“Neve, Neve,” he coaxed. “Wake up.”
“Fella, you might want to move your girlfriend out of the way, like possibly to another country. This vamp is going to wake up incredibly pissed off. The spell won’t hold him for too long. In fact, he should be rousing about now. I’m not sure how I managed to get a twofer with that spell, but I’m not complaining.”
They both turned to stare at the vamp. But he continued to lay, unmoving.
Jake glanced down at Neve as he gently scooted her farther out of her father’s reach. As he moved her, her right hand slid along the floor, trailing a huge smear of blood. He stopped and snapped his head back to the vamp.
A large pool of thick, semi-coagulated blood oozed from a hole in the vamp’s chest as big and round as Neve’s fist. And it wasn’t closing. Jake shook his head. She couldn’t have possibly gotten her fist in his chest that quickly. They’d been against each other only a second before the witch’s spell hit.
Neve began to moan. Jake tugged her into his lap and closed his arms around her. He continued to stare at the vamp, but Laurent didn’t move. Jake drew his eyebrows together and glanced up at the witch.
She shrugged. “Looks like she put something inside him to shut him up. That certainly makes matters easier on my end.” The witch wiggled her fingers to show Jake she was ready with another spell just in case.
“Did someone call for backup?” Louie Fiore’s booming voice preceded him a moment before he stepped into the room.
A team of Collectors flooded in behind him like an angry swarm of bees, and they didn’t waste any time. Louie moved toward the ancient vamp and flipped him onto his stomach, popping some silver handcuffs on him.
“You know, if each Collector had a pair of those cuffs, our jobs would be golden,” Jake commented wryly. “And, by the way, what took you so long?”
“It’s only been ten minutes, and these cuffs cost about a quarter of a million dollars apiece.” Louie gave Jake a look he knew too well. “They’re spelled by four hundred different witches and are made of pure silver mixed with wolfram. We have a grand total of five of them in our possession. These are the only things guaranteed to keep someone like Laurent down for any length of time.”
“So you know who this is, then?” Jake nodded toward the vamp, who amazingly still hadn’t moved so much as a muscle.
“Of course I know,” Louie said. “You guys wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
Around the room, Louie’s men began to gather up the shifters and escort the witch to the door, while a few began to repair the damage to the hotel room.
On her way out, the witch winked at Jake and mouthed, “I’ll be in touch.”
Jake brought his eyes back to Louie, his face set. “Uncle, you better have a damn good reason why you gave this assignment to Neve. She’s been a Collector for only three years. That’s hardly time to become skilled enough to take down a Regent vampire.”
The expression Louie gave his nephew indicated he thought Jake had grown horns. “Of course I gave this assignment to Nevada for a reason. She was the only one with access to the ring.”
“What ring?”
“The Regent’s ring. The one she wears around her neck.”
Jake knew he’d seen a ring like that before, but now that Louie mentioned it, he realized he’d only seen it in books. He’d felt a sizzle of energy coming from it when he and Neve had been together, so he’d known it held power. “So you knew he was her father?”
“Her father? Nope.” Louie shrugged. “But I knew she had to know something about him to get a ring. They’re very rare and are doled out only to the most coveted of his followers. They indicate a favorite.”
Jake shook his head. “When Neve’s father wakes up, and finds out Neve has his ring, he’s going to go ballistic. You’ll need to get him out of here fast.”
“He isn’t going to be waking up anytime soon.”
“How do you know that?”
“It appears our Neve shoved the ring straight into his heart,” Louie answered, pride in his voice. “That was a damn good way to use it.”
Jake craned his neck over to glance at the fallen vamp. But he was prone, his hands still cuffed behind his back. “How do you know he’s not going to wake up? Thus far, nothing’s been able to keep him down for long.” Jake’s frustration spilled over into his words.
“I can smell the damn ring, and his wounds aren’t closing.” Louie walked over and nudged the vamp with his foot, flipping him over, blood lazily leaking from the still unclosed wound.
