Veiled Target (A Veilers Novel) (5 page)

“How do you know I was following you?” Oops. She meant to say,
“What makes you think I was following you?”

He gave a knowing smile—that looked ridiculously sexy rather than irritating. “I know you don’t want to insult my intelligence so let’s just say for argument’s sake, if you were following me, why would that be?”

At least she’d gotten him to change his tone.

“Truthfully?” She leaned a little closer to him. She couldn’t help it.

“That would be nice.”

“I’m really not a very nice person,” she announced.

“Neither am I.” He reached out and moved a strand of hair behind her ear.

Was he trying to confuse her? Because it was working. She’d nearly fallen into his hand before he pulled it away. He was indeed a very bad man.

“That’s good. I hate nice guys. So where does that leave us?”

“I haven’t got all night, Tess.” He lowered his chin, indicating—she presumed—he was growing tired of their banter.

She lifted an eyebrow. “No? That’s too bad. I’m a night owl. I can—”

“Answer my question before I haul you to your car over my shoulder.” His tone sent a little zing of pleasure right to the tips of her breasts.

“As if you could—” She was over his shoulder in one second flat. He moved swiftly, quietly and with superhuman strength.
Uh oh.
“Hey, put me down!”

He started down the alley, seemingly unbothered by her spastic attempts to get him to let her go. “You ready to walk and talk now?”

“Fine,” she conceded, although the view of his backside was pretty damn good.

When both feet securely hit the ground, she tugged down her dress and shifted the V-neck into place. He watched her squirm to put the rest of the material back where it belonged and his roving eyes heated her from the inside out.

“I followed you because I wanted to help.”

He started walking. “Do I look like I need help?” A little gleam—and major interest?—flickered in his sideways glance.

“Well, no. But I’m very capable and I didn’t feel like going home, so I decided there was no harm in making myself available to you should you need me.” She took a deep breath. It was time to put the question out there. “Did you know Dane is a—”

“Wolfen? Yeah I know.”

“How do you—”

He stopped and turned toward her with confusion and passion in his deep blue eyes. For several seconds he stared at her, like he was trying to get inside her head. Guess what she was thinking. “I’m the leader of the Night Runners,” he finally said.

She imagined he’d told her something he’d never told another human being before.

What the hell was she going to do now?

Once again, Hugh spoke without thinking. The woman made him forget himself. The way she just came out and asked if he knew about Dane. The way she’d interrogated Dane on his behalf. He’d never met a woman more open and inquisitive. More concerned. A characteristic he was sure she’d deny. Probably didn’t even realize she had it. Caring, his instincts told him, was something she did unconsciously. She’d look out for herself before anyone else, sure, but she’d lay her life on the line for someone she cared about.

And she cared about him.

His gut clenched. The spot behind his left ear pulsed. She hadn’t cowered when Dane shifted, hadn’t been surprised. Or afraid. That meant only one thing. She knew about Veilers. Which was part of the reason why he’d told her who he was.

The other part was he didn’t want her to give a damn about him. He already felt a territorial urge for her that unsettled him. He didn’t want that urge. Not after what had happened to his brother. When Max’s mate died, his brother couldn’t handle it. Couldn’t live with the grief. He’d died from a broken heart three months later. Hugh had watched him weaken and suffer, and hadn’t been able to do a damn thing about it.

If Tess knew he was a wolfen, she’d surely want nothing more to do with him. Right? She’d run in the opposite direction. They’d go their separate ways and the unwanted stabs of desire he felt for her would go away. He’d continue to lead his pack in solitude, find Trey and get on with his goddamn vacation.

Which reminded him why he’d doubled back to confront her in the first place. His main objective was to find out why she followed him—he didn’t entirely believe her offer of help—and whether or not she knew anything about Trey’s disappearance. That and get her the hell out of here. Hugh smelled something dangerous. He didn’t want Tess getting mixed up in his world.

She waved a hand in front of his face. “Hellooo. I just asked you a question.”

He rounded his shoulders and focused on the present situation. “Sorry. What?”

“I asked what exactly a Night Runner is. I’ve never come across your kind before.”

“My kind? How many Veilers do you know?” He tried not to let too much interest enter his voice. He had a feeling if she knew how much she unsettled him, he’d be in even bigger trouble.

“That’s none of your business,” she answered, defiance in her tone.

“Really?” He started to walk again. “And my pack is none of yours.”

