Dark Warrior Untamed (11 page)

As she spoke, she touched his face, as if needing to verify that he was indeed alive. He closed his eyes and savored the powerful connection created when her fingertips brushed against his skin. He breathed deeply to draw in her scent, pulled her closer, and then captured her lips with his.

He’d almost died in the explosion, but that was nothing compared to the near total meltdown that kissing Piper Ryan started. Her lips were soft as they opened in invitation. There were probably a thousand reasons why this wasn’t a good idea, but at the moment he couldn’t think of a single one. He wanted this, wanted her, and had ever since he first saw her in his office.

Was there a lock on the hospital room door? Probably not, and it was a damn shame. Right now he craved nothing more than to strip them both down to the skin and see how far this kiss would take them. He wanted to bury himself deep in her slick heat, pushing them both until they raced screaming over the edge.

He didn’t think she’d mind, not from the way her hands were wandering, testing the strength of his muscles as she murmured her approval and snuggled tightly against his rock hard cock. He cupped the curve of her ass, wishing they were someplace a lot more private.

Then all hell broke loose. “Hey, Grey, you ready to fly the coop? Oops! Sorry!”

Grey vaguely recognized Sandor Kearn’s voice as the other Talion muttered something that sounded like an apology and said that he’d be out in the hall. Way, way out in the hall. Piper had heard him, too, because she instantly went from pliable to rigid, while Grey’s body did the exact opposite.

Bloody hell.

He leaned his forehead against hers as he fought the very real urge to ignore the interruption. “Are you all right?”

Piper nodded. “I’ll go wash my face while you talk to Sandor.”

“Good idea,” he said quietly, although he hated her washing away the moment they’d shared. Her cheeks were bright pink. It could be whisker burn, but more likely she was embarrassed at being caught out. Time to face the music.

He spotted Sandor standing a short distance down the hall.

Grey waved him in. “You can come back now, Kearn.”

While he waited for the Talion, he checked the room one last time for any of his belongings. Good thing he did. His leather jacket had been stuffed into one of the drawers in the bedside table. Not that it mattered. No amount of mending would restore it to its original condition. He shoved it in his bag.

Sandor hesitated in the doorway. “Sorry, Grey. I hadn’t realized Piper was still here.”

Grey ignored both the comment and the unspoken question in Sandor’s expression. “How is everything at the house?”

“Fine. Hughes feels guilty because you took the damage instead of him. Ranulf had a long talk with him about it, though, and reminded him what tough bastards we Talions are.”

“Good. I’m not sure getting blown up is in any of our job descriptions, but it’s definitely not in Hughes’s usual list of duties.”

The bathroom door opened and Piper stepped out into the room, looking far more in control of her emotions, thanks in part to a new application of mascara and lipstick.

“Hi, Sandor.” She sounded a bit shy, not her usual confident self. “Is everyone all right?”

“I was just telling Grey that Hughes took it hard but he’s okay physically. Kerry went to bed late, but she was up and about by the time I left to come here. They decided to keep all three kids home today, figuring we all need time to regroup. I wanted to make sure Grey had a way back to his hotel.”

Grey couldn’t help but notice that Piper kept her eyes firmly on Sandor and not on him as they spoke.

“I was going to drop him off on my way to return your car. Maybe it would better if he just drove himself though. That way he can pick up his car at Kerry’s. In fact, I’ll just take the bus.”

She tossed Sandor the keys and was out the door before either Grey or Sandor could stop her.

What had she been thinking? Making out with Greyhill Danby had to be the dumbest thing she’d done since—no, she couldn’t think of a single instance of greater stupidity in her life. And to get caught by Sandor was the icing on the cake. Did men gossip? If so, both Kerry and Ranulf would soon know all about it. Great.

There was nothing she could do about it now except pretend it hadn’t happened. Oh, yeah, like that was going to work. Especially with those footsteps pounding down the hall behind her. The only question was if it was Grey or Sandor charging after her. At the moment, she wasn’t particularly thrilled with the prospect of facing either one of them.

“Piper, wait!” Sandor.