Jake inhaled. He detected a strange ping of iron mixed with silver. But there was something else. “It smells like decay.”
Louie nodded with a grin. “Exactly.”
“Louie,” Jake growled, “how would Neve know to put the ring she wears around her neck in his heart?”
“I didn’t know if it would work. Damn, my head hurts,” Neve answered weakly, shifting in his arms, surprising him. “Shoving that ring in his chest was the only option I had left. What happened? Why am I out cold? I thought I had this all locked down.”
Jake scooped her up like she weighed nothing and stood, cradling her close to his chest. Louie raised a single eyebrow, but said nothing. Jake glanced down at Neve and said, “I paid the witch to spell your father. You just got in the way.”
“Why the hell would you do something idiotic like that?” Neve grumbled. “You’re going to owe that witch millions. Spells don’t come cheap, you know. And like I said, I had it all locked down.”
Jake sighed, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. “Because I didn’t know you had a magical ring, Neve. It would’ve been nice if you’d shared that little bit of information with your partner ahead of time.”
Neve looked indignant, and a sudden urge to kiss the pissy look off her face hit Jake hard, but stopped himself as Louie’s helpers started hauling the vamp away.
“If you must know, I had no idea the ring would stop him like that,” Neve said. “I always knew it had power, because it carries a current. I found it years ago in my mother’s jewelry box and I’ve worn it around my neck ever since. But when I spotted its twin on my father’s middle finger tonight, I knew it had originally come from him.”
“How did you think to put it inside his heart?” Jake asked.
Neve threaded her hands up around Jake’s neck and into his hair. It disarmed him for a moment because it felt so good. Instead of answering him right away, Neve stared at him for few beats before she finally cleared her throat, and said, “Same reason I put the arrow in there. It’s the most vulnerable part of a vamp. But the ring is not made of silver—”
“It’s made of fae iron,” Louie interrupted. “Powerful stuff. Though, I’m sure when the Regent had them made, he never thought they would be used against him.” Louie shook his head. “Impaled in the heart by his own daughter. That’s a story that’ll be told with disbelief for eons to come.”
Jake whistled. “I’ve heard about fae swords. They’re even rumored to be able to cut through a hellhound’s hide, but if the material is toxic to vamps, why would the Regent have the rings made in the first place? He wore one on his hand.”
“Because anything made of fae iron costs about as much as a pair of our spelled handcuffs,” Louis said. “It’s a show of wealth, and it’s not toxic to his skin, only his blood. All vampire blood reacts like acid when it comes in contact with fae iron. That’s why the fae use it on their enemies. One slice through the chest, and all the blood and tissue begin to die.” He mimicked slicing a huge sword through the air. “A powerful enough vamp can repair the damage once the iron is out of his system, but it takes a hell of a long time. It was a stroke of genius to stick it in his heart.” Louie shook his head. “Neve, you never cease to amaze me.”
“That was pure luck on my part, Louie, and you know it.” She let go of Jake’s hair and started wiggling to get out of his grasp. “If you wanted me to be amazing, you should’ve told me a long time ago w
hat that damn ring could do. Then it would’ve been the first weapon I used, not the last.”
“I couldn’t tell you,” he said, a sad note in his voice.
“Why not?” both she and Jake asked at the same time.
“Because I knew you’d be too upset. Having the Regent’s ring is no small thing. You were already skittish about vamps, and calling attention to the ring—”
“I’m not skittish about anything,” Neve protested, still trying to pry Jake’s hands off her. “Vamps are cruel, vicious, and nasty. I was simply wary of encountering them for all those very good reasons.”
Jake chuckled. “Louie’s right, though. If he’d told you about the ring, you’d have gone to find the Regent on your own, if anything, just so you could throw the ring back in his face.”
Neve wiggled some more in Jake’s arms, but he wouldn’t let go. Enough was enough.
“Jake, put me down.”
“No.” His voice was firm.
“What do you mean ‘no’?” Neve argued. “I’m fine. The spell has already worn off, and this is getting beyond ridiculous.”