She fell in step beside him, keeping up with his long strides. Her light scent tickled his nose and he realized it wasn’t his memory of the floral smell from the bar that he’d taken with him on his way to find Trey, but the subtle aroma of the woman on his tail. That should have tipped him off much sooner. It was his fault she’d gotten as far as she had. He’d allowed himself to enjoy the scent rather than think rationally about it.

“Is the friend you’re looking for a Night Runner too?”

He shot her a disapproving glance. Would she ever run out of questions?

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She pressed her lips together in a smug smile.

“Tell me again why you were following me.” He clenched his jaw, trying really hard to keep his temper in check.

A breathy, impatient sound came out of her mouth. “I already told you. To help you find your friend. Of course, that was before I knew you were a wolfen.”

“What did you know about me before we met?”
Come on, Tess,
give me something more. No sane woman goes lurking around alleys alone at night.

“What did you know about me?” she shot back.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? You agreed to a blind date knowing nothing? I thought Kensie and Francesca sang my praises.”

He picked up his pace, hoping to get her back to her car sooner rather than later. The more they tap-danced around each other, the more he realized she didn’t know anything. And the less she knew about him the better.

“They did,” he guessed. “But neglected to mention you can be a pain in the ass.”

She shoved him. Hard. It took him by surprise, and he ended up against the side of the building in two seconds. A jolt of pleasure shot through him. She was no ordinary private investigator.

Her eyes widened. “You really want to know what I’m capable of, Mr. Night Runner? Because I’d be more than happy to give you a demonstration.”

No doubt she was strong. But he was stronger.

In less than a second, he whipped her around like she was a Barbie doll and had her pinned against the wall. His hands remained on her upper arms as he looked down into her surprised face. Although dim, the light post over his shoulder allowed him to see blue eyes so startling clear they roused every nerve in his body. There wasn’t a hint of fear anywhere in their depths. Instead, she looked ready to give him another whirl.

“Give it your best shot,” he said, wanting to play. Hell, his playful side rarely made an appearance these days, and at the moment he felt like a ten-year old who’d eaten enough sugar to last a week. Only this time his sexual appetite wanted in on the action.

“That’s exactly what Dane said.” Impossibly long eyelashes reached up to her forehead as she spoke.

He was noticing eyelashes? And angling for a glimpse down her dress, if truth be told. “Yeah, well…”

Their close stance rendered him unable to string more than a couple of words together. He released his hold and took two steps back.

“Where’d he go, anyway? Maybe he found your friend?” She lifted herself from the wall without any apparent hard feelings or obvious intention to seek revenge. Instead, she closed the gap between them while waiting for his answer.

He moved another step back. Did the damn woman know what she did to him? Her pouty lips and keen eyes with long lashes suggested she did. Women didn’t play fair. “We decided to split up so I could get you back to your car.”

“I don’t need an escort.” She marched past him, shoulders back, head held high.

“Right. So you can sneak around some more. I don’t think so.” He caught up to her. She didn’t fool him. Not for a minute. “I’m taking you back to the bar and you’re going to get into your car and drive home.”

“Excuse me, but—”

“I give the orders,” he interrupted, a smile tugging at his lips.

“You sure as hell—”

“—can give them to you, so be a good girl and let’s get you on your way.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her clench her fists and take a deep breath. She probably thought about hitting him. With his stronger than normal senses, he heard her heart rate speed up, smelled the salty scent of perspiration on her skin. Then she bit her bottom lip in a most distracting manner before speaking again.

“I’ll get myself where I want to go, thank you very much. You don’t get any say.”

“Tonight I do.”

“Tonight you don’t.”

“Do you argue with everyone trying to do a good deed?”

“You’re not doing a good deed. You’re annoying me.” She turned a corner heading in the wrong direction.

“Wrong way, oh wise one.” He snatched her arm to steer her the right way.

She yanked her arm back, but switched her stride. “I knew that.”

“Of course you did.” He glanced at his watch. Time ticked away. Time he should be using to hunt for Trey. He needed to ditch the exasperatingly attractive woman in the blue dress pronto. No matter how much the thought disappointed him.

“I’ll tell you what,” Tess started, “you fill me in on the Night Runners, and I promise I’ll go peacefully.” Her steps slowed. She dragged her feet as if they suddenly weighed eighty pounds each.

“Peaceful or not, I can get you to your car without saying another word.” He would not give her the upper hand.

“Yes, but that won’t stop me from yelling a few choice expletives on our way. I might rouse the neighborhood