His thumb brushed over the side of her breast, and she jumped. Then his hand settled over it, cupping it like he was treasuring it. She was so liking that…
The man feeling her up had taken down Augustus for her. How could she not be jiving with a little down and dirty with him? That moment when he’d tackled Augustus and she’d seen him suck that black soot right out of her assailant… never in her life had she felt more like a woman than when he’d jumped in to protect her.
In that instant, she hadn’t had to be the strong one. He’d taken care of that for her, and it was the best feeling ever. When she’d watched him protecting her, it hadn’t been the black widow inside her that had responded with such longing. It had been herself. The core of who she was, because this man… this warrior… he was strength that she didn’t have, a raw tenacity that had eluded her in her quest to defeat the curse.
He was the personification of what she’d tried and failed to be, and she craved him on every level of her being. He was a warrior who could protect himself against her—
A dark force stirred, and she tensed. Hello, eight-legged freak, welcome to the party.
Oy. What was she doing? She couldn’t afford to succumb to her base instincts like some happy-go-lucky serial killer! She was a tightly wound spring and there would be no letting go. She wrenched her mouth away from his. “I can’t. We need to stop.”
Blaine began to suck on her collarbone. Yeah, how good did that feel? No wonder Cosmo listed it as the number one erogenous zone.
No! Stop! “Blaine! We can’t—”
He gripped her hair and forced her head back so he could kiss her throat. Oh, wow, total manly beast kind of thing to do, but… so hot. He was holding her so tightly, like he wasn’t going to let her go until he was finished with her. And in a supremely non-girl-power way, she absolutely loved it. Which is why she had to stop! “Get off me,” she managed.
“You’re on top.”
Was she? Weird. How had he managed that?
“You taste so good. Safe.” His words were slurred, but his mouth seemed to know exactly what it was doing as it worked her lips, caressing her mouth until he could slide that tongue of his right inside…
Safe? What did that mean? She knew what it was like to go through life being scared, but how could a man like Blaine have any reason to use that word?
He began to suck on her earlobe, and some sort of somethin’ somethin’ shot through her body. Ah… just a second. She’d stop him in a minute and—
“Well, hot damn. The king of abstinence has finally folded. Beer’s on me.”
She opened her eyes to find two huge guys crouching beside her. One of them was sporting an expression that made him look like he was ready to kill the next person who crossed his path, and the other would pass for the boy-next-door in his blue jeans, white T-shirt, and curls… if not for his blackened palms and the razor sharp blades poking out from the fingers on his left hand.
Both men were grinning at her, the kind of arrogant, male look that usually made her wish she could give the black widow gift to the string of broken hearts they’d left behind.
Then Blaine’s hand clamped down on her breast, his teeth sank into her earlobe, his whole body shuddered, and she looked down as his eyes rolled back in his head and a pink dust began crawling up his chest toward his head.
***
“Shit, woman!” The angry one yanked Trinity off Blaine and tossed her aside. “What’d you do to him?”
“Nothing!” She skidded across the pavement, wincing as the gravel scraped her palms. “It wasn’t me.”
“Nigel. Tell me you can heal him.” Not even bothering to check if she was okay after nearly throwing her into the Charles River, the warrior pulled out a large sword and began to whip it over his head, like he was winding up to unleash some catapult across the city. The air began to crackle, and the hair on her arms stood up.
Nigel hunched over Blaine and set his palm over Blaine’s heart. “He’s not tapping into his fire. What the bloody hell? You got a read on this, Jarvis?”
Jarvis pointed his sword at her. “What happened?” he demanded.
“He got pinked by Oh, Shit, It’s Augustus. And then Blaine sucked a whole bunch of black soot out of him. I’m not sure what it was.” Trinity grabbed the railing and scrambled to her feet. “He did it to save me.”
“Black magic.” Nigel shuddered, but he leaned over Blaine, pressing the heel of his hand into Blaine’s ribs. “Feels like I’m back in the Den. Can’t say I’m digging it.” His skin began to glow, and it seemed to pulse in time with the humming coming from the spinning sword. “Okay, buddy, let’s get you back with us.”
