Bound to Shadows (10 page)

“Arrest me, and both your brother and that mate of his will be dead within the hour.”
Fury boiled through me, but it was accompanied by bitter confusion. “Why do this? He’s my
twin
—anything you do to him might just rebound back through me to
you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And you think I care?”
I didn’t know
what
to think. “I was coming here anyway. You didn’t
have to shoot him to make your point.”
“You and I both know you’d forgotten about our meeting.”
He was right—I had. But how the hell had he known that? He could sometimes read my thoughts, but
up until now, I hadn’t realized it was a long-distance occurrence. “I’ll damn well kill you if
you try anything like that again.”
He finally looked up from the rifle’s sights and gave me a cold, hard smile. “No you won’t. The
difference between me and you, Riley, is that you have people you care about. I don’t.”
Not even me, the woman who was his soul mate.
And while that should have made me happy, it only increased the anger. At him, at me, and at this
whole, twisted situation.
I flexed my fingers, trying to ease the tension in my body. It didn’t help. Nothing would. Not
when it came to dealing with this man and his perverse games.
The worst of it was, there was
nothing
I could do about any of it. He
was right about one thing—I had people I cared about, and I would
not
risk their lives. Even if that meant having to accept this man into my life.
“Care for a little shooting practice?” he said, and the intensity of his gaze had my stomach
doing flip-flops. “I’ve always wondered which one of us was better. And faster.”
“Giving me a gun might not be the wisest of moves right now,” I said, desperately trying to hold
on to the anger. To not give in to the urge to walk to this man and claim what my body craved.
Damn it, he
shot
my brother.
But right now, my wolf didn’t seem to care.
“Why were you at Dante’s the night Grant Haven was killed?”
He raised an eyebrow, then proceeded to break the rifle apart, quickly cleaning the various parts
before putting them away in a luxuriously padded case. Only when everything was safe did he
answer.
“Why do you smell like you’ve been covered in blood?”
“I asked my question first.” Which sounded decidedly childish, but this man made it extremely
easy to act that way.
But there was nothing childish about the way he was looking at me. Nothing childish about the
effect it had on me.
His lush lips twisted into a half smile as he walked forward. On any other man, that smile would
have been seriously sexy. On Kye, it was simply dangerous.
“I was there following a lead. Nothing more, nothing less.”
He stopped an arm’s length from me. Close enough that his heat and scent surrounded me. Close
enough to reach out and touch if I wanted to.
I didn’t touch, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to.
I licked my lips, saw his gaze drop to follow the movement. Smelled the sweet surge of his
desire. Clenched my fists against the urge to claim the kiss we both hungered for.
“What did you talk to Mandy Jones about?” Surprisingly, my voice sounded near to normal. Given
the desire rolling through me, I’d expected husky.
“We talked about several of the men she’d been with. She didn’t provide any useful
information.”
“So you didn’t talk to her about the vampire beheaded outside the club?”
“No, I did not.”
“I will check, you know.”
“Check all you want. I’m not lying.” His gaze swept down me then rose, pinning me. “Your
turn.”
I shrugged. “Four vamps felt the need to attempt a little retribution.”
“You obviously beat them.”
“Not without a little help. It happened outside Dante’s, and the owner came to my
rescue.”
“Did he now?” There was an edge in his voice that surprised me. It almost seemed as if he were
angry. Furious, even. “Did he kiss you?”
I frowned. “Why?”
“Because I’ve heard him boast that once he kisses a woman, she is his unto death.”
And I could hardly be Dante’s when I was
his
. I snorted. This wolf
was a control freak. “He tried to, but I threatened to knock his balls through his ass, and that
seemed to do the trick.”
Although if he
had
really tried, would I have been so resistant?
Somehow, I didn’t think so.
He seemed to relax a little. “How badly were you hurt?”
“One of them had something of a flesh fetish. He took a chunk out of my shoulder before he
started feeding.” I shrugged again. “It’s just another scar to add to the list.”
“Show me.”
“Kye, it’s fine. I shifted shape—”
He moved, his right arm slashing downward, something sharp and silver glittering in his hand. A
heartbeat later, the front of my T-shirt fell open, the knife slicing through it like butter but
never touching my skin.
“If you don’t want the rest of the shirt sliced up, you’ll show me the wound.”
His voice was hard and cold, the total opposite of his eyes. I returned his gaze, wishing I could
just smash the arrogance from his face and walk out, yet unable to do it. I might hate him, but I
needed this. Needed
him
. Not just sexually, but in a deeper, more
fundamental way. After six months apart, it suddenly seemed as if he were as vital to my wolf as
air.
