PS02 - Without Regret (25 page)

grandmother’s National Geographic and locking himself away in the guest bathroom he’d have to shoot himself. It was all her

damn fault and as soon as she left he’d be able to stop torturing himself by wondering how exactly it would feel to have her

suck his dick or sink into her instead of planning the next night’s patrol.

Even now as he forced himself to meet her eyes he couldn’t fight the urge to touch her again. This was fucking bullshit. He

didn’t know this woman, didn’t like her, but he wanted her more than his next breath. If it hadn’t been for his damn curiosity

and this fucked up need to see her, be with her, he would have left this bullshit job of watching over her and further questioning

her to his father, who was currently one pissed off Pyte.

The last he’d seen of his father he’d been downstairs in the basement growling viciously while he pumped iron.

When his father came storming downstairs and shoved him aside so he could punch the head off the training dummy, sending

the rubber head flying and embedding it into the wall he’d been reluctant to accept his father’s offer to spar.

“Is this your way of telling me that I’ll have to hang you upside down before you answer my questions?” he mused, not even

bothering to hide his shit eating grin as her mouth dropped open and her green eyes practically budged out of her head.

She cleared her throat. “Um, what exactly did you want to know?” she asked pleasantly and he damn near groaned. Seriously?

That’s how easy it was to break her? Threaten her with a little discomfort and she’d spill anything.

Yeah, it was definitely a good thing that she was leaving, he thought with disgust. God only knows what she’d spill if a Master

got his hands on her. The thought gave him pause.

Shit!

She knew about Madison being pregnant. It wouldn’t be difficult for a Master to put two and two together and figure out that

there were three Pyte children to be had. There was no fucking way he was going to allow her to go to a Sentinel compound

now. With his luck she’d start asking questions and word would get out and they’d have more than just a fucking war to worry

about. His family would have to go into hiding and that wouldn’t exactly be the easiest thing with three Pytes needing bagged

blood.

No, the only thing to ensure their safety would be to send her straight to one of the islands. He couldn’t risk having her opening

her mouth and saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. Why the fuck had Eric brought her here?

He rubbed his hands down his face as he resigned himself to giving his mate an existence that he knew damn well she would

hate, but had little choice. He knew she would probably end up there anyway, but knowing there was absolutely no choice in

the matter and no hope of release had his stomach twisting, but it was for the best.

For his family.

“I’ll answer your question first,” he said, deciding that he’d only answer the questions that didn’t give her more information

about his family.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “So what the hell is a Sentinel and why do you think that I’m one?”

“You know that crescent moon and cross mark beneath your navel?”

“Yes?”

“You were born on November 25th and had a twin that probably didn’t make it?” She nodded reluctantly.

“That makes you a Sentinel.”

“Because of a mark, a date and a brother who died during the delivery?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes, that and the vampire that drank your blood went up in smoke,” he said, noting the way her face seemed to pale at that

little reminder.

“What is a Sentinel?” she asked in a harsh whisper as she clenched her hands tightly in her lap.

“A Sentinel is a warrior or a guardian of sorts, however you’d like to look at it. It’s our job to ensure that humans never know

the real world they live in and to keep vampires, demons and shifters in line. Every ten years ten Sentinels are born on

November 25th, five boys and five girls forming five pairs of destined mates,”

he said, watching her reaction and not too surprised as her eyes narrowed on him.

“That’s why you think I’m yours then?”

“Well, if the other four hadn’t already found each other then you could have belonged to any of the other men, but the fact that

our marks turned red when we touched is sign that we are mates.”

“But I don’t want you,” she said bluntly.

“Then that makes two of us, sweetheart, so don’t worry about it,” he said, half-expecting her to get pissed, but instead she just

looked relieved, which just went to piss him the fuck off.

“The only things you need to know right now is that you and I share two souls and that we could live to be twohundred,”

he said, feeling rather pleased when her mouth dropped open in shock.

“Are you serious?”

“Feel free to ask the Sentinels that will transfer you to your new home all about it if you have any doubts,” he said with a shrug,

trying not to care too much that she didn’t believe him.

“Okay, what else?”

“That’s not enough for you?” he asked with a snort of disbelief.

He did not find her little eye roll cute. He didn’t.

“Well, all of your senses are supposed to be magnified.

You’re supposed to be stronger and quicker than a human,” he said, frowning when she held a hand up to stop him.

“What do you mean supposed to?”

“You’re as weak as a human. What the hell did you think I meant?”

“Okay, I’m not strong, but I am really fast.”

He had to snort at that little declaration.

“I am!” she bit out between clenched teeth as she came to her feet and propped her little fists on generous hips.

“For a human? Maybe. But you’re not cut out for the world you were born into, Izzy,” he said dismissively, more than ready to

be done with her. “You have a few hours before you leave. I suggest you clean up and get some rest. Good luck,” he said,

deciding that he’d ask his questions later if she was still around when he woke up. Right now he needed to get the hell away

from her and find a cold shower before his dick burst through his pants.

“But if I could prove that I had these abilities I wouldn’t be sent away?” she asked, eying him carefully.

He opened the door, more than ready to be done with this conversation and her. “No, you wouldn’t be, because that would

mean you were trainable,” he said, knowing there was no point in hoping for something that he knew was impossible.

“Well, I am and since I don’t want to be sent off to god only knows where I think I have the right to prove myself,” she said

firmly, but he noted the way she anxiously licked her lips.

“You already had your chance,” he snapped.

