Born in Blood (The Sentinels) (17 page)

Had they already traveled to Russia and back? The thought would have boggled his mind if he hadn’t been even more boggled by the lightning strike of awareness that sizzled through him.

Dressed in casual jeans with a white tee and her stunning eyes covered by sunglasses, she should have been easily overlooked. She was certainly tiny enough to be lost in the crowd.

But there wasn’t a male gaze that didn’t linger on the exotic crimson of her spiky hair and the grace of her movements as she halted several feet away while Fane moved to place himself directly between the medics and the gathered human police.

Like a rabid guard dog.

“So it would seem,” he murmured to Frank in absent tones.

“I heard you stayed at Valhalla.” Frank cleared his throat. “And not alone.”

Duncan sent his companion a warning glare. “You have a problem?”

“Don’t get your panties in a twist.” Frank lifted his hands. “I was just wondering what’s going on with you.”

With a snort Duncan began walking toward Callie. “Tell you what, Frank. When I figure it out you’ll be the first to know.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game, amigo,” the coroner called behind him.

 

 

Callie stood, stiff and uncomfortable as Duncan casually strolled in her direction.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t pleased to see him.

She snorted softly. Not pleased? Why not just admit it?

She was tingling from head to toe.

Just catching sight of him with his golden hair shimmering in the sunlight and his lean body shown to advantage in the faded jeans and black tee made her heart leap and her mouth go as dry as the Sahara.

She wanted to cross the rough ground and wrap her arms around him. Not just because she remembered the pleasure of being pressed against those hard muscles; delving into the dark history of Lord Zakhar had left her feeling edgy. As if a shadow was looming over her. She could definitely use a hug.

Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself, acutely aware of the suspicious glances from Duncan’s human friends. They’d clearly heard rumors of Duncan staying at Valhalla and were keeping watch to make sure he hadn’t been “contaminated” by the freaks.

And, besides, she hadn’t yet decided if seeking comfort from this particular male was really a wise choice.

Had she?

The disturbing question whirled through her mind as Duncan halted in front of her, making her even more edgy.

“Hello, Sergeant O’Conner,” she murmured in a tight voice.

“Sergeant O’Conner?” He blinked. “Is that a joke?”

“I didn’t expect you to be here. We just returned to Valhalla when the Mave asked that we bring the medics to collect the body,” she found herself babbling, taking a step backward. “She hopes that an autopsy of Leah might reveal the precise magic the necromancer used to animate her.”

Duncan frowned as he studied her wary expression. “What the hell is going on?”

She licked her lips at his impatient question. “I just told you.”

“You told me why you’re here,” he growled. “You haven’t told me why you’re acting like I didn’t spend the morning kissing every satin inch of you.”

Heat stained her cheeks. “Shh.”

“Answer the question or I’m going to get a hell of a lot louder.”

“It’s . . . I didn’t know—”

“Know what?”

“If you wanted people to realize that we’d been together,” she said, giving a startled grunt when he grasped her arm and tugged her toward a trail leading back up the bluff. Far enough away to make sure no one could overhear them, although they remained in full view of the gawking cops. “Duncan. What are you doing?”

“I want to make sure I have this right.” The hazel eyes sparked with gold, warning his temper was roused. “Are you implying that you thought I might be ashamed of sleeping with you?”

Put that way it sounded . . . bad.

She shot a glance toward the crowd, shifting her feet. She hated being the center of attention. Especially when she was surrounded by norms. “Can we discuss this later?”

His jaw hardened. He was well and truly pissed.

“No, we damned well can’t discuss this later. We discuss this now.”

“People are staring.”

“I don’t give a shit.” He leaned close enough to whisper directly in her ear, his scent teasing her nose and making her blood heat. Man. She loved the smell of him. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she realized her nipples had hardened and excitement was buzzing through her lower stomach. She wanted to shove her fingers into his hair and trail a line of kisses over his stubborn jaw. Or bury her face in the curve of his neck and savor his intoxicating scent. “Just like I don’t give a damn if they know I’ve taken you as my lover,” he continued, placing an intimate kiss just below her ear before he pulled back to study her with a brooding gaze. “Unless that’s not the problem?”