Without a word, I shucked off the remains of my T-shirt and turned around. I didn’t hear a step,
but the scent of him swirled more strongly around me—a sensual and heated caress that had my
nostrils flaring and body burning.
Then his fingers brushed my skin and it was all I could do not to press back into his
caress.
“It’s going to leave one hell of a nasty scar,” he murmured, his voice flat and emotionless as he
slid his fingers slowly down my spine. “And your pants are soaked with blood. Best not to let the
vampire bite you for a few days.”
“What the vampire and I do is none of your business.” I spun around before the knife could flash
and my jeans met the same fate as the T-shirt. “Where the fuck did you pull that from?”
“This?” He rolled the weapon through his fingertips, the blade a blur of silver fire. “Sheath at
the small of my back. And you’d be wrong about it being none of my business.”
I ignored the latter part of his comment, and said, “That blade is silver, so I take it the
sheath is lead-lined?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why would you care one way or the other?”
“I don’t.” I was just curious. Silver was deadly to a wolf, and it was extremely unusual for one
of us to carry it so close. But then, he also used silver bullets in his gun. Obviously, he
wasn’t worried about his own weapons being used against him. I retrieved the phone from my
pocket. “Give me your phone number, and I’ll transfer the file you wanted.”
“Why don’t you just tell me the important bits.” The blade disappeared as quickly as it had
appeared. This wolf was frighteningly fast.
“You know, as much as I’d really love to stand here and chat about the case—” My voice was dry
and a smile touched the corners of his mouth. “—the fact is I haven’t actually read the
file.”
“Sarcasm is something of a fallback for you, isn’t it?”
“Much the same as murder is for you. Do you want the file or not?”
“I want the file.” His voice was soft, and the smile still played about his mouth. I tried to
ignore it, but my damn gaze kept dropping. “I also want this.”
His hand snaked out and wrapped around the back of my neck, dragging me to the lips I’d been
desperately trying to avoid.
His kiss was heated and hard, and it was everything I craved, everything I wanted. I gave in to
the power of it, wrapping my arms around his neck, clinging to him, tasting him as fully as he
tasted me.
He gave a low growl in the back of his throat and suddenly I was being pushed backward. My back
hit the wall and I grunted at the force of it, yet still I kissed him, my wolf desperate for his
taste and his touch after such a long absence.
His hands cupped my breasts, squeezing and teasing as his lips left mine, kissing my face, my
neck, my throat. I shuddered, my legs suddenly weak, my knees threatening to buckle at the force
of pleasure rolling through me.
I grabbed his T-shirt and ripped it up the middle, exposing the beauty of his chest and stomach.
I slid my hands up his abs, feeling the quiver in his muscles, reveling at the intensity of
desire so evident there.
He undid the button and the zipper on my jeans, then his hand was sliding past the elastic of my
panties, down to the place that was so wet and eager for his touch. I moaned as he touched my
clit, arching forward into his touch, wanting more. He chuckled softly and thrust his fingers
deep inside me.
But as good as it felt—as desperately as I wanted that and more—sanity sparked somewhere deep
inside.
No matter how much I might crave this, I couldn’t let it go any further. It would only strengthen
the ties that bound us.
So I shoved my hands against his chest and pushed him away from me as hard as I could.
He flew backward, but all too quickly regained his balance, his hand instinctively reaching for
the knife sheathed at his back. I shifted my stance, ready for anything, my breathing little more
than pants of air.
Then his gaze met mine and his hand dropped. But he didn’t relax, and neither did I.
This wolf was an explosion waiting to happen.
“I didn’t come here for sex, Kye. And I will
not
give in to
this.”
“You have no choice.” His voice was rough with the urgency that still burned between us. “Neither
of us does.”
“We’re not animals, Kye, and I
will
control this.” I bent and
retrieved my phone from the floor, though I couldn’t remember even dropping it. “Phone
number?”
He spat the numbers out. I transferred the file, then shoved the phone into my pocket and did up
my jeans. “I’ll be going now. Don’t bother walking me out.”
He smiled. It was a cold, hard thing. “Don’t think you’re going to get away that
easily.”
I didn’t even look at him, just turned and walked toward the door.
“I want to see you again, Riley.”
I ignored him and kept walking. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
“Lunch tomorrow, at Franklin’s on La Trobe Street. Wear something nice. They have a strict dress
code for entry.”
I spun around at that. I couldn’t help it. “You want a fucking
date?
