PS02 - Without Regret (32 page)

She was very short, he noticed.

“Then tell me what I want,” he said, reaching up to brush his fingertips across her delicate jaw.

“Something that’s off the menu,” she whispered huskily.

“Oh?” he murmured, running the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “What if all I want is a little taste?”

“Then you’ll just have to look elsewhere. In another town.”

“But I like it here,” he said, allowing his fangs to drop and his eyes to shift to silver so that he could see her better. In a matter

of seconds the darkness of the night disappeared and he could see everything as clearly as if the sun was out.

“That’s too bad, because you’re going to have to leave,”

she said, reaching up with one hand, almost as if she couldn’t herself and traced his lips with her finger before dropping her

hand away with a disappointed little sigh.

“Before I experienced the sweetest thing this town has to offer?” he asked, shaking his head in regret. “I’m afraid that’s

impossible, Jill.”

Surprise flickered across her features before she hid it.

“You know my name?”

“Yes.”

“What else do you know about me?” she asked, leaning into his touch.

“That you’re beautiful, sweet and tonight you’re all mine,” he said, leaning down to have a taste, of her lips or blood, he

wasn’t sure and didn’t care. He wanted this woman more than his next unnecessary breath and nothing was going to stop him.

“Hold up there, big guy,” she said at the same time he felt something hard and sharp press against his balls through his pants.

“Big guy?” he asked, somewhat amused as he pulled back to look down. His brows arched as he took in her small hand holding

an equally small, but very sharp dagger between his legs.

“Mmmhmm,” she said unconcerned. “Now, I realize that you’re capable of regenerating a lost limb or a……..,” she let her

voice trail off as a rather pretty blush that he found rather endearing. “But, I’ve been told that the silver in this knife was cooled

in holy water, polished in holy oil and finished with Sentinel blood,” she explained as dread filled him.

“Now, I’m not really an expert with these things, but according to my brother and father if I removed something,” she said,

emphasizing “something” with a slight twist of her hand that had him sweating, “you would never be able to grow it back.”

When he moved to step back she pressed the knife higher in clear warning.

He dropped his hand from her face to her throat. “You realize that I could kill you with a simple squeeze of my hand, don’t you,

Angel?” he demanded.

She merely shrugged. “And I could make you sing soprano for the rest of your unnatural existence with a twist of my hand.

What’s your point?”

With regret he dropped his hand to his side. “You win, Angel,” he said, wishing a hundred different things at that moment.

“I usually do,” she said with an impish smile as she gestured with her free hand for him to back up. “Now, be a good little

vampire and get the hell out of my town.”

“Will you miss me if I go?” he asked, already knowing he’d be unable to leave this town without having her.

She laughed a light beautiful laugh that made him want to make her laugh again. “Just leave before my brother or father find

you. You’re far too cute to be dusted,” she said, reaching up to give his cheek a patronizing pat before stepping back and

walking away from him.

“Cute?” he bit out in disgust.

“Mmmhmm, very cute,” she threw over her shoulder as she sauntered away as if she hadn’t just insulted him.

He wasn’t fucking cute. Puppies and babies were cute and he sure as hell wasn’t a puppy or a baby, he thought absently as he

watched the sweetest ass he’d ever seen gently sway back and forth.

He rubbed an unsteady hand down his face as he promised himself a taste of Angel before he left town, but it would have to

wait. Right now he had bigger problems to deal with than a small red head that caused his blood to boil.

But he would be back and when he did she was going to be his.

Chapter 26

“Where the hell are you, Chris?” Eric demanded the second Chris answered the phone.

“On the road getting to know my mate,” Chris said, kicking the hotel door shut behind him and noting with surprise that his little

mate wasn’t screaming her head off.

Then again it had been two hours since he left her and by now there was a good chance that her voice was hoarse from

screaming. No doubt by now she truly hated him, which is exactly what he wanted and needed.

Since he met her he’d felt himself start to soften towards her and that was something he simply could not allow. He needed to

keep this woman at a distance so that he could focus on his goddamn job, but she was making that difficult. After they had sex

on the hood of a car, and only he would lose his virginity on the hood of a stolen car, he thought dryly, he had to stop himself

from fussing over her and holding her.

Somehow he managed to stop himself from making it worse, not only for him, but for her. She was leaving.

There was no choice in the matter and no matter how he felt about her he couldn’t do this to her. He would never leave his

family for her and to make her think that there was even a remote possibility that he would chose her over them was wrong.

They came from two different worlds and he knew without a doubt that she would never willingly give up hers for him and he

sure as hell would give up his for anyone. He loved what he did and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Besides, his world

wasn’t even an option for her.

She was weak, very weak and he was actually starting to become concerned for her. In the last forty-eight hours her abilities

had plenty of opportunities to surface, but there had been nothing. She was still as weak and slow as a human and he was

actually starting to feel guilty about dragging her along with him. If they came into any real trouble she would be completely

helpless. This morning he’d known exactly what he was doing, but now…….

It was scary what a couple of hours and a completed mating could do to a man, he thought with a sigh. He’d hoped to use her to

lure out the Master who’d hired Quinn, but maybe he’d give it one more day and return her to Eric. He could find a female

Sentinel who looked like his little Munchkin and together they could draw out the Master and take him down. If they were lucky

they’d get their hands on Quinn, but he knew the odds of that happening weren’t good.

“On the road? What the hell are you talking about, Chris? You were supposed to meet up with me in Boston with Isabella so

that we could get her out of the country,” Eric snapped, sounding truly pissed.

