fear that when the battle was over, he’d lose Dee.
One way or another.
When did she become more important than freedom? He cleared his throat and tried to unclench his fingers before he broke the steering wheel. “I thought you didn’t believe the witch.”
A sound, could have been a strained laugh or just a long sigh, came from her lips. “Sometimes, I’m not sure what I believe anymore. I shouldn’t have let them leave the city with us. I knew the whole time that was a mistake.”
But the demon had been adamant, and he’d herded the shattered Ignitor and the still-dazed witch with him.
“I tried to sleep at the motel, but I just—I just kept seeing Catalina, surrounded by the fire.”
But the fire surrounded you, too. Why wasn’t Dee scared for herself? Didn’t she care?
“I couldn’t make her face the flames again. And Zane—oh, hell, after what I saw—”
His gaze snapped to her. “What you saw?”
Her hand lifted, then fell limply back in her lap. “Every time I bite someone, I’m going to see the person’s life, right?”
Unfortunately, that was the way of the Born. Most saw that as a strength. A way to get into the minds of prey and control them.
Not Dee. He could tell she saw it as some kind of punishment. Another one, for her.
“He’s already been through enough. I’m not going to have him dying for my fight.”
He reached for her hand and linked his fingers through hers. “Our fight.” She wasn’t in this alone. She wasn’t going to ditch him the way she’d done the others.
He wouldn’t leave her side. No matter what. “I’m not gonna turn on you, babe. I don’t care what the witch saw, I won’t turn.” The spell might be weakening. Grim might be starting to find a link again, but it wouldn’t matter. Grim would be dead long before the spell wore off completely.
Her fingers tightened around his. “I know.”
Simple. Certain.
Trust?
His breath expelled in a hard rush and his heart thundered against his chest.
“There’s something you should know.” The leather groaned beneath her as she shifted to stare at him. “I didn’t want to bite Zane. Didn’t want to bite that freak vamp Leo. Since turning, I’ve needed to bite. The bloodlust has been there, no denying it. When I first opened my eyes and saw Jude…” He heard the click of her swallow. “I thought I might even lose control.”
The first cravings were the strongest. The most dangerous. That was why he’d taken her to Pak. Pak knew how to care for vampires. He’d guarded dozens of Taken over the years. Guarded them, and had to put some down.
Simon knew if he’d stayed with Dee, her bloodlust would have flared and instead of calming her, his own control would have broken.
They would have broken.
But now they were stronger. Together, they were stronger.
Not. Gonna. Break.
“You are different. I wanted you. I wanted to bite, and I wanted you to bite me.”
A confession like that, from a hunter…from her.
His gums burned as his teeth grew and the crotch of his pants got way too tight around his expanding cock.
“You’re the one I want, Simon. Only you.”
Their joined hands rested on her soft, jean-clad thigh. “When this is over,” he managed to say, the words coming out hoarse and hard, “you’re not getting away from me.” He’d have to explain, have to tell her everything—
But she wouldn’t escape him.
“Good.” He caught her faint smile. “Because you’d better not even think that you’re getting away from me.”
Ah, damn.
She’d done it to him again. A sucker punch. Tony would never let him hear the end of this one. Zane jerked up in bed. His gaze flew around the room. Gone. Of course. What else?
He jumped up, automatically checking the clock. How long had he been out? An hour? Two? Judging by the faint light trickling through the blinds, a hell of a lot longer.
Dee had used that vamp strength on him.
He almost smiled. Almost.
Then he caught sight of the marks on his wrist. Faint. Small. Two circles.
Sonofabitch.
She’d taken his blood. Gotten a lock on him.
“Fine, princess—so you know I’m coming. What else did you expect me to do?”
He stormed to the door. Car. He’d steal one from the lot, get on the road, and call for backup. Pak might even have some other hunters in Texas that
he could send in for them. Easy deal.
Dee wouldn’t get rid of him this easily.
He wrenched open the door and caught the scents too late.
Three vampires. Tall, thick, with teeth ready and claws out. They stood just past his door, smiling.
“Knew we’d find someone waiting,” the one in the middle said, and his fanged smile widened. “Let’s see how long it takes to make the demon scream.”
A really, really long time.
Zane lifted his hands and tossed out a smile of his own. “Who’s first?”
They all attacked at once. Figured.
Dee sucked in a sharp breath and lunged forward. The seat belt cut into her chest. In the distance, the faint purple light of dawn streaked across the horizon.
Weakness.
“Dee? What’s wrong?”
She licked her lips. “Zane. For a minute there, I thought—” She’d thought he called her name.
“You should try to get some sleep,” Simon told her. “Save your strength.”
What strength? She could already feel the pull of the sun. The tiredness, the weakness. “You should sleep.” He’d been driving all night. Even outrun two troopers. Impressive. “Let me take the wheel for a while.”
He glanced her way. “I’m all right.”
She wasn’t gonna get into a pissing match with him. “Slow down and let me take the wheel.” The guy was sexy as hell, but bossy.
Good thing she liked him. Okay, more than liked him.
Don’t go there, not now.
Later there would be plenty of time to sort out the sick, tangled mess of her emotions. To see if there was anything between her and the vampire other than the thick, hot need.
A need she felt even now. Had felt since his fingers pressed against the top of her thigh hours before.
She knew he had to smell her arousal. Just as she’d caught his thickening scent.
And the big bulge in his jeans—yeah, another dead giveaway. But he’d ignored it. She was trying to do the same. Trying.
The car slowed. Finally. The speedometer eased back down, down…eighty, seventy…
They’d turned off the Interstate an hour ago. The SUV snaked down some lonely, twisting road that seemed to head nowhere.