Why, when neither of us wants this relationship?”
“I may not want the relationship, but I want you, and I also want information about this case.
And I always get want I want, Riley. One way or another.”
I stared at him, hating him more than ever and yet fearing what he could do. He was a killer
without conscience, and the threat he posed to those I loved loomed large in my mind.
“That’s blackmail on top of attempted murder, Kye. I can now officially kill you.”
He moved with frightening speed. One minute his hand was empty, the next there was a gun in it. I
think he pulled it from an ankle holster, but I wasn’t one hundred percent certain. “And this is
loaded with silver bullets. Don’t think I won’t hesitate to shoot if I need to, Riley.”
My hands were clenched so hard my fingernails were digging into my palms. I forced myself to
relax and gave one short, sharp nod. “Franklin’s at lunch-time, then.”
I turned and walked out. But I was barely through the door when he added, “And Riley? Stay away
from Starke.”
I didn’t ask why. I just got the hell out of there.

R
hoan and Liander were both home when I got there.
“I’m fine, sis,” Rhoan said, the minute I opened the door. “Really, it’s just a shoulder
wound.”
“Doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared.” I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight, soaking myself
in the scent and strength of him. “Maybe you and Liander need to take a holiday somewhere nice
while you recover.”
Part of me wanted to warn him about Kye and the threat he posed, but I knew the minute I did
that, Rhoan would go on the offensive. And
that
could get damn
dangerous for us all. Right now, the better option seemed to be silence. As long as I kept
playing Kye’s games, everyone I cared about should be safe.
Rhoan snorted. “And you think Jack’s going to let me do that?” He waved his bandaged limb about.
“It’ll be fine in a day.”
“I know, but—”
He placed a finger on my lips, quieting me. “I’m fine. In fact, I look a whole lot better than
you. Why is that?”
“I got into a fight with some vamps.” I stepped back, not wanting to get into the details of
events at Dante’s or the warehouse. Too much had happened in too short a time, and I just needed
time to sort it all out. To figure out what the hell I was going to do. “And now I need a long
hot bath.”
“Then go. We’ll have the coffee waiting when you’ve finished.”
I leaned forward, dropped a kiss on his cheek, then headed for the bathroom. An hour later,
feeling a whole lot cleaner but actually no wiser, I twisted around in front of the mirror,
trying to look at the wound the vampire had given me. Though it was already healing, it was going
to leave a nasty mark. Give me another year in this job, and I probably wouldn’t have any
unscarred skin left.
Yet short of leaving the job—an option I didn’t have—there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
The more I fought bad guys, the more things would go wrong. And one of these days, that wrong
would mean death.
Which was a good reason to say yes to Liander and Rhoan’s request. At least part of me would live
on.
But then, there were also people out there who’d be more than willing to use any offspring as a
pawn against me. Hell, Kye was showing no qualms about using Liander and Rhoan’s safety as a
means to secure my obedience, and he was my damn soul mate.
I blew out a frustrated breath then tossed my towel in the laundry basket, collected my coffee,
walked into my bedroom, and climbed between the sheets.
Once again, my sleep was uneasy, but this time the mix of worry and desire blossomed into
unbridled pleasure. This time, the dreams were sharp and real rather than just restless
sensations. I dreamed of being caressed and kissed, of hands sliding and teasing, of heated flesh
pressing against mine, taking me, bringing me to fulfillment, again and again.
My dream lover had no face and no smell. My dream man could have been Quinn, it could have been
Kye, or maybe it was both all mashed up into one. It didn’t matter. I just enjoyed, even if
somewhere deep inside I wished it were real rather than imaginary.
And then it
did
become real.
Quinn’s scent filled my lungs as he slid in beside me, his hands moving down my body to where it
was warm and wet.
I moaned softly, arching into his caress as I reached out sleepily and drew him closer. I kissed
him, my lips soft on his as my hands began to roam the warm, hard expanse of his body.
And just like the dream, his body pressed against mine, his flesh joining mine, so heated and
hard. It felt so damn good that I wanted to cry. Then the pleasure intensified and I came, as did
he, my name on his lips moments before his teeth entered my neck, taking the substance that was a
vital part of the act for him and giving me yet more pleasure.
As the soft haze of sated exhaustion rolled over me, he moved to one side and gathered me in his
arms. I snuggled against his bare chest, breathing in the scent of him, wishing the day and the
problems that would come with it would just all fade away and let me lie here forever.