She didn’t want to, but he could outrun her despite her headstart. She stopped beside a vending machine and started digging for change, which, of course, she didn’t have. Sandor, ever the gentleman, fished two dollars from his wallet and offered them to her. It would be churlish to refuse, so she didn’t bother trying.

When the soda rolled out of the machine, she unscrewed the cap and took a healthy swig. It burned its way down her throat, and she forced herself to face her patient companion.

“Thanks. Was there something you wanted?”

“Just to give you these.” He dangled the keys in front of her face. “Did you really think we’d drive off and leave you waiting for the bus?”

She hadn’t thought about it. “I’ll be fine, Sandor. I take the bus all the time.”

“I know you do, Piper. But Grey said he’d feel a lot better if you weren’t standing out in the open at a bus stop today. I agree with him, so please take my car and keep it until we have a better handle on what’s going on.”

Before answering, she allowed herself a quick glance down the hall to see if Grey was watching. Yep, he was. Even from a distance, she could feel the impact of his icy blue gaze. When she allowed Sandor to drop the keys into her hand, Grey nodded once.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll take good care of it.”

“Don’t sweat it.” Sandor looked down the hall before adding, “Thanks for taking care of our boy last night. We all liked knowing you were by his side while we dealt with the police.”

“It was nothing.” Another lie. It was definitely something, but only time would tell what.

Sandor kept talking. “Kerry said for you to take the day off, but it’s only a matter of time before someone wants your statement. We really should talk before that happens.”

She thought for a moment. “Look, I’m going to head back to my place and zone out for a while. How about I stop by the house after my classes this afternoon?”

“Perfect. See you then.” Then, in a surprise move, he gave her a quick hug before walking away.

Was Grey still watching? Yep, and he was looking seriously ticked off about something. Surely it wasn’t because of the brotherly embrace Sandor had given her. Judging by the way Grey was now glaring at the
other Talion, though, maybe it was.

Cool.

Feeling much better, Piper headed for the nearest exit and stepped out into the bright sunshine. The day was definitely looking up.

Lawrence Harcourt was not a happy man. He was also swigging an expensive brandy like it was a pint from the local pub. He couldn’t seem to help himself given how things were going at the moment.

His sources had verified that Grey Danby had spent the night in a Seattle hospital because of injuries received in an explosion outside of the Dame’s house. So far, all that was known for sure was that the bomb was delivered by a shipping company.

No one had claimed responsibility for the incident, and the police were convinced it was a random act of violence. Of course, they had no way of knowing that the Kyth existed, much less that Kerry Thorsen was their current ruler. A nation of people scattered all over the world and owing homage to a young woman in jeans and a T-shirt wouldn’t occur to the local police.

Hell, he could scarcely believe it himself.

How was Grey doing? he wondered. So far, there were no reports on his condition other than he’d been taken away by ambulance. If Kerry had given him her healing touch, he was probably already better, regardless of how bad the injuries had been. Hopefully the Talion would have the sense to disguise his ability to recuperate so quickly.

It wasn’t Harcourt’s problem, though. His concern was that Grey would now be out for blood. The man might have the pedigree of a stray dog, but he had the tenacity of a purebred bloodhound on the hunt. The Talion wouldn’t rest until he tracked down the culprit. They all knew that a direct attack on the Dame, even if just a close call, meant the death penalty in their world.

Someone would die for this, and Harcourt really, really hoped it wouldn’t be him. If Grey caught even a whiff of evidence that the trail led back to London, he’d be on the next plane. Ranulf Thorsen and Sandor Kearn would very likely be with him, a deadly trio if ever there was one.

Oh, yes, then someone would die, his or her life force scattered to the winds like dust. Harcourt had only witnessed one such execution, but he still had nightmares from it, especially lately. He was postponing going to bed for that very reason. There were nights when he could still hear the poor bastard’s screams as the Dame’s enforcer ripped his life force out by the roots.

Harcourt reached for the brandy. Maybe if he drank enough, he’d numb both the memories and the fear.

He sincerely hoped so.

•   •   •

Grey let himself into his hotel room. The staff downstairs had put on a good show of concern, wanting to know if there was anything they could to do. Hell, they might even have been sincere, but he needed to be alone more than he need the sympathy of strangers.