She blinked, struggling to concentrate on his words.

Dammit. She was the Queen of Composure. Nothing rattled her. Especially not a mere man.

But Duncan O’Conner possessed an aggravating ability to slip beneath her defenses.

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe you’re ashamed that people might suspect that you’ve lowered your standards to allow a barely civilized cop into your bed?”

She made a sound of disbelief at the idiotic suggestion. There wasn’t a woman alive who wouldn’t be proud to claim this man as her lover.

“If that was the case then I would never have spent the night with you.” She pointed out the obvious. “There isn’t anyone in Valhalla who doesn’t know we were together.”

His eyes narrowed, his cop face on full display. “Then why did you act like I was the enemy?”

She bit her lip, shifting to hide her expression from the onlookers. The man might be gorgeous, sexy, and unexpectedly tender beneath his macho facade, but he was as stubborn as a Missouri mule.

“It’s difficult.”

He hooked a finger beneath her chin, tilting back her head to regard her with open concern. “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

Okay. Fine. Maybe it was better if he knew.

“I’ve never been a couple,” she grudgingly admitted.

He stilled, his eyes focusing on her with laser intensity. Like a hunter catching sight of unexpected prey.

“Never?”

She shivered. Not with fear. But . . . anticipation.

“No. I’ve only dated a few times and they were always casual.”

His thumb brushed her lower lip, the light caress sending a jolt of sweet pleasure to the pit of her stomach.

“So I embarrassed you with my public display of affection?”

“Not exactly.”

“Callie?”

She wrinkled her nose, recalling her awkwardness this morning and then again when she’d first seen Duncan this afternoon.

“It’s more the fact I don’t understand the rules of the game.”

His expression softened, the wicked sensuality warming his hazel eyes.

“Between us there are no rules. We’ll work our way through this . . .” He leaned down to brush her lips in a light kiss. “Together.”

Another delectable shiver raced through her body and she lifted her hands to rest them against the hard contours of his chest.

“I don’t think your friends are going to approve.”

He nibbled the corner of her mouth. “Then they’re not my friends.”

An unexpected warmth spread through her heart at his simple words. Strange. Was it really that important to her that he wasn’t the least hesitant to claim her in public?

Obviously, it was.

“And your family?”

“I already promised I was taking you to Sunday dinner.”

It was once again the perfect answer, so naturally Callie panicked.

“No. I mean . . . not this Sunday.”

A wry smile tugged at his lips. “Why the cold feet?”

It was a legitimate question. And one she had no answer for.

Everything had turned upside down in the past two days.

Her belief that there were rigid laws of physics that controlled the powers of high-bloods.

The assumption that she had her peaceful, if somewhat isolated, future all planned out.

The unspoken rule that norms and freaks didn’t mix.

Was it any wonder she was torn between the intense desire to haul this man into the bushes and rip off his clothes and the urge to return to Valhalla and hide beneath her covers? Unfortunately, neither option was viable.

Not until they’d tracked down Lord Zakhar and put a stop to his gruesome abuse of the dead.

“I don’t think I’m ready.”

“Okay.” He dropped a light kiss on her nose before he pulled back and studied her with a resigned smile. “We’ll wait until you don’t hyperventilate at the mere mention of family.”

Her missing sense of humor returned at his gentle teasing. “So generous.”

“And when we’re working the case I’ll be professional,” he promised, a sinful heat melting the gold in his eyes until they shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. “Even if I’m counting the seconds until I can get you naked and lick you from top to bottom.”

Her heart slammed against her ribs in instant hunger. Suddenly the option of pushing him into the bushes and stripping off his clothes was much more viable.

Too viable.