His fingers brushed the sweaty strands of hair away from my forehead, then his lips lightly took
their place. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
“The only good thing about this morning is your sudden appearance in my bed,” I muttered, wishing
I could go back to sleep.
His smile held a warmth I felt deep inside, even if I couldn’t see it. “You did look as if you’d
had a bitch of a night.”
“Understatement of the year.” I gave up on any attempt to sleep and stretched, my body pressed
warmly against his. “I don’t suppose there’s coffee anywhere near, is there?”
“Only a mug of congealed muck I presume you forgot to drink last night. But I did put the
coffeemaker on before I came into the bedroom.”
“What a clever vampire you are.” I shifted and kissed him lightly. “You worked late.”
“I wasn’t working. An old friend arrived in town, and we went out for drinks.”
I raised my eyebrows. “An old friend? Should I be jealous?”
“I wish you would be.” Though he grinned, there was more than a little sadness in his eyes. He
might have gotten used to my werewolf ways, but part of him still hungered for a truly one-on-one
relationship. It was something I could never give him, especially now that my wolf soul mate was
on the scene. “Tell me about your dream.”
“It revolved around sex.”
He laughed. “That explains why you were so wet and ready when I climbed into bed.”
I grinned. “I’m a werewolf. We’re always wet and ready.”
“So who was your dream lover? Or is that a question that’s likely to make me jealous?”
“He didn’t have a face or a smell. He could have been anyone.” I wrinkled my nose. “It was weird,
really.”
If only because I felt as if I had spent the entire night making love rather than just dreaming
it. My body felt drained and lethargic—although that could have been a result of Quinn feeding so
soon after I’d lost so much blood from the attack.
“Is there any reason why you should be dreaming about sex?” He shifted upright, his shoulder
lightly pressing against mine. I could feel the sudden tension in him. It was almost as if he
knew something vital had happened.
Which he probably did.
He was linked to me in much the same way as Kye, and while the connection might not be as strong
as the werewolf bond, it was still there. It probably gave him insights I couldn’t even begin to
guess at.
And there was no easy way to tell him about Kye, so I just up and said it. “Kye’s back in
town.”
He was silent for a moment, then asked, his voice softer, “And you’ve seen him?”
“Seen him, yes. Had sex with him, no.”
He glanced at me, his dark gaze exploring my features, as if searching for a lie. “But you
will.”
It wasn’t a question. “I’m trying not to, but denying my nature is the hardest thing I’ve ever
had to do. I can’t promise it won’t happen, Quinn. I really can’t.”
He looked away. His chest moved as he breathed deep, though a vampire didn’t really need air to
survive. He released it slowly, a silent sigh that somehow conveyed so much tension and anguish.
“I’m asking too much, aren’t I?”
I reached out and clasped my hand through his. His fingers curled around mine, warm and steady.
“It’s the same as me asking you to restrain your urge to take blood after sex.”
“Restrain, not stop. There is a difference.”
He was wrong, but I didn’t bother saying it. It wasn’t a point worth arguing.
“We both knew this moment would arrive eventually,” he continued. “I will fight for us, but at
the same time, you can’t continue to fight what you are. I shouldn’t have ever asked you
to.”
Relief swirled through me, the force of it so strong tears stung my eyes. Yet there was also
frustration. Kye was going to force a relationship, I had no doubt about that. Just as I had no
doubt that whenever we made love, the ties that bound us would get deeper and stronger. How could
that
not
affect my relationship with Quinn? I had no idea if the bond
I had with him was deep enough to withstand the onslaught of binding with my wolf soul
mate.
It was an answer I probably would uncover sooner rather than later, and it was one that filled me
with fear. “Quinn—”
I wasn’t entirely sure what I intended to say, and it didn’t matter, because he raised a hand and
pressed it against my lips. “When it happens, I don’t want to know about it. And if I see him, I
will beat him to a pulp.”
“As long as you promise to give him a whack or two from me, I’m fine with that.”
He laughed softly, then looked around at a knock at the door.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Rhoan said, opening the door and peeking around it, “but Jack’s on the
phone. He’s pissed off again. Apparently you have your phone off.”
I swore softly. I’d meant to switch it back on once I’d gotten home, but I’d been so shaken by
Rhoan’s injury and my close encounter with Kye that it had totally slipped my mind. I kissed
Quinn softly, then scrambled out of bed, grabbed the phone, and made a mad dash for the
bathroom.
“I’m on my way, boss,” I said, flicking on the shower and waiting impatiently for the hot water
to appear.
“I swear, Riley, one of these days you’ll push me too fucking far.”