“There’s been a chance of plans. I’m going to deliver her to you in a few days,” Chris said, feeling exhaustion biting him in the

ass again. He was so fucking tired, but he knew it would probably be a few weeks or months before he got any decent rest

again.

“We need her now, Chris.”

“What’s going on?” Chris asked as he dumped the bags of food on the middle of the bed.

“What’s going on?” Eric repeated. “Are you fucking kidding me? The war fucking started. We have nests all over the world

taking this as their fucking cue to go after each other, Sentinels and whatever Pack pissed them off. We have Packs trying to

hunt down Sentinel homes and nests. The demons are sitting back and laughing their fucking asses off that is when they’re not

causing more problems and we have every fucking Master going nuts right now.”

“Unless Isabella’s abilities have surfaced, I need you to bring her back here as soon as possible so I can get her the fuck out of

the country and focus on stopping this fucking thing before it makes the eleven o’clock news and brings the fucking humans into

the mix!”

“Shit,” Chris muttered, ramming his fingers through his hair. This was bad. This was really fucking bad. “I’ll bring her to you

tomorrow night,” he said, shooting a look towards the windows. “If I bring her out right now we’ll be hunted down.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Eric grumbled. “I hate it when you’re right.”

“Most people usually do,” he said, taking a look outside and sighing with relief when he didn’t spot anyone lurking around in

the large parking lot.

“You should never have taken off with her,” Eric pointed out.

Chris snorted at that. “Bullshit, you left me with no choice, Eric. You brought the war straight to my door.

What the hell did you think I was going to do?”

“We were going to move your family,” Eric said defensively, making Chris laugh with very little humor.

“You were going to try and take my family from the only home they’ve ever known and loved? While Madison is pregnant?

Are you fucking insane? She would have clawed your eyes out just for even suggesting it.”

“Actually,” Eric grumbled, “I was going to have Ephraim suggest it.”

Chris winced on his father’s behalf. He didn’t even want to think about what Madison would have done to his father if he

suggested she abandon her home for places unknown.

“Oh, this does remind me. When your father found out what you did he asked me to tell you that you had twentyfour hours to get

your ass back home or he was going to come get you,” Eric said, chuckling.

“That’s just what I need, an overprotective Pyte on my ass,” Chris said, knowing his father only gave him twentyfour hours

because the man needed the time to convince Madison not to come after him on her own.

“How is Isabella handling all of this?”

“Fine,” he said, wondering why she was being so damn quiet.

“Have you told her where she’s going?”

“Not yet.”

“Do me a favor and tell her. Explain to her why we’re doing this. I don’t want her to feel like she’s prisoner,”

Eric said, even though they both knew that she was.

“I will. Don’t worry. I’ll see you tomorrow, Eric,” Chris said, starting to get a little nervous.

Why the hell was she being so quiet?

“Where?”

“The Boston compound,” Chris said, knowing that they’d have to head back north and hating it, but it was their best choice. If

Eric couldn’t get to them then they’d have a safe place to hide out for a few days. The only problem was keeping his family in

the dark. He didn’t need them getting any more involved in this bullshit then they already were.

“Alright, see you tomorrow,” Eric said before hanging up.

Chris returned the phone to his pants pocket and cautiously moved towards the mostly closed bathroom door. He listened for a

moment and when he heard her breathing, immense relief surged through him. It was yet another reminder of why he couldn’t

keep her. She was weak and would always need his protection and he couldn’t give it to her. There was too much on his

shoulders already.

Forcing himself to be the asshole she expected and needed to be if everyone was going to walk away from this whole, he

opened the door and stepped into the room and nearly tripped over his own tongue.

How in the hell had he forgotten that he’d left her naked?

He started with her cute little toes and slowly ran his eyes up her shapely little legs to the beautiful heart shaped ass that he

wanted to nibble on to her lovely back and beautiful blonde hair, up to her small delicate hands that were currently trying to

pull the bolted shower rod out of the wall with absolutely no luck. The effort did however make her ass do this cute little jiggle

that had his balls tightening up.

“Hi, Munchkin, did you miss me?” he asked as he strolled into the room, trying not to smile at the adorable little squeal she let

out when she turned around, too fast and almost fell. Just before she would have dropped and probably hurt her wrist, she

righted herself and glared at him.

“You’re lucky I’m handcuffed to this rod, because if I wasn’t I would so kick your ass all over this bathroom for doing this to

me,” she threatened, probably thinking that she looked menacing when she really looked cute.

“Well,” he said, pulling the small key out of his pocket, “here’s your chance, Munchkin. Kick my ass.”

“Don’t think that I won’t,” she muttered as she watched him through narrowed eyes as he reached up and removed the handcuffs

from her hand and the rod.

He tossed the cuffs on the bathroom counter and held his hands up. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“You know you have this coming,” she said as she lowered her arm. “I’m going to enjoy-ouch! Ouch!

Ouchie!” she cried out as she shook her arm frantically before hugging it her chest.

“Blood rushing to your arm?” he mused. “Yeah, that probably hurts. Now if you don’t mind I need a shower, so if you could

take your little rain dance into the other room that would be great. Thanks,” he said dismissively as he pulled his shirt off and

tossed it on top of her pile of dirty clothes.

“Jerk!” she snapped at him even as her eyes dropped to his bare chest and she licked her lips hungrily. “I’ll be back in five

minutes to kick your ass.”

“And I’ll be cowering in the corner waiting,” he said, chuckling as she forgot that her arm hurt and went to slap him only to let

out a cute little growl as she hugged her hand back to her chest and stormed out of the room.

He was just pulling off his pants when she stormed back into the room.

“Eager to kick my ass, are we?” he asked, tossing his pants onto the pile of dirty clothes.