Sucker Bet (29 page)

"And your brother doesn't want that?"

"No one wants that. We're safer when we stick together and keep our population under control."

"So is a vampire killing slayers off the loop a coincidence or not?"

"I don't know." Gwenna gestured to the screen. "But I have another e-mail from Slash. He wants to meet me tonight at the Bellagio in front of the club."

That bothered Nate. A lot. He really didn't want Gwenna involved in this any more than she already was. "I don't think so."

Gwenna frowned. "But we need to know who Slash is." Then she grabbed his arm. "Oh, shit, I just remembered. I was heading to the pool to find you when I ran into David Foster, the bass player from The Impalers. He said the most cryptic thing to me as I was leaving—that I shouldn't meet Slash in person."

"Have you ever talked to him about Slash before? Is David Foster on the loop?"

"Not that I know of. I'd never even met David Foster before the concert, and I didn't really meet him that night either."

"What kind of motivation might he have for wanting slayers killed?"

"I have no idea. But he can't be the killer. That doesn't even make sense. I personally think it's Sasha, Gregor's wife."

"But you said she's mortal."

"But a gigantic bitch. Kelsey said she tried to kill Ringo tonight with absolutely no reason behind it. She stabbed him through the heart with a wooden stake, and the only thing that saved him was Kelsey's intervention. Don't you think it's odd that a woman who married a vampire would attempt to kill another vampire?"

"What did Kelsey do to Sasha?" Nate had no problem picturing Kelsey ripping Sasha's head off. Kelsey had acted like a dipshit the time he'd met her, but he had sensed that she was loyal to those she loved. Loyal enough to kill. In fact, almost everyone they had mentioned or put on Nate's list was probably capable of murder given the right reason.

"I don't know." Gwenna shrugged. "I didn't ask. But I think Sasha is FoxyKyle and I think she hired Ringo to kill those boys and kill her husband."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I have no facts to back me up on this, Nate. Just my gut instincts. There is a relationship between Ringo and Sasha of some sort, obviously, and he is an assassin. And if she's on the loop, she had access to everyone who volunteered a real name. I can't imagine what her motivation is, but it just seems like she is the odd piece to this puzzle. Why the hell is she hanging around vampires, anyway? It's rare for a vampire to marry a mortal and then involve her in the vampire world."

"Gut instinct is right more often than not and I don't have enough information here. I feel like my head is racing to keep up since I've jumped in mid-action. I don't know the players the way that you do." Nate found that frustrating as well. "I'm going to trust you on this one. But who is Slash then and why does he want to meet you?"

"God, I don't know. It just doesn't seem like Ringo's brand of behavior, and I've never thought he was the sort to hang out online. And in the last week or so, he's been in a constant heroin haze according to Kelsey. I can't believe he was ambitious enough to plot all those meetings with me."

"I don't know, babe, I just don't know. But I guess if we want answers, we're going to have to show up for that meeting with Slash at the Bellagio."

"You're going to go with me?" she asked.

"Hell, yes."

"You know that it's not easy to kill me. That's why I was willing to meet Slash before. I wasn't being quite the dumb blonde you thought I was being." She gave him a small smile. "I could overpower any mortal murderer."

He was really not convinced. "While I am grateful to know that you weren't continually walking into danger with mortal strength, no weapon, and zero self-defense skills, I don't think vampire speed and strength alone could keep you out of a tight spot with a mortal who's cunning. You may think you're a tough girl, and I would have to say emotionally, yes, you're tough as goddamn nails, but you've already admitted to me you spend the majority of your time online, reading, or playing the harp and piano. Not exactly skills that can help you take down a psychotic vampire slayer."

She glared at him. But hell, he was only telling it to her straight up. Gwenna was not badass. Sorry. And truthfully, he liked her damn fine the way she was, and didn't really think he would appreciate her getting hard and vicious on him.

"You do know I have control issues, don't you? I have spent my entire life having men—specifically two men—try to control everything I do. I will not tolerate that from you."

