“Is that Daniel?” Serena relaxed a little in the seat. At least Caine wasn’t whipping the car in and out of traffic anymore. Slowly, the tight knot in the pit of her stomach began to ease. Hopefully he wouldn’t be doing that again.
“No, the car ahead of us is one of the tail cars. Two cars ahead of that is the lead tail car. Daniel is in a car three cars in front of that,” Marcus informed her. “Daniel drives a white sports car.
Serena couldn’t even see the back of a white sports car. If he said Daniel was up there, she believed him, she just wondered where this little caravan would finally stop and the battle start. She knew that if Daniel attacked someone there would be a fight. After what seemed an eternity, the car sped down an off-ramp into a residential area. She felt tension creeping into her shoulders. She swallowed heavily and pushed down the fear. She had to focus.
“The car has turned onto a street and is slowing. Get your magic ready or whatever a witch does to prepare.” Caine tossed the order back over his shoulder.
She rolled her eyes. Talk about cliché. As if she had to say a spell over a bubbling cauldron. The magic was inside her. All she had to do was use it. Most spells didn’t even require a word. Countering spells would be so easy if everything was done aloud. The rogue should be surprised by their sudden appearance and he wouldn’t expect them to have a witch. That would give her an advantage.
The car stopped with only a slight lurch. Serena unbuckled. By the time she stepped out of the car, Marcus was already running. She didn’t see the rogue. She saw tall dark-haired men jumping out of cars but no blond in sight. Running forward, she opened her senses. Marcus said he’d use magic to protect himself and cause a scene if he was confronted. She didn’t feel any magic building. Finally, she managed to see through a gap in the tall vampires rushing toward the rogue. The slim blond man held a young red-haired woman by the throat. He smiled and his fangs flashed white and lethal-looking in the yellow glow of the street lamp. Serena stopped near a tree behind the wall of men but in a position where she could see what was happening.
“Oh look, more people to watch you die,” Daniel said in a loud voice as he pulled the petite woman in front of him. His head lowered and he licked the woman’s cheek in a long, slow swipe.
The young vampire must be totally out of his mind, she thought. Any sane person confronted by at least six other people would try to run. He acted as if there weren’t any threat to him anywhere. She just couldn’t understand it. From what she’d been told, the man wasn’t stupid. Even a little magic wouldn’t guarantee his escape.
“Let her go and we’ll take you before the Council.” Marcus stepped out of the line of men. “Hurt her and you know what we’ll have to do.”
Daniel laughed. “We all know what the Council will do. I might as well have fun. You still have to catch me.”
His fingers released the woman’s neck. The redhead jerked, trying to lunge out of his arms. Just as she seemed to be out of reach, his fingers gripped her hair. A scream slashed through the air as Daniel yanked the woman back into his arms. She fought. Serena could tell the woman was panicked. The rogue gave a vicious tug on her hair, pulling the woman’s head sharply to the side.
“We’ll catch you.” Marcus folded his arms across his chest.
From her vantage point, she could see Marcus’ expression. His lips were compressed into a thin, nearly white line. The angles of his face seemed even sharper as muscles flexed underneath his skin.
Magic flared, building. Serena straightened. Time for her to go to work. The spell felt like a shield spell. Not a very strong spell but if left intact, it would delay any followers. She began to channel magic. Working slowly, she neutralized his spell.
Daniel’s head came up and she heard a distinct growl. He pulled the girl more solidly in front of him. His eyes moved over the group almost frantically. He seemed more desperate and nervous now. His eyes finally settled on her.
“So they found a witch to work for them. I’m going to enjoy killing you. Maybe I’ll do it in front of the members of the vaunted Council. What do think they’d say to that?” Daniel dragged his teeth across the woman’s throat.
Blood welled on the woman’s throat, marking the path of those sharp fangs. Fury flared. She wanted to go over there and rip the woman away from the vampire. It frustrated her that she couldn’t do that. She’d only put herself in danger. She could protect the girl from lethal harm. Weaving a spell, she visualized symbols of protection, interlacing them into the shield. In her mind, she pictured a thin silvery shield forming tight to the skin around the woman. She couldn’t actually see it but she knew it was there.
“Do you think I’d let you touch her?” Marcus stepped to the side, mostly blocking her view of Daniel.
Serena moved a little more to the side. She didn’t need him guarding her from mere words. The rogue wasn’t going to run at her with all the other vampires so close to her. It was all empty threats to rattle Marcus and the other vampires.
Daniel just laughed. His head snapped down. She knew he intended to rip the woman’s throat out in front of them. Marcus tensed, leaping forward. Before he could get to the rogue, Daniel screamed. Rage sharpened the rogue’s features as blood gushed from his broken nose. She folded her arms and waited. Was once going to be enough for this rogue?
“You bitch…” The rogue ground out from between clenched teeth.
“Did you really think I’d let you kill her when I was right here?” She shook her head.
Unlike the vampires and the Protectorate men, Serena wasn’t so worried about any showy magic Daniel might try. Most of that could be covered by manufacturing a normal explanation. Lightning, exploding transformers and the like. Her main priority was the lives of any potential victims. If it was possible, she’d save them.