Trinity hugged herself as she watched the warriors work on Blaine. “Is he going to be okay?”
Nigel shrugged. “He hasn’t died on me yet.”
But that wasn’t an answer, and she knew it. A cold dread clawed at her heart as she watched Nigel rub Blaine’s chest, as Jarvis tried to generate more energy with his sword, as Blaine lay there unresponsive.
The scene was too familiar. Too haunting. Too many times she’d seen it. Kissing a man then watching helplessly as his life bled from him. “You have to save him.”
“Trying,” Nigel muttered. “Appreciate the advice, though.”
Her throat tightened as she watched Blaine’s chest fight for breath, the massive combatant strung out along the asphalt like he was dying. She inched toward him, and both warriors glared at her.
“You come one step closer,” Jarvis said, “and you’re toast.”
Um, yeah. There was no missing the promise in his eyes. Smart guy, not to trust her. She was high risk, in a major way. What was wrong with Blaine, claiming that it felt safe to kiss her? Hello? Could she be any more dangerous?
But when he’d made that comment, she’d forgotten that he was an arrogant killer. Instead, she’d let him into her heart, touched by the pain of another soul who lived in fear. She knew what it was like to crave safety, and her heart bled for anyone who felt the same. Had she loved him for that split second? Crossed that line and hurt him without even realizing what she was doing?
But as she looked at Blaine fighting for his life, she knew in her heart that she hadn’t. She didn’t love him. She hadn’t tried to kill him.
Not that it changed the fact he was still dying because of her. Because he’d protected her from Augustus.
Nigel leaned over Blaine. “The witch paid a visit while you were gone.” His voice was etched with concern that made her heart ache. As tough as these warriors were, they cared about each other, and that was so cool. No islands here, folksies. “Christian’s dying. And it’s your fault because you left without him.”
Jarvis cursed. “Are you insane, Nigel? He’ll kick your ass for that comment when he wakes up.”
“That’s my hope. Nothing like pissing a guy off to get him to decide to cheat death.”
But Blaine’s body went still, and the two warriors exchanged grim looks.
“What about Trinity?” Jarvis eyed her. “If she touches his tattoo, he might think she’s Angelica there to torture him. That’ll wake him up in a hurry.”
Trinity frowned. “Why would he think I’m Angelica?”
Nigel snapped his fingers at her. “Come here. Quick.”
Trinity didn’t hesitate. If she could keep someone else from dying, she was all over it. She bolted over to Nigel and dropped to her knees beside Blaine. “Tell me what I can do.”
Nigel ripped open Blaine’s shirt. On his chest was a skull and bones tattoo, a blackened brand burned into his skin. Nigel grabbed her hand and pressed her palm down over the mark. “Is it getting hot?”
“No. It’s cold.” Too cold. Like a corpse. And sadly, she knew what a corpse felt like.
Nigel adjusted his grasp on her wrist, shoving her hand more firmly against Blaine. Smoke began rising from Nigel’s palm, and she felt her arm begin to warm where he was holding onto her.
“She’s definitel
y got traces of Angelica,” Nigel told Jarvis. “We might be able to amp it up enough to fool him into going on the defensive.”
Trinity looked down at her fingers digging into the dark hairs on Blaine’s chest. This was so not how she’d envisioned finding out what his chest looked like. “I don’t understand. Why do I have traces of Angelica? Isn’t she the witch who tortured you guys?” She was so not liking the idea that she had a bio-chemistry akin to that of a murderous black witch. That couldn’t be a good sign, could it?
Nigel didn’t answer her. “Jarvis, harness more power. When I give the signal, put your sword over Trinity’s heart. I’ll hit her up the same time. I’m hoping we can amplify her energy level enough that it shocks him the way Angelica does.”
Jarvis began to whip the sword even faster, and Trinity’s skin began to smoke as Nigel’s palm got hotter. She bit her lip against the growing pain. “What are we doing?”
“Jumpstarting his tattoo. A magical defibrillator, if you will.” Nigel glanced at Jarvis, who nodded. Nigel looped his other arm around her neck, anchoring her against his body. “Three seconds.”