“I’m not putting you down until I’m good and ready.”
Neve saw Louie’s eyes widen a bit, and then a small smile crept over his face. “Well, my work here is done,” he announced to the room in a cheery tone. “Good job catching the vamp, you two. Though, usually, we like it when you bring them in yourselves.” He winked. “But I won’t count it against you. This was a hard Collection, so all is forgiven.” The cleanup crew scuttled around them, setting things to rights. When supernaturals made a mess, they had to clean it up.
Neve wasn’t messing around any longer. She brought her fist up to Jake’s chest and slammed it against his sternum, but because of her awkward angle, it did nothing more than glance off and make him chuckle.
“Louie!” Neve called to the only real father figure she’d ever known as he headed toward the door. He stopped and turned. Neve bit her lip. How to ask this without sounding worried? “How are you going to make sure this vamp…my father…doesn’t…you know, wake up and come after me hell-bent on revenge?”
Jake stiffened. “Neve, you don’t have to worry—”
“Neve,” Louie said, his voice taking on the role of her superior, “our plan is to ship him out tonight. The ring will stay in him until we reach our final destination, and when he comes to, he’ll be behind very secure bars. Do you want to know why he was up for a Collection?”
Neve nodded. “That would be nice.”
Louie’s voice dropped. “His latest crime was massacring a small, remote village. We’ve been trying to nab him for a very long time worldwide, but he has always managed to evade us. This time we knew we had him once he landed in our town.” Louie grinned.
“Why’s that?” Neve asked.
“Because you’re a dhampir, of course.”
“And why does that help?” Neve was becoming grumpier by the second. She was adamant about getting out of Jake’s arms, but the damn hellhound kept holding on.
“Dhampirs have natural defenses against vampires,” Louie said. “Your kind have evolved as a counterpart to combat the undead.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Neve argued. “My father acted like I’d be a welcome addition to his horde.”
“Did he mention any other children?” Louie asked.
“Yes, two others.”
“Did you wonder where they were now?”
“It’s a cold, cruel world out there, Louie, but yes I wondered, and I figured they were dead.”
“They likely died trying to murder their old man.” Louie chuckled. “Dhampirs can’t resist killing vampires. There’s something in your blood that compels you to eliminate them at all costs.”
“Or repels,” Neve sniffed. “I hate vampires. I always have.”
“Exactly.” Louie grinned.
“Louie!” Neve exclaimed in an exasperated tone. “You’re starting to irritate me.”
“You’re supposed to feel repelled by them, Neve. It fuels the fire. It makes you edgy. And it gives you strength to do what you did tonight, and you did it on nothing more than cunning and instinct.”
“What did I do that was so special?” she asked.
“You felled a vampire, Neve. Only one out of a thousand Collectors could do what you did tonight.” Louie walked out of the room without looking back.
Jake shifted, adjusting Neve in his arms.
“Seriously, Jake. You need to put me down.” She struggled in earnest, but the stubborn bastard held on. She was about to hit him again when he started toward the door, drawing curious gazes from the cleanup crew.
She ignored their stares to keep her dignity. She’d never seen any of them before, but gossip in this town spread fast.
Jake kept going, turning left and walking straight toward their suite.
He hadn’t uttered a word.
Neve didn’t want to admit it, but she felt more secure in his arms than she ever had in her entire life. She wasn’t one to put her guard down, but if she was going to, the place to do it was in the arms of this massive hellhound.
He stopped in front of the door to their suite. “Where’s the key card?” he asked. “Do you have it?”
“No.” Neve chuckled. “I went out through the balcony. Bringing my key was not on my radar.”
Without hesitation, Jake brought one foot up and kicked, aiming his boot perfectly at the locking mechanism. The door popped open with no fuss, and Neve hadn’t even rocked in his arms.
The man was a brute.
She smiled and bit her lip.
Admitting she wanted to go into the room with him was a hard thing for her to do. But, in fact, it was the only place she truly wanted to be.