Whoa. Back up. Nate held up his hand. "Hey, hey. I am not trying to control you, Gwenna. I don't work like that. But you've already pointed out that I'm a black-and-white kind of guy. That's true and I can't change it." In fact, he liked that about himself. It made it easier to deal with all the crap he saw on the job. "And what I'm telling you is that you're not experienced in dealing with criminals."

"I lived with one for three hundred years," she said wryly.

Nate winced. God. Three hundred years with Donatelli. Living with him. Sleeping with him. That really, really bothered him. It was strange and overwhelming enough to accept that Gwenna was a vampire, nine centuries old, that it wasn't a myth or a ghost story, but true, and she lived, normal and healthy, in the flesh. Not evil, not a bloodsucking zombie, but as a compassionate and loving woman. Who had spent a hell of a lot of years with a guy Nate wanted to throw in jail and then eat the key. Yeah, that bothered him.

It also bothered him that his entire world had shifted on its freakin' axis in one week.

"So that makes you capable of taking down bad guys with your bare hands?"

"That's not the only thing bothering you, is it?" she asked, her hand moving over onto his thigh, thumb stroking the denim of his jeans at the kneecap.

Maybe it wasn't. Nate studied her, tried to pinpoint his anxiety. "I don't know. It's just that everything has changed. This is all so unbelievable." He felt like he was dreaming, or maybe more accurately like he was shit-faced drunk, where everything was sharp and buzzing, and the world moved fast and loud around him, and he was spinning, just spinning around and around and unable to make it stop.

Gwenna didn't say anything, just gave his leg a little squeeze.

She was so beautiful, so ethereal. Now he understood that better, her intriguing mix of fragility and strength. She had been born in a century with poor nutrition and inadequate medical care, and her physical features reflected that. She was slight and fair, with big luminous eyes that dominated her face. Yet despite her appearance, her quiet demeanor, she had an intangible and unshakable strength. Gwenna had been through a lot and she was still standing.

Nate wasn't sure that he could say what he needed to without hurting her. But he was confused as hell, and it wasn't fair not to be totally honest with her.

"No, that's not the only thing bothering me. Everything's bothering me. This is all so insane… my sister, my parents, you, vampires… I have all these feelings, but what if I can't trust them? What if it's just some kind of reaction to all the stress?" Okay, that sounded wimpy as hell, but it was the truth. Nate didn't trust himself, period. He was a fucking wreck and big enough to admit that.

"You're talking about your feelings for me, aren't you?" Her voice was quiet, expression hurt.

He nodded. "Among other things." But primarily his feelings for her. He thought he loved her. How could that be real? They had only known each other a week and she had lied to him. He had gone in with the assumption she was someone other than who she was. So how did he know if he loved the real Gwenna or not? "You have to admit this is complicated. We've both been through a lot and we should take the time to make sure that…"

Nate stopped. He didn't even know what the hell he was saying. And given the look on Gwenna's face, she didn't either.

Gwenna was being dumped. She could not believe it. Well, maybe she could. She had expected anger and recriminations for turning Nate to vamp, but she had never imagined that he would simply doubt the legitimacy of his feelings for her. Like he had some sort of posttraumatic sex syndrome that had made him want her and that was it. Nothing more. And now he had a handle on it, thanks.

"I see what you're saying. It's perfectly understandable." Actually, it wasn't. It was damn offensive, insulting, ridiculous, and just like a man. Gwenna wondered precisely why she felt the need to be polite about it. Breeding. She had been raised to defer to a man, and damn it, she just didn't see the logic in that when they were being stupid. "But that doesn't mean I like it, or that I feel any sort of patience about it. I am coming from a different place than you. I knew everything about the situation, that's true. And I have a long lifetime of mistakes to compare my feelings for you up against. I know that I care deeply about you and I don't need to think about it. I want to be with you. But if you need time, I can respect that." Sort of. And what was the matter with her? She set off to tell him to get a grip and deal, and she wound up justifying his feelings. Apparently she had a bit of a way to go with the "you go girl" attitude.