Trinity’s heart began to pound at the feel of being trapped against Nigel. He had one of her hands pinned to Blaine’s body, the rest of her locked down. She began to tremble. She couldn’t cope with not being in control. “Can you let go? I’m not going to go anywhere.”
“Just a precautionary measure, sweetheart.” Nigel tightened his hold on her as Jarvis moved closer. The hum from his sword was so loud she could feel it beating at her ears, throbbing in her chest.
Nigel wedged himself more tightly against her, and shoved her hand more firmly against Blaine. “This is going to hurt.”
She let out a weak laugh. “Yeah, well, I can live with that.” Anything to stop there from being one more death around her.
Respect flashed in his eyes, and then he nodded at Jarvis.
She looked up as Jarvis thrust his sword right toward her chest.
The sword was coming too fast, a blur, and she suddenly realized he wasn’t going to stop. Oh, no! Did they think she was immortal? “Wait—”
Then the sword sank right into her heart.
***
Angelica was trying to kill him.
Blaine suddenly became aware of her hated life force beating at him, her claws in his chest, trying to rip out the tattoo she’d always detested. Screw that. He wasn’t letting her win. He fought to open his eyes, to strike out. Couldn’t do shit. What the hell?
Muscles shot. Mind fried. Time for a car wash.
He set his tattoo on fire and then sent the conflagration racing through his body. The flames cut through the inertia, his body seized, and it was his own again.
He jerked upright and opened his eyes…
Only to find himself staring at Nigel. He blinked and turned his head. Jarvis was shooting some lame ass grin at him. Just the boys? He looked up. Blue sky. No Den. “Where’s Angelica?”
“Not here,” Jarvis said. “We tricked you.”
Painter boy grinned. “Nice recovery, Trio. Thought you were done there for a minute.”
Blaine realized his body was still aching, and he sent more fire through it to heal. “What happened?”
“Apparently, some dude named Augustus dusted you. Nearly took you out.” Nigel pointed over his shoulder. “More in a sec. Gotta save the girl.”
Blaine followed Nigel’s glance and saw Trinity on her back, blood pouring from a wound in her chest. “Shit! What did you do?” Her jumped up and jetted over to Trinity.
Her eyes flickered open when he crouched beside her. “Thought you were dead,” she mumbled. “Don’t scare me like that. I can’t deal with that stress.”
“I wasn’t dead. I’m immortal, for hell’s sake.” He pulled her onto his lap, and scowled when he felt how cold she was. He glared at Nigel. “You had to kill her?”
“Had to spill her blood and make you think it was Angelica attacking you. It was the only way to get you out of your self-pity apathy. And you’re welcome.” Nigel set his palms on Trinity’s chest as a faint humming filled the air again, indicating that Nigel was sending healing energy into the wound in her heart. “I couldn’t reach you. She saved your life.”
Trinity’s cold hand slid up to his face, and he looked down as she traced his jaw. “Yeah?”
“Did he just say I saved your life?”
Blaine snorted. “That would imply that I was dying, so no.”
She turned her head. “Truth, Nigel?”
Nigel smiled and began to rub the wound in a circular motion. The sound of running water filled the air, as it always did when Nigel was healing. “You did well, my dear. Blaine is like a motivational actor: always needs the right reason to decide to live again. Today, he needed you.”
She let her head fall back against Blaine’s arm. “Wow.” She was smiling now, and her face looked so at peace. “I’ve never saved anyone’s life before. I like that.”
Jarvis crouched beside them. “I used my sword, so Nigel should be able to heal her.” Jarvis’s sword was a flexible weapon, and it could cause pain, severe damage, or instant death, depending on what Jarvis intended.
Trinity’s body seized and convulsed in his arms, and she let out a yelp of pain. Blaine swore and tightened his grip on her. “What the hell are you doing, Nigel?”
Nigel sat back. “All set. She’s healing now. She’ll be fine.”
Blaine peered down at Trinity. Her eyes were closed and her body was still. “Hey. You okay?”
She didn’t respond, and something tightened in his gut. “What—”
“Give her a sec. Chill out.”