Before he carried her through the doorway, he stared down at her intently. “I have to ask you one thing before we go in.” His voice was so serious, Neve took notice.
“Okay.”
“How did you know to put the ring inside your father? And how did you do it so quickly?”
“I told you already,” she said. “I can’t take credit for planning to use the ring. I’ve worn it for years, and as he was coming at me, I knew I was out of weapons. The thought just popped into my head, and I went with it. But”—she wiggled her fingertips at him—“I can take credit for having fast hands, they are the quickest hands in the universe.”
Neve saw Jake’s eyes twinkle for a second before they took on a dusky tone, and he growled, “Prove it.”
Neve shuddered softly in his arms as he carried her through the doorway, and Jake couldn’t help but smile. The anticipation to finally get her alone to sort all this out was making him act like a teenager.
He was actually surprised he hadn’t dropped her.
He strode past the sitting area and headed straight for the bedroom.
“Jake.” Neve’s voice held a shy tone he hadn’t heard before. “I need to hit the bathroom first. I have my father’s blood all over me.”
Jake nodded, and without missing a beat, veered toward the bathroom door. As he slid her out of his arms, one of her hands lingered on his bare chest, and he tightened his grip around her waist.
He wasn’t ready to let her go just yet.
Her fingertips dusted lightly over his pecs as she glanced up at him with a wondering look. By her expression, he gathered she was curious why he was shirtless. He cleared his throat. “I ran into a little trouble with those shifters and a few nymphs downstairs as I was…leaving. I had to bag my ruined shirt in order to get past security.”
“You were leaving, but you came back,” Neve pointed out as she drew a single fingertip around his nipple, and he sucked in a sharp breath. “Why did you do that, by the way? I wouldn’t have faulted you one bit if you’d decided to leave. Our situation was…complicated and, honestly, I’m still confused by it. And Jake”—she paused, glancing up at him in earnest—“I’m not used to having feelings of any kind. I grew up mostly void of them. It’s the way I
learned to cope. It’s going to take me—”
Jake bent down and slanted his mouth over hers.
When she responded in kind, he deepened the kiss, palming the back of her head to angle her gently upward. Jake growled as his tongue delved deeper, running over hers again and again. When she moaned, he wrapped his other hand tightly around her hips and hauled her closer.
The taste of her was as intoxicating as it had ever been.
He abruptly pulled back and gazed into her eyes, steadying her softly by placing his fingers under her chin. Her pupils seemed clear, and he wanted them clear. He wasn’t going to take another chance at having Neve blackout. “Nevada, I came back because I couldn’t leave you. Even if I hadn’t gotten into trouble with the shifters, I would’ve come back. The bond I feel for you is real.”
“Your chivalrous streak runs deep.” She smiled.
She looked so beautiful when she smiled.
“This has nothing to do with chivalry, but has everything to do with you.” She tried to turn her gaze downward, but he gently held her in place. “If we’re going to do this, I need to make sure you’re clear-headed the entire time we’re together or this isn’t going to happen, do you understand me? I’m not willing to risk anything between us. It seems we’ve wasted some precious time over the last three years—time we could’ve spent together. I’m going to make damn sure our new start isn’t going to backfire on us.”
Neve shook her head. “I don’t believe the time we spent apart was wasted. I was almost twenty-one, stubborn, unhappy, and extremely immature. I’m not saying I’m incredibly mature now, or that I have it all figured out, but it wasn’t possible for us to be together before, because I would’ve done my best to destroy us.” Her eyes darkened. “I’m not even sure I won’t try to destroy us now.”
“You’re not going to destroy anything, because I’m not going to let you. It’s okay for you to have doubts. This is new, and I’m happy to take it slow. Honestly, when you say us in the same sentence, that’s enough for me right now.” Jake’s voice held a purr as he leaned down to brush his lips over hers again. “Your father said you had to choose me with your soul in order for us to be together, and I’m willing to wait for that. As long as it takes.”
Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Aces Wild, Ante Up, All in Page 9