Microsoft Word - Blood and Sex from CE.rtf (29 page)

“Please leave us,” Khalil said behind him.

Jonas did without another word.

Once the door clicked shut, Khalil let the mask of his control slide away. He looked worn and tired as he sat on the opposite side of Christiana. His hand went to her cheek. “I’ve known her since she was only a child.”

“And how long have you known this was going to happen?” All the anger and accusation was there in his voice. Good. He meant it. If Khalil knew what was going to happen, he never should have let her leave that ballroom.

Khalil’s eyes cut to him, then dropped back to her. She whimpered as he spoke. “Since

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the day she left to go to America.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you try to stop her? You could have at least warned us tonight.”

He was silent for a long time. “And if I had, and you’d changed the situation for the worse, would that have pleased you?”

Of course not
. Blane sighed. “If you’re psychic, why don’t you use your ability to change things like this? We could even be rid of those damned dogs.”

“I tried for a time, but the result of my interference was always worse than what I’d seen.

I can only use the information to prepare for what is to come.” He smiled. “She knows you’re here. You are what keeps her from going over.”

Blane blinked at the change in subject. “What if I can’t keep her from changing?”

“She will become one of them. Once you are home, she will change over. There’s nothing you can do to stop it.”

Tears began to sting his eyes. Pain in his heart grew until it was too heavy. “I can’t kill her.”

“I think perhaps you are a little hasty. She is still my child. First and foremost. That will not change.”

“Are you trying to say that she’ll be a hybrid?”

“Possibly. We will have to see what Luciano’s
compagna
decides.” Khalil leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. They did have a father-daughter relationship, as she’d said.

Seeing them together now, he couldn’t imagine thinking of them any other way—even as strange as it was for vampires to behave like humans.

“I love you,” Khalil whispered to her, then sat up in a slow motion that seemed like he was having a hard time pulling away.

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The door clicked open, and Elena’s head popped in. She smiled, then stepped inside.

“I’ve got Ketamine. I think it might keep her out until we get there.”

Khalil gave Blane a firm pat on the shoulder. “I cannot go. There will be too many questions if I don’t return to help rid Venice of the agents. The Bureau of Human Ascendancy threatens to overrun us, and I must be here to ensure that does not happen. I know you will do everything necessary for her safety, Blane. When it is time, I will come to check on her.”

Blane nodded. Of course he’d leave them to do the dirty work.

“I love her, too.” Khalil gave Elena a pat on the shoulder, too. “Thank you.”

She nodded, then went to Christiana’s side. As Khalil closed the door behind him, Christiana’s moans were louder, as though she’d sensed him leaving.

“Let’s get her settled, then we need to talk,” Elena said, uncapping a syringe.

* * * *

And she could feel Blane.

He’d been there, pulling her from the depths of red, the pain that had threatened to pull her under. His cool hands had stroked her head and his voice had been in her ear, whispering that everything would be okay.

His love and concern had been like a salve to calm the heat that threatened to burn through her. And it had been the thing to pull her back into reality. If their bond hadn’t been this strong, and if he hadn’t insisted on coming after her—

That fire pulled her deeper.

She couldn’t think. Not now. She had to focus on him.

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“I can feel you’re awake,” Blane whispered. “We’re almost home.”

Home? His home, or their new estate?

“She wants to know what home.” Jonas’s voice came from farther away.

Blane laughed. “Can you speak?”

She tried, but it came out as a groan. Her throat wouldn’t work.

“We have to keep you knocked out, but Elena has an idea. We’ll try it when we get settled and you’re safe,” Blane said.

She tried to nod, but even her head wouldn’t work right. What did they have her on?

“They’re giving you Ketamine, Christiana.” Jonas again.

They must have been giving her some sort of strange mix for it to work in her system.

“Something Elena came up with,” Jonas said. “Blane has to try too hard to keep you from changing and ripping the plane apart.”

So they were on the plane. Thank the gods that Jonas could read thoughts.

“Yeah.” Jonas’s voice again.

“I can’t keep this up,” Blane said, his voice tight.

“I’m sorry,” Elena said, just as another sharp pain started in her arm. “You need to sleep until we get there.”

The medicine burned in her skin, but quickly took her into the cool darkness.

* * * *

He couldn’t let them stay. If Christiana did change, they would kill her to keep the others safe. “It’s all right. I’d rather be alone for this.”

Jonas took her hand. “Let them have some privacy. Blane will call if he needs us.” He

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shot Blane a warning look. “I’ll be over here if I haven’t heard from you by midnight. I won’t be as kind.”

Blane sighed. If it went horribly wrong, she’d have to leave quickly to keep them from killing her.

“Not getting it, are you?”

“Just go,” Blane groaned.

Jonas led her up the stairs.

Blane watched Christiana’s lithe body, in only a tank top and thin cotton shorts that they’d taken from her clothing on the jet, and waited until their footsteps were up and out of the house. In the silence of the room, there was only the sound of her breathing and her new pounding heartbeat. In the seclusion of the area and with the extra soundproofing Michael had done to the safe house, no one would hear the fight when she changed. At least
The Alleanza
would be kept if this went straight to hell. Which it was sure to do.

Damn Khalil
.

The least he could have done was tell him who was supposed to die or how in the hell he was supposed to stop her from becoming one of them. He didn’t have the power to keep her from changing, not through their bond and not through his abilities.

Her legs began to move. Another slow growl started.

Within minutes, she was getting louder. That familiar warning washed over him as it did whenever one of the wolves was near. His arms tightened, hands clenched, but he wasn’t ready to fight her. This was it. If he couldn’t make this work, he wouldn’t kill her. He knew that much for sure. One of the other guys might have been able to do it, but she had his heart and nothing could make him raise his hand against her.

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No more than he could have left her in Italy to be slaughtered by the Council.

She rolled onto her side, and her mouth went wide with a scream. Then her body jolted back and forth with new screams that echoed in the block basement.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, pulling a knife from the table just to his right.

Christiana, or the monster that looked like her, rolled onto all fours. Her eyes, now gold like the other agents’, searched the room quickly and landed on him. Her nose twitched, then she took a long whiff.

Her back arched, and she let out a long howl that sent chills down his arms.

Her hands stretched long. Bones cracked, and she screamed while her body morphed into a large wolf covered with vanilla fur. It was faster than he’d imagined the change, almost instantaneous.

She snarled. Her eyes popped open, now a dark crimson.

Then another scream, and she collapsed into a heap of shaking muscles. Her body went back to humanoid, and the eyes that rolled toward him were gold again. “B—Blane. I c-can’t stop it.”

Maybe Elena was right. She looked like no agent he’d ever seen. Maybe her vampiric immune system was fighting the change.

Her body exploded into the wolf form again. Those crimson eyes locked on him. Another growl and she was on her feet, stalking toward him with a predatory smirk on her face.

“Stop!” He threw out a hand, forcing his power toward her

Christiana stopped in mid-step. She was a wolf—an agent—and there was no denying it.

Without something to boost her immunity, it was going to be over. That’s what Elena had said.

She didn’t have the—