“Oh yeah, you really gave me a chance by thrusting me in the middle of bunch of werewolves with absolutely no warning

whatsoever,” she said dryly, making his damn lips twitch despite himself.

“You want a chance to prove yourself?”

“Yes, it’s the least you can do.”

“And how exactly would you like to prove your abilities?

Are you going to kick my ass?” he asked, fighting back a chuckle when she glared up at him.

“No, I think a simple race would more than prove that I can do whatever the hell it is that I’m supposed to do,”

she explained, taking a cautious step towards the door, probably unsure if he would go through with it or not.

He wouldn’t.

He wasn’t a fucking idiot after all.

“A race?” he asked, pretending to think it over.

“Yes, I think a race is a good idea,” she said, inching closer to him and the door.

“Hmm, perhaps a race along the road?” he asked, trying not to roll his eyes when her lips actually tugged up into a coy little

smile before she was able to bite it back.

“That sounds like a good idea,” she said, sounding really hopeful.

“Huh, you know what sounds better?” he asked, wondering if she really thought he was going to fall for this race bullshit. Did

she really think he was going to give her a chance to involve humans into this by giving her a chance to flag them down for

help?

That was just fucking sad.

“No, what?” she asked, eying him warily as he leaned back against the door, blocking her only exit.

“I think the best way to see if you have what it takes is to see if you can get past me.”

Chapter 20

“Where the hell are you?”

“Why? Do you miss me?” Kale asked, chuckling as he pictured Logan’s face when the man let out a rather vicious growl.

“Where. Are. You?” Logan bit out, completely killing his good mood, which he’d admit were very rare for him.

His life was full of so much bullshit and responsibility that it was sometimes hard to believe that there was a time when he

allowed himself the luxury of relaxing.

But that life was over, he reminded himself as focused back on the job at hand.

“Currently?” he asked as he looked out the small window of the commercial jet that was taken him across the country, knowing

he was pissing the man off, but not really caring. Just because he was stupid enough to take a job knowing it would only bite

him in the ass in end didn’t mean he was anyone’s bitch, especially Logan’s.

“Yes,” Logan bit out through what sounded like clenched teeth.

“Sorry, can’t help you with that, but what I can tell you is that I am currently on my way to Isabella McGuire’s location,” he

said, signaling for the flight attendant that he pissed off about a half an hour ago by turning down her rather unappealing offer to

show him around Boston, starting with her hotel room of course, to refill his glass. She did, but with a glare that would

probably make a human male nervous. It didn’t even faze him.

“Get over it, sweetheart. You just don’t do anything for me,” he said, earning a killing glare, but by the time she slammed a

Coke on his tray and stormed off he’d already forgotten about her.

Even if he didn’t have a strict rule about no sex during a job he wouldn’t have taken her up on her offer. She wasn’t ten feet

away from him before he could smell another man and disease upon her. Best thing about being an Alpha as far as he was

concerned was the control over his beast in human form, control that he never relinquished.

“You know where she is?” Logan demanded.

“Yes.”

“How?”

“A little birdie told me,” he said, leaning back and getting comfortable. Normally he didn’t waste money on a first class ticket,

but Logan was picking up the bill and was most likely going to try and torture his ass after this job so he decided he’d let

himself enjoy a few perks along the way.

“Cut the shit, Kale, and tell me where she is!” Logan snapped, surprising the hell out of him. The man was emotionless, cold

and never reacted to anything. The fact that the man was losing his cool made him even more curious about Ms. McGuire and

the real reason behind Logan’s interest in the young woman.

He knew why all the other Masters wanted her and knew it wouldn’t be long before Demons and shifters caught wind of what

was going down and joined the hunt for the same damn reason. They hoped to infiltrate the infamous Sentinel network and take

down every Sentinel. It would require an elaborately organized one day assault that he didn’t think they’d manage to pull off

since that meant trusting each other enough to work together.

Never going to happen.

In his long life he’d lived through more than a hundred vampire wars and more uprisings against the Sentinels than he could

remember and not once had they ever managed to do anything more than piss of the Sentinels. They were great loses on each

side, but the Sentinels always won and for one very important reason.

The Masters were too fucking stupid and greedy to make it work.

Except for Logan of course. If anyone could make it work and take control of the situation it would probably be Logan and if

Kale had thought for one minute that was Logan’s intent, he wouldn’t be here right now. On an individual level he could care

less if a Sentinel lived or died, but on a massive scale they were a necessary evil. They kept a lot of sick bastards in control

and for that reason alone Kale would not help bring them down. Logan’s reasoning for keeping out of this asinine plan was

simple; he liked having the Sentinels around to bring down his competition.

He didn’t bother asking what the man’s plans were for the girl simply because he didn’t care. As long as he got paid and there

was even a small chance that Logan would forgive him he would do his job.

“Where is she?” Logan demanded yet again.

“Sorry, can’t tell you,” he said, not just because he didn’t have an exact location on her, but because he didn’t want any

interference.

“You realize I could just have you tracked, right?”

“Don’t fucking insult me. We both know that if I wanted to I could grab Isabella McGuire and you would never find us,” he

reminded the man, who really should have known better that to bullshit him. He’d been doing this a long time and knew how to

cover his tracks.

After a pause, Logan said, “Just don’t fuck this up, Kale. I need her.”

“Why?” he found himself asking, even though he really knew better.

“Never mind. Just bring her to me, alive. If she’s found her mate and he gives you any trouble kill him, but if you can manage it

bring them both to me.”

“Not a problem,” he said, knowing he wasn’t about to add any bullshit onto an already fucked up contract. If Isabella McGuire