She felt power building. She knew it was a thrust spell, just from the feel of it. What she couldn’t tell was who he’d target. The men would be the biggest threat to him when he ran. She knew the rogue would also want to hurt the woman. Serena had managed to prevent him from ripping out the woman’s throat. She didn’t doubt that given a chance, he’d try to finish what he’d started. She strengthened the shield around the woman and put one up in front of the men. Placing a light shield in front of herself, she waited. She didn’t think he’d try to go after her. He should realize she wasn’t the biggest immediate threat to her.
“Give up. You won’t be able to hurt the woman.” Marcus stepped forward. “We will get you. Have no doubt about that.”
Daniel swept his arm wide. He shoved the redhead toward the car. A wave of power flared and she could feel it rolling toward them. The other vampires lunged forward. Marcus started after the man.
“No stay back!” Serena yelled.
Marcus stopped and the others froze. The wave of magic hit and Serena felt it hit her with the force of a hammer. The air rushed out of her body and she flew back through the air. She landed on the grass. Light flared across her eyes as her head bounced on the packed ground.
Chapter Four
For a moment, she struggled to draw in a breath. The dark sky seemed to swirl overhead. She heard a footstep and the sound seemed unbelievably loud in the silence. Blinking, she turned her head just as Marcus knelt beside her.
“Are you all right?” Marcus asked.
“Yeah, just got the wind knocked out of me. I’ll be fine. Go get him.” Serena slowly sat up, drawing in a painful breath.
“Some of the men are chasing him.” He curved an arm around her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I just wasn’t expecting so much of that to come my way. My shield wasn’t that strong. I’m no threat to him, not like you are.” She pushed a strand of hair off her face. “Go join the others and catch your rogue.”
“They’ll find him if possible. I’ll stay here. The woman will have to be tested in a week.” Marcus helped her to her feet.
She nodded and moved to the car. She wa
s a little surprised that the people Daniel had tried to attack hadn’t tried to leave. The three people in the car just sat there looking shocked.
“We’ll have to get one of the Protectorate’s Psychics with these people. The scars could be serious especially for the woman.” Serena glanced at the redheaded woman.
One of the Protectorate men knelt beside the woman. She was crying brokenly. Her fists beat against the man’s chest but she didn’t try to pull away from him.
“I believe that one of the men has called for one to deal with that. How do you plan to explain your little flight?” Marcus asked. He watched as she straightened, rolling her shoulders.
“If any of them ask, I’ll just say I tripped.” Serena shrugged.
“You flew horizontally backward, at least a body length. I don’t think anyone would call that a fall.” He shook his head.
“They’ll want a logical explanation and the psychic will reinforce that. You have to remember that most people would rather just ignore anything out of the normal in spite of the fact that they know paranormals walk among them.” Serena looked down the street.
She thought she saw one of the men walking around the corner. Frowning she watched the man. Daniel hadn’t had that much of a lead. They should have been able to catch up to him. She really hadn’t expected them to have this much trouble. She hadn’t felt even a touch of magic. The rogue hadn’t attacked his pursuers with magic.
“He won’t be an easy catch. We’ve chased him before. The man just seems to disappear.” Marcus’ eyes flicked briefly to them but almost immediately swung back to her.
“Then why didn’t you do more to catch him? Surround him or something?” She frowned. She knew they wanted to catch him badly.
“There is the fact that we are in a very public place and also some of the men weren’t that sure of how your abilities matched up with his. Every time he’s surrounded, he uses his magic to get out. To be frank, they didn’t know if you could prevent him from hurting them.” Marcus shrugged.
The search took hours. Neighbors were questioned and statements taken. Her frustration built. It might have been easier if she could have been doing something. It certainly would have helped keep her mind off the slight ache in her back and ribs. Cleanup and questioning went on around her. She watched as the last men began to filter into the area. They didn’t have the rogue.
“Let’s go. We’ll have to begin searching for him again tomorrow.” Marcus walked over to her after talking with two of the Protectorate men. “They’ll patrol this area for the rest of the night but they probably won’t even see him.”
Serena was more than ready to leave. Daniel would at least be more cautious if he didn’t leave the city entirely. It could take months to find him. She just wanted to go home and soak in a hot bath. When they’d first seen him tonight, she’d had such high hopes that tonight would end with his capture and the danger would end.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was stunned by the fact that the street signs didn’t look familiar. Looking at the buildings, it took her a minute to realize that Marcus wasn’t even in the right part of the city.
“Marcus, where are we?” This definitely isn’t the way to my apartment.” She half-turned to face him, frowning.
“I’m taking you to my home tonight.” He didn’t look over at her as he braked at a red light.
“Why?” She took a deep breath, trying to keep her temper and not just start screaming. The urge was there.
“I don’t want to take chances with your life. Our rogue is probably slinking around and doing his best not to draw attention to himself but even the possibility is too much. I don’t want him to follow us to your apartment. Plus, I want to check on your side. I noticed you clutching at it a couple of times while we waited.” His voice was soft but she had no doubt he meant every word.