Jarvis wiped the blood off the end of his sword. “I was impressed. She knew what we were doing, and she was up for it. Never seen a chick sacrifice herself to save someone.”
Blaine raised his brows. “You sure she knew what was up?” Hard to believe she took a sword to the chest on purpose.
Nigel and Jarvis exchanged glances. “Well, maybe not the whole extent, but she was game,” Jarvis said.
Blaine felt something roil inside him at the thought of Jarvis plunging his sword into Trinity’s heart. “I need her,” he growled.
“And you’ll get her.” Nigel shoved his hair back out of his face. “So, fill us in. You found Trinity Harpswell. She a black widow?”
Blaine moved her so her head was cradled on his biceps. “She claims she is. I haven’t seen it in action.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Jarvis stood and surveyed their surroundings. Taking first watch.
“Keep an eye out for a short guy who smells like bananas.” Blaine pulled Trinity more tightly into his arms and turned up his body temperature, trying to warm her up. “You guys figure out how to get back into the Den?”
Nigel shook his head. “The portals aren’t listed in her files, and we can’t sense them when we’re actually in the field.” He nodded at Trinity. “You think she could pick them up? She’s the Chosen. She might have the touch.”
Shit. He’d forgotten that she was the Chosen. Had it been Trinity he’d felt attacking him, not Angelica? Her aura was the same as the witch’s? She had that kind of evil in her? He loosened his grip on her. “Yeah, she probably could.”
Nigel stood up. “So, let’s take her to the Common. Go in, get Angelica, and then—”
“No way.” Trinity sat up suddenly, and her eyes were bright. Alive. Blaine had never quite gotten used to that moment when Nigel’s healing finally kicked in. Still freaked out newcomers to the Den. “We’re not taking out this witch next. My quarry first.”
Nigel and Jarvis exchanged glances. “What’s she talking about, Trio?” Jarvis asked.
Blaine gritted his teeth and explained the deal. When he finished, his two buddies were both staring at him in shock. “Just make her do it,” Jarvis said. “We don’t have time for this shit.”
“Make me?” Trinity pulled out of Blaine’s arms and stumbled to her knees. Blaine caught her as sh
e started to sway. “It doesn’t work like that. You can’t make the black widow come to life. I’m the only one who controls her…” She frowned. “Well, maybe control is a little optimistic, but the fact is that you can’t make me kill anyone. Blaine knows that. We take care of my situation first, and then yours.”
Jarvis swore. “We don’t have time—”
“The portal won’t open for another forty-eight hours, even for Trinity.” Who carried Angelica’s DNA in her blood. Blaine eyed her as she rubbed her wound. He could still feel that pain in his chest that had made him think Angelica had come after him… and it had been Trinity. She might seem sweet, she might have saved him, but she’d triggered every defensive response that the witch could elicit. Deep inside, Trinity Harpswell was witch, and he had to remember that. No trusting. Not again. “We take care of this monster, so there’s no argument when that window opens.”
Jarvis scowled. “I don’t like it. How do we know she’ll come through?”
Trinity raised her chin. “I’ll help you.” But she wouldn’t look any of them in the eye.
Hold on. Was she thinking of bailing on him?
Of course she was. She bled Angelica’s blood. Trinity Harpswell was the enemy, end of story. Shit. He’d been a damn fool to trust her.
Screw that. No chance was he letting her derail his plans to save Christian. He was taking control. Now. He stood up and jerked her to her feet. “Follow us,” he said to his team. “We’re going on a monster hunt.”
He was going to find that shapeshifter and take him hostage until that witch was dead. There would be no serving up of the Chameleon’s heart until Angelica’s soul was properly dispatched. Trinity was about to learn what it was like to take on a real warrior. There would be no reneging allowed.
He didn’t wait for an answer from anyone. He just shoved Trinity on the bike, started the engine, and peeled out. Trinity grabbed for his waist, and then hunkered down against his back.
Yeah, Trinity Harpswell thought she had some kick-ass plan for getting out of her end of the deal?
Kiss at Your Own Risk Page 16