I raised my eyebrows at the curt tension in his voice. “What’s happened?”
“If you’d keep up with local news, you’d fucking know.”
“Boss, I did work late—”
“And turned off your phone and com-link in the process. How many times do I have to tell you
about that?”
The water finally got hot. I flicked the phone to speaker, shoved it on the basin, and stepped
into the shower. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
He snorted. Obviously he believed it about as much as he believed in Santa Claus and the Easter
Bunny. “We’ve got another woman dead for no apparent reason. I want you to meet Kade over there
ASAP.”
“I’ll be out the door in five minutes.” I hesitated, wondering if it was wise to poke the bear,
but decided I needed an answer. “Something other than this new death has gotten up your nose,
hasn’t it?”
“Some damn fool reporter has gotten wind of the vampire beheadings, and now it’s all over the
news. The headline reads ‘Vigilante gang hunts down vampires.’”
“Which it may well be.”
“Yeah, but we don’t need the vampires thinking that, and we certainly don’t need the humans
thinking they need to arm themselves against retaliatory attacks. Trust me, there’s already been
some talk about that.”
“I gather Director Hunter is keeping the vampire council well informed on the situation?” And
surely the council would be able to keep a lid on the reactions of the general vampire
population? At least for a little bit longer.
“Of course, but with the tension already in the ranks over our handling of the blood whore
situation, this is going to add more fuel to the fire.”
“And won’t that make the streets a fun place to be.”
“Yeah. Be careful out there, Riley.”
If Jack was adding a warning like that, then he was really worried. Which meant my gun and I were
going to become very close companions. Once I had never wanted to use the damn thing, but I’d
learned the hard way that sometimes strength and speed just weren’t enough.
“I’ve got a possible lead on the beheading case,” I said, and quickly updated him about Luke
Johnson and the information I’d gathered from the security tape—although I didn’t tell him the
other man seen talking to our so-called witness was Kye. He wasn’t likely ever to trace the image
back to Kye, and the fewer people who knew he was back in town, the better for my sanity. “I’ll
send through the pictures now so someone can chase up some information on them.”
“I’ll get Benson on it the minute he gets here.”
Benson was one of the newer liaisons, and while he was every bit as efficient as Sal, he was far
less fun to goad.
“Thanks, Jack,” I said, and he hung up.
I quickly finished my shower then ran into the bedroom to get dressed. Quinn wasn’t there, but
the smell of man and coffee led me into the kitchen, where I found both. He handed me a steaming
travel mug, then kissed me lightly on the lips. “Be careful out there. It could get
nasty.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You overheard my conversation with Jack?”
He shook his head. “I’m an advisor to the council, much the same as Jack is.”
“Two facts I wasn’t aware of until now.” I studied him for a moment, wondering if I’d ever
uncover all there was to know about him. “I can understand Jack being an advisor, given he’s in
charge of the guardian division and his sister is on the council, but why are you?”
“I was once a cazador, and I’m one of the few who survived the experience.” He shrugged. “I’m the
one they call for advice when things go bad.”
Cazadors were basically vampire hit men. From the little Quinn had said about them, they worked
for the council and took out anyone who broke the council’s rules or those who went
really
bad. As in more than the Directorate could handle, and we handled some
pretty nasty shit.
“So they haven’t called you for advice yet?”
“No.” His expression sobered. “And pray that they don’t, because that would probably mean we are
on the verge of war.”
“Do you think things will get that bad?”
He hesitated. “If the Directorate can quash the speculation in the press and catch whoever is
behind these beheadings quickly enough, then the council will be able to control the situation,
vampirewise.”
“But what about the unrest over the Directorate’s handling of blood whores?”
“The council is about to issue an edict regarding that, and it will basically back the law as it
currently stands.” He shrugged. “They have no other choice, really, though the decision was not
unanimous.”
If he knew how the voting was going on council decisions, then he was something more than a mere
advisor. “So you agreed with the vote?”
He smiled and tapped a finger against my nose. “I didn’t vote, if that’s what you want to know.
As an advisor, I can’t.”
“But you were there to witness it.”
“Yes, but simply because I’m also fairly far up in the hierarchy. It is my right—and often my
duty—to witness all council decisions.”
“So how come you’re not on the council itself? I gather you could be?”
“Yes, I could. I just have no wish to be.”
“Why not?”
“Didn’t Jack tell you to hurry to some murder scene?”
So much for him not listening to my conversation. “Yes, but if I leave now, I may never get an
answer to my questions.”