He tossed the bag on the bed and headed straight for the shower. A few minutes spent in the hot spray would have to do. As much as he’d like a good long soak in the tub, he couldn’t afford the time. The bomber’s trail was growing colder by the minute. The police had no doubt collected all the evidence they could, grinding what was left into the Dame’s lawn in the process.

Grey’s ability to trace evidence beyond the normal human senses would work best while the scene was fresh and relatively uncontaminated. Every minute the site was exposed to the elements—and to other people—diminished his chances of finding anything significant. He needed uninterrupted time to work the area and see what was left.

When Sandor had dropped Grey off at his car, there’d still been a few reporters lurking in the area. Must be a slow news day. He gunned the engine and tore off down the street. Hopefully some other headline would grab their attention soon because Talions worked best out of the spotlight.

And he’d learned to survive in the shadows early in life, not that he spent much time thinking about his past. He’d made it a habit to never look back.

Although he had earlier today at in the hospital. Looked back, that is. He’d meant to return to his room as soon as he’d known for sure that Piper was going to take Sandor’s car. But then those dark eyes of hers had met his, challenging him on every level. He’d acknowledged the unspoken question, that he had sent Sandor after her. Cowardly, perhaps, but she’d needed
her space. So had he.

He cranked the shower up high and hot, wishing he could wash away the memory of how Piper had felt in his arms and tasted on his tongue. With a potential killer on the loose, he did not need the distraction.

And she was certainly that.

Right now he had more important things to consider. Like who that bomb had really been aimed at. Not Hughes, surely. The man was as inoffensive as they came. Piper wasn’t a likely target either, although he’d be surprised if she hadn’t pissed someone off somewhere along the line.

He found himself smiling. That woman definitely had a knack for stirring up his emotions. Rather than dwell on the possibilities that brought to mind, he shut off the water and reached for a towel. He’d get dressed and head back to Kerry’s house to do his job.

After he had a chance to examine everything, he’d corner Ranulf and see if he’d picked up anything. Each Talion had his own unique set of abilities, and the Viking warrior was the best when it came to hunting. From what Grey had heard, Lena
Wilson had her own talent when it came to reading a crime scene too.

Since he’d be working outside, Grey put on jeans and a long-sleeved knit shirt. That reminded him—he’d take his damaged jacket with him to the scene as well. It was bound to have some residue from the explosion. He’d have Sandor send it to the local Kyth lab for testing.

Time to get going. He needed to check in with Kerry and then get started on his hunt. And if Piper happened to be there too, well, so much the better.

K
erry and Lena met Grey out on the porch, both looking genuinely pleased to see him. Lena smiled and said, “Grey! I’m glad to see you’re on the mend!”

Ranulf appeared beside his wife and gave him the once-over. “Yeah, you don’t look nearly as much like a corpse as you did when they rolled you out of here yesterday.”

“Ranulf!” Kerry gave her husband an elbow in the side. “That’s not nice.”

The Viking grinned. “Seriously, Grey, I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks.” Grey didn’t mind Ranulf’s rough humor. The man always said what he meant, a rarity in their world.

He turned his attention back to their Dame. “Kerry, I’d like to borrow your husband and Lena for a while.”

“It’s all right with me, as long as the doctor said you could be out and about.” She studied him for a few seconds and then held out her hand.

He appreciated the offer, but she’d done enough last night. “I’m fine. Really.”

“I’ll feel better if I find that out for myself.”

A Talion didn’t refuse a direct order from his Dame. Grey held out his hand, letting her take it both of hers. The whole process lasted only a few seconds, but the quick boost she gave him would last for hours. She’d have to feed again soon to maintain her own balance, but the powerful symbiotic relationship between the Dame and her Consort would soon replenish her reserves.

She gave Grey’s hand one last squeeze before releasing him. “I’ll sleep better knowing you’ve been restored, Grey. We owe you so much for what you did yesterday. I’m not sure how you did it, but you managed to contain most of the damage to the rose garden—well, and to yourself.”