“I’m fine. As to your fears about that pest you call a rogue, get me a hotel room for tonight if you’re worried.” She folded her arms across her chest. A lumpy hotel bed would be better than risking discovery. As attracted as she was to him, she couldn’t see being with him for the whole night without something happening between them.
“No hotel. You’ll be fine. You know that I’m not going to force you.” He stopped the car at a gate just long enough for it to swing open.
“That’s not the point.” Serena looked around as he drove forward.
A gated residential community. She had no doubt that every resident had been carefully screened. It definitely wasn’t the type of place she’d pictured him living. She’d thought one of the newer apartment buildings would have been more his style than this place. Street lights brightly lit the road. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he was an investor or part-owner of this complex. He pulled into the driveway of a large two-story cream-colored brick house.
“The point is that you’re afraid. I don’t know if it’s because you’re hiding something or if you’re just afraid of the attraction between us.” Marcus opened his car door and started around the front of the car.
Serena put her hand to the doorhandle. She bit her lip. He was going to come around and open the door like some macho man from over a century ago. She knew it, but she didn’t make a move to get out on her own. If she stepped out of the car, it would be tantamount to agreeing to stay with him. She wasn’t going to give him even a chance to misunderstand that she wanted to go to a safe house or hotel. He opened the door and, clasping her hand, urged her out of her seat.
“I’m not hiding anything and you know it. You also know I’m not afraid you’re suddenly going to rape me. It’s just that I’m not going to get involved with you.” She twisted her wrist free of his hold. “There’s already too much going on right now to make things even more complicated. I want to go to a safe house.”
“It won’t make things more complicated. I’ll admit it won’t make things simpler. The desire isn’t going to fade. I want you just as much as you want me.” He stepped back and gestured for her to walk in front of him.
She rolled her eyes. He wouldn’t stop trying to persuade her. Being in close proximity to him wasn’t going to be easy. She had too much to hide. She couldn’t stay here and keep her secret. Not for long. The man didn’t know just how complicated things actually were. She hoped he never did.
“Welcome to my home.” Marcus opened the golden wood door. “Feel free to look around and take any bedroom you want.”
“Do I look prepared for any kind of overnight stay? I have none of the essentials. I don’t even have a change of clothes for tomorrow.” She paced into the tile-floored, light tan entryway. Clothing wasn’t at the top of her list but she couldn’t just blurt out that needed tomorrow’s ration of pills.
“I can have someone get you some clothing and any other essentials you need from a store. No one will be going to your apartment tonight.” His hand rested in the center of her back, urging her farther into the room.
She moved into the living room. Putting her purse on a small end table near the door, she walked over to a dark blue couch. She sat down and looked around the room. The walls were a light silver-gray and the floor golden wood. The large comfortable furniture suited what she knew about Marcus.
“How long do you intend to keep me away from my home?” She folded her arms and waited for his answer. Not that she intended to stay away for more than tonight. She’d be leaving early tomorrow morning if she could manage it.
“The rest of the week should ensure your safety.” Marcus sat on the couch beside her and lightly touched her arm.
“A week?” She was already shaking her head. There was no way she could stay here for a week. “A night is more than enough.”
He cupped her cheek. His finger stroked over the curve in a slow up and down motion. Heat flared from each sweep of that finger. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear a magic spell lurked beneath that soft touch. The desire that flared was so hot, so sharp that she automatically wondered if it was real.
“A night won’t be enough,” he whispered roughly just before his lips closed over hers.
His teeth nipped at her full lower lip before he sucked on it. Tingling electricity pulsed from the sensual contact. Her mouth opened as his lips slanted across hers in an aggressive claiming. His tongue swept into her mouth. She knew it wasn’t a good idea, but part of her wanted nothing more than to lose herself in the feeling. His lips brushed back and forth across hers just before his tongue slipped back into her mouth. She couldn’t resist responding, tangling her tongue with his. His arms closed around her, pulling her against his chest. She could feel the heat of his muscled chest even through her shirt. Her hard nipples stung and tightened as he lifted her into his lap.
His teeth nipped at her jaw. She drew in a sharp breath at the sensuous sting. Her hands pressed against his chest. The heat of his body tempted her. Her fingers tingled with the urge to feel more, to slide her hands beneath his shirt and explore. Almost without thought, her fingers began working on the buttons. The fabric parted and she pushed it wide. A rumbling sound of approval rolled from his chest. He leaned back against the cushions. One of his hands trailed down her side and cupped her hip.
“Touch me,” he ordered. “I’m not going to pin you down and ravish you even if the thought is tempting.”
Licking her lips, she gave in to the temptation, pushing aside her doubts. She smoothed her hands across his chest. His muscles shifted beneath her fingertips. She heard his sharply indrawn breath and felt his heart thud against the wall of his chest.
His hands swept under her shirt, pushing it up, baring her midriff. The cloth bunched beneath her arms. She raised her arms and he tugged the shirt off her. He quickly released the catch on her bra. The silky fabric fell forward, baring her breasts. The air felt a little cool and tingles sparked over her skin as her nipples drew even tighter.
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