“You are—”

“Yeah, I know. Barely civilized.” With a wicked grin he glanced over her shoulder. “We’d better go before Fane terrifies the entire KC police department into early retirement.”

With swift efficiency the medics had Leah’s body wrapped in a protective bag while Callie gave Duncan a condensed version of what they’d learned in Russia. With an equally condensed version, Duncan had shared his trip to the art expert, revealing the man had spoken of the coin being Sumerian in origin.

It was a step forward, but not nearly far enough or fast enough.

Deep inside her was a growing pulse of anxiety.

As if something was warning her that time was running out.

There was a faint stir from the cops still grouped together and, turning her head, Callie realized that Fane was coming to demand that they leave.

Squaring her shoulders, she crossed the short distance to speak with the Sentinel in private.

He wasn’t going to like what she had to say, but for once she was determined. It was time to put on her big girl panties. She was done hiding behind her loyal guardian and the protective walls of Valhalla.

“I’m going to stay here and work on the investigation with Duncan,” she said, barely waiting for Fane to come to a halt.

His face was devoid of expression, his dark eyes hard. “No.”

“Fane, listen to me.”

“You know the rules.”

She did. A diviner was never to travel outside Valhalla without protection. There were far too many loonies who thought that the only good diviner was a dead one.

And that was before the news started to spread that there was a necromancer out there toying with young, female corpses.

She deliberately glanced toward Duncan, who watched them with a narrowed gaze. “I won’t be alone.”

“Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?”

“No. I’m trying to be logical.” She ignored his muttered opinion of her logic. “Only you can return Leah and the medics to Valhalla. It makes sense for me to remain here and continue the investigation.”

“What does this investigation include?”

She turned back, her gaze ricocheting off his granite-hard expression. “Duncan mentioned that Leah was wearing clothing from an exclusive salon,” she said. “He wants to see if he can find the specific store and interview the owner.”

He folded his arms over his chest. “That’s all?”

“He’s searching for a lead on the coin” She shrugged. “I suggested we stop by the Rabbit Hutch to see if any of Leah’s friends—”

“Absolutely not.”

Callie sighed at his immediate rejection of a perfectly sound proposal. As if that would stop her if she was truly determined to visit the strip joint.

“Yeah, that’s the same answer I got from Duncan.” She rolled her eyes. “Men.”

He studied her for a long, silent minute. Intimidation at its finest.

“You could wait for my return so I could go with you.”

It was her turn to nip the suggestion in the bud. She might be used to the Sentinel, but to most people he was a scary-ass MOFO.

“Fane, I love you, but you terrify the norms,” she pointed out gently. “There’s no way they would talk if they caught a glimpse of you.”

A dangerous smile curled his lips. “I could make them talk.”

She snorted. Fane had made hardened warriors weep in fear. “I don’t doubt that for a minute, but I think we should try it Duncan’s way first,” she said, reaching in to place her fingers against the side of his throat. “If that doesn’t work we’ll call in the big guns.”

His dark eyes remained flat, unrelenting. “He can’t protect you from the witch. Or any other high-blood.”

Callie couldn’t argue. Duncan might be a hell of a cop, but he wasn’t a Sentinel.

Although, with his special powers he could always . . . She squashed the unexpected thought.

Duncan loved being a cop. Being human. And wishing for him to join her world was the sort of thing that could break a woman’s heart.

Or maybe just break her.

“I won’t take any risks,” she assured her companion. “I swear.”

As if sensing her growing vulnerability, Fane narrowed his dark gaze. “This is bigger than you, Callie.”

She flinched at the unwelcomed reminder of Boggs’s warning. “We don’t know I’m actually involved.”

“You’re no longer a child,” he chided. “You can’t stick your head in the sand and pretend that you don’t sense the growing danger.”

“You’re right,” she abruptly admitted. “I’m sorry.”

He gave an exaggerated blink. “Do you have a fever?”

She shook her head, not about to admit the nightmares that plagued her or the looming sense of doom. She’d be locked in her apartment before she could say “Jack Robinson.” Whatever the hell that meant.