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

"So what does this mean, exactly? We're not going to see each other? Because if you don't want contact with me, I'll introduce you to Ethan so he can help you transition to vampire." Gwenna tried very hard not to sound bitter, but she didn't think she succeeded. She refused to feel bitter, just flat out refused, and neither did she want to sound like the pitiful woman who clings when it's over.

"Of course I want contact with you." Nate looked bewildered. "I told you I'm falling in love with you."

You know, for a man who claimed he saw the world in black and white, he was tossing a whole hell of a lot of gray her way.

"But you just also said you're not sure you can trust that feeling. And I'm not exactly sure what you want me to do about it."

"Nothing. I don't want you to do anything. I want to go on like we have been."

"So, we're supposed to see each other, sleep together, solve crimes together, and the whole time I'm supposed to be giving you space to determine your feelings? So I should invest time and energy and emotional attachment without really knowing how you feel? Understanding that at any given possible second you might suddenly miraculously realize that you did not have legitimate feelings for me that can survive outside of a crisis situation and leave me? Do I have that right?" Because if she did, she was not going to play. Game over.

"Uh…" Nate had the exact look of a butterfly pinned to a board. "I wasn't saying… I mean, I don't think…"

Gwenna sat and waited. "I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that."

Then he did what she supposed any man would do. He said her name in a sensual voice of capitulation. "Gwenna…" Maybe a little exasperation. And he moved in to kiss her.

Typical male behavior. When in doubt, turn to sex. But she found she didn't really care why he was intending to kiss her. She just wanted to feel him, taste him now that he was a vampire. Let them both get a true sense of how connected they were, their blood one and the same. Have him feel her honesty, her genuine affection and love for him.

Maybe she was flirting with disaster and asking to be hurt, but as his lips covered hers, she just wanted to feel, not think. She didn't want to worry about death or murder or vicious machinations of cruel people. She wanted to just feel good, to touch and be touched. Death was all around them, with Kyra, the murders, with the reminders of the past that hovered and clung to her, tenacious and unwilling to let go, and she still had the thick fear in the back of her throat from that moment when she'd realized Nate was dead. It was going to take a bit to recover from that blow, from the decision she'd made to turn him, for both of them.

So Nate was experiencing doubts and confusion. That was to be expected, and ultimately she knew if he chose to move on from her, she would survive that, too. If she had learned anything at all, it was that she needed to embrace life, to enjoy each night as it arrived.

Opening her mouth for him, Gwenna kissed Nate back, sliding her hands up his neck. He had such a firm, strong body, and such a fierce sense of justice. It was very sexy, as was the fact that he was using his tongue to do delightful things inside her mouth.

"You taste the same, but different…" he murmured. "Richer, sharper somehow."

Gwenna used his short hair to tug his head back away from her face. She bared her neck for him. "Bite me. Taste me, Nate."

His breath hitched. "No."

Yet she could see the interest, see the lust in his eyes, see the way his lips kept parting, and his new fangs descended. She wanted him to experience the thrill of drinking blood for the first time with her, wanted him to see inside her thoughts and feelings.

"Yes." She kissed him passionately, nipping at his bottom lip, her thigh moving along the front of his jeans, where he had a healthy erection. "Yes." Their mouths ground together, their heart rates increasing, their breath eager and erratic.

Once again she tipped her head and offered her flesh to him.

And this time he took it. His tongue danced over her neck, then while he gripped her shoulders tightly, his teeth invaded her. Gwenna shuddered at the faint pain suffused with pleasure, at the tug and pull of his suction, at the connection that flowed between them. It was as intimate as sex, and heat rushed over her, pooling in her inner thighs, and tearing a deep moan from her.

Nate watched Gwenna's eyes roll back in ecstasy before he lost the ability to focus and closed his own eyes. It was unbelievable, the sensation of Gwenna's hot blood rushing over his teeth and tongue, bringing with it a surge of her thoughts and feelings. He could feel her body against his, feel the warmth of her leg and hands and neck, at the same time he heard the beating of her heart and an acute sense of pleasure in her own words, her random snatches of thought, feeling, language, straight from her mind to his. It was overwhelming, arousing, to know that she cared about him, to hear that loud and clear, and understand how much she desired him.