Microsoft Word - Blood and Sex from CE.rtf (32 page)

“Don’t be so upset with them. They’re welcoming me to your family. Would you rather they hate me?”

He smirked and pulled on a green T-shirt. “At least I’d have you to myself.”

Christiana’s hands snaked up his chest and her body pressed into the curve of his back.

“You do have me to yourself.”

Blane grabbed her hands and kissed each knuckle individually. Her skin was so soft, and still so warm. He smiled. “Why me?”

She kissed his shoulder blade. “You’re smart enough to see through my bullshit.” She kissed him again. “You didn’t buy the cold exterior I’d been using to keep everyone away. You saw me.” Then she laughed. “Your intelligence did it again.”

He nodded. She was right. All of the best things in his life had happened because of his

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intelligence, not because of his physical strength.

“I see why Khalil likes you,” she added.

“Why?”

“Most of the others get caught up in the trappings of our life.” She hugged him close.

“You see us for the people we really are. The monsters and the gods.”

He tried to, at least. And the fact that they’d noticed had to count for something.

A sudden flow of laughter came from behind him. “What?” he asked.

“I’m an agent.”

He turned in her arms, then dropped his around her shoulders. “A little late on that realization?”

“I guess it’s just hitting me.”

It was a lot to take in. So many things had happened in such a short time. There was so much to process. And the king of them all was now, basically, his father-in-law. As strange as his world was, it was getting stranger all the time.

“What?” she asked this time.

Blane laughed. “This really couldn’t be stranger or more perfect.”

“I know.”

“Khalil was right.”

“How?”

“He was right not to warn me. I couldn’t have made it go any better than this.”

“Huh?” Her eyes narrowed. “Warned you?’

Did she really not know? He was her
creatore
. But he was also their leader, which had to entitle him to a lot of secrets. Would he have really divulged this one to only him? If so, he

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wasn’t going to be the one to blab it.

Blane kissed her forehead. “Nothing. I was just rambling.”

“What did you mean?’

“Just that if anyone could have told me what was going to happen to you, I would have stopped it. And I don’t think that would have been the best thing to do.”

She shook her head.

He knew it didn’t make sense to her, but that’s how it was going to have to be.

With one more kiss, she pulled back. “We’re going to be late.”

* * * *

What was there to be nervous about? They all knew her. And it wasn’t exactly the first time she’d been in the club. Still, her stomach twisted at the thought. Maybe it was her—

Something pulled at her, like a hand gripping her head and whipping it toward the bar.

Her eyes locked with those deep brown ones.

She gasped.

Vincenzo smirked back at her.

“What is it?” Blane asked.

She tugged his hand. “It’s Vincenzo.”

She tried to look at Blane, but couldn’t. Something was holding her attention, forcing her to stare at the vamp—agent. This was so very wrong. Only her
creatore
and the strength in their connection to order her attention to him like this.

Vincenzo grinned in Blane’s direction.

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He scowled in return. “It’s time to finish this. Go to the back. Don’t follow us.”

“No.” She held his arm as Vincenzo slid off the stool and started toward the side exit.

“He’s baiting you.”

Blane peeled her fingers off his arm. “Hurry up, dammit. Go tell Jonas what’s going on.

He’s not listening to me, and I can’t let that fucker get away. He’s in our territory, so we can be done with this right now.”

The alarm sounded as Vincenzo hit the emergency exit door.

Blane took off after him, disappearing into the crowd.

Christiana felt them both going, pulling her heart and her mind with them. Still, she took a deep breath and ran toward the VIP section at that slow human speed.

* * * *

He only managed to hear his footsteps heading down the pavement that turned at the end of the building farthest from the main road. He followed, careful not to be ambushed around the corner.

But there was no ambush, only Vincenzo standing there with a dumbass grin on his face.

Blane cracked his knuckles.

Vincenzo laughed. “You can’t out-muscle me,
vampiro
. I think we’ve already established that.”

He ripped his pistol out of the shoulder holster. “No, but I
can
sling lead with the best of

’em.”

“And how do you know it won’t kill her?”

Blane’s finger hesitated on the trigger. He didn’t know.

The smile that widened on Vincenzo’s face said he had been betting on that.

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Blane re-bluffed. “She’s not exactly furry.”

Shoes pounded the pavement behind him.

“I feel her.” He sniffed the air slowly. “I can smell it. She is one of us.”

“Isabella?” Christiana’s voice gasped behind him.

Blane jerked his head sideways to see the short Italian vamp moving out of a deep shadow. How had he not seen her?

Her dark lips parted in to a wide grin, and it made Blane feel like they knew something he didn’t. It was his
cosca
’s territory, they were outnumbered, and he did have a gun. “I thought you were dead,” he grumbled.

“What are you doing here?” Christiana said, moving closer.

“Go back inside,” he barked. It was too risky to have her here. If Vincenzo could feel her, he could probably manipulate her. Isabella definitely could.

Vincenzo crooned in a seductive tone. “Come here, Christiana.”

“No,” Elena’s voice called from behind him in a panicked tone.

He glanced away from his targets only long enough to see Elena holding Christiana back, whose eyes were now crimson and locked on Vincenzo.

“Blane!” Jonas said, his voice moving past him as the
fratello
moved.

Vincenzo slammed against the wall with Jonas at his throat, but he couldn’t get a clear shot.

Then Elena screamed.

Blane whirled around to see Isabella dragging her by the throat away from Christiana, who was now on all fours, howling and covered in off-white fur.

He ran toward them as Vincenzo’s screams echoed off the walls around them. The sound

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of bones crunching fil—

Something slammed into Blane’s chest, throwing him backward.

Then another, tossing him to the ground.

A starburst of searing pain bloomed in his chest. He yelled but rolled onto his side.

Christiana was still in one spot, growling at him, but not attacking.

“Kill him!” Isabella said, struggling with Elena as she moved toward the alley. Trying to keep a captive as a shield.

“Don’t forget who you are.” Blane climbed to his feet toward her. If he could touch her—

She whimpered and moved toward Isabella.

The pain of the rounds burning in his chest was almost unbearable. It wasn’t phosphorous, but something else. The venom of the agents was the only thing that burned this badly. Blane glanced at Jonas, who had Vincenzo down and was struggling with the legless torso. No help there.

He moved toward Isabella, too.

She fired one more shot, but he dodged, almost falling down. He would have if his hand had not caught the wall.

“
My
blood runs in her veins,
leggero
.” Isabella spat the words out. “She does as
I
say. As my life goes, so does hers.”

There was something in her eyes, the way she glared too hard. It was just unconvincing.

His hand shook, and he couldn’t quite get a clear shot around Elena.

Christiana lunged at Isabella, her teeth sinking into the woman’s leg.

Isabella screeched and turned to look, exposing her side to Blane’s view.

He squeezed the trigger and popped two shots in Isabella’s skull.