“I can’t ignore the warnings,” she said, keeping it vague. “If there’s a darkness that threatens us then we have to stop it. The sooner, the better.” She lowered her hand to poke Fane in the center of his steel-hard chest. “Which means accepting whatever assistance we can get.”

He arched a brow. “And this isn’t just about being alone with the cop?”

She hesitated. She might not always fully confess to her guardian, but she never deliberately lied.

Their relationship was built on having complete faith in one another and she would never do anything to jeopardize it.

“Maybe a small part, but I won’t be distracted. Trust me.”

“You, I trust.” He sent a burning glare toward Duncan. “Him—never.”

Only a few feet away Duncan stiffened, his hands curling at his sides as he met Fane glare for glare.

“I’ll call you with any information we get,” she said, giving him another poke to distract him from his silent stare-off with Duncan.

Christ. Testosterone was a pain in the ass.

Grudgingly Fane turned back to meet her annoyed gaze. “I’m going to see if I can find information on the coin.”

His words caught Callie off guard. “You’re going back to see Myst?” she demanded, recalling the fragile beauty of the scribe.

Was it possible that the stoic Sentinel had been smitten?

She wouldn’t begrudge him an opportunity for a bit of happiness. He’d sacrificed far too much for her. But she couldn’t deny a sense of disappointment for Serra.

The beautiful psychic would be devastated if Fane chose another.

“No.” He tapped her nose—a silent warning to keep it out of his personal business. “I know a monk who has studied the Sumerians.”

Ah. She grinned in relief. “He isn’t Sumerian, is he?” she demanded. Monks were rumored to live as long as any high-blood.

Another tap. “It’s not polite to ask”

She stepped back, her smile fading. “Be careful, Fane. You’re not as invincible as you think.”

“Yes, I am” He held her gaze. “I’ll come for you first thing in the morning.”

“But—”

“Don’t push me.”

He took off, moving with a fluid grace as he led the medics up the bluff and away from the humans who gaped at him like he was a wild animal who might very well ravage them if he slipped his leash.

They weren’t wrong.

 

 

Zak was seated at his desk in his private library when the scent of blood had him lifting his head to watch as Anya stepped into the room.

For once she’d put aside her designer clothing and was covered from neck to toe in a black satin robe with her hair pulled into a tight braid that fell down her back. Zak was similarly attired, although his robe was made of a silver silk that would be disposed of once they were done.

Blood and death were a messy business.

“You have prepared the spell?”

She shrugged. “The blood has opened a pathway to our destination.”

He rose to his feet, unconcerned by the knowledge she’d had to sacrifice a young child to create the magic necessary to create a gateway.

It was, after all, the reason he’d first been attracted to Anya.

There were any number of witches and mystics among the Russian court, some of them even real. But Anya was special. Long before high-bloods had become known by the norms, she’d trained with a clandestine coven that had taught her magic that was long since banned. Including the ability to travel that was similar to a Sentinel, although she was drawn to objects with magical power instead of using well-established portals from monastery to monastery.

Which was how she first stumbled across the ancient ziggurat covered in hieroglyphics that was nearly buried in the deserts of Iran.

“Good,” he said, grim satisfaction edging his voice. “Then let’s go before my destiny can be once again snatched away.”

“Snatched away?” Her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“A traitor.”

“A traitor?”

He arched a brow. “Did I stutter?”

“No, but—” Anya frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Really? I should think it was obvious. Someone has betrayed me.” A chill swirled through the air. “Someone very close to me.”

“You can’t possibly suspect me? It would be ridiculous.”

“Don’t pretend moral outrage, Anya,” he warned in cold tones. “It doesn’t suit you.”

The witch clenched her bloodstained hands. “I have as much invested as you, Zak. Why would I devote my life to you only to become a traitor?”

He was far from impressed by her fierce response. Only an idiot would trust a woman who would willingly sell her soul to the highest bidder.

“And what do you have invested?” he drawled.

She sucked in an outraged breath. “I saved your life.”

“Maybe.”

“What do you mean? I pulled you from the flames.” Temper abruptly snapped in her emerald eyes. “It was my magic that kept your heart beating while your body healed.”

His own expression remained glacial. “You also promised a dozen times we were about to get your hands on the coin, only to discover that it had once again slipped from our grasp.”

She muttered a foul curse. “It was your bokors that failed, not my magic.”

His fingers stroked over the coin hidden in the pocket of his robe. Over the years he’d meticulously reviewed his failures to acquire the coin. He’d wasted enormous resources and risked exposure each time he raised the dead. The fact that they’d missed carrying out their mission by mere hours, sometimes minutes, had been enough to stir his suspicions.

“Hmm.”

Anya narrowed her gaze. “What?”

“The more simple explanation was that someone was warning the owners of the coin that I was on their trail.”

She appeared genuinely outraged by his words. “If you suspected I was a traitor then why did you allow me to stay with you?”

He shrugged. “I’ve always believed in the theory that it’s best to keep your enemies close.”

“This is insanity,” she hissed. “If it was me, then why wouldn’t I have warned Calso?”

“Perhaps you’re actually innocent. Or perhaps this is a cleverly constructed trap.” He shrugged. “Until I know which it is, I can assure you I will be on constant guard.” He offered a cold smile. “Now, are we traveling to the temple or not?”

“Fine.” With a swirl of satin robes, the witch was heading out the door. “Follow me.”

In silence they made their way to Anya’s private rooms on the upper floor. The stench of blood became almost overwhelming as she pushed open the door to reveal her sitting room, which had been converted into a basic chapel.

With a grimace, Zak glanced over the scrolled chairs with pretty pastel cushions that were arranged in a semicircle around the rough wooden altar. The expensive artwork that had once hung on the ivory walls had been piled in one corner and replaced with shelves of murky bottles that held an assortment of nasty ingredients used by Anya when she was cooking up her potions or casting her spells.

The curtains had been pulled across the window, shrouding the room in shadows. The only light was a lone candle that sat on the altar next to the wooden bowl filled with blood.

The blood of an innocent.

Moving forward, Anya waved a hand toward the altar. “Stand beside me,” she commanded.

Zak joined her, reaching to grasp her wrist in a grip tight enough to hurt.

“Anya,” he murmured in silken tones, “make very certain there are no mistakes.”

 

 

Duncan was damned proud of himself.

He hadn’t pulled his gun when Fane had stood protectively close to Callie, his expression hard as he clearly tried to convince the young diviner to return to Valhalla with him.

Or when Callie had lifted her hand to touch the Sentinel with an intimacy that made him growl like a fucking dog.

Or even when Fane had sent Duncan a glare that warned all sorts of bad, bad repercussions if Callie was hurt on his watch.

Yeah, so kudos to him.

Still, he couldn’t resist wrapping a possessive arm around her shoulders when she at last returned to his side and the hulking guardian jogged up the steep path, pausing at the top to send Duncan one last glare.

And if that made him a caveman ... then so be it.

“He doesn’t look happy,” he muttered, tugging her even closer to his side.

At least he hadn’t pounded his chest, right?

“He’s not.” She heaved a faint sigh before turning to study him with a determined expression. “Where do we go first?”

His gaze slid over her pale, perfect features, barely resisting the urge to pluck off her reflective glasses so he could drown in the sapphire beauty of her eyes.

“I know where I’d like to go,” he murmured softly.

She lifted a brow. “Should I ask?”

His hands lightly skimmed up and down the back of her arms. “My apartment is only a few miles away.”

He felt her revealing shiver of pleasure, but she shook her head in warning.

“I thought you genuinely wanted me to help in your investigation.”

He grinned. “I do, but I’m a man.”

“And?”

With a chuckle he stepped back, reaching in his front pocket to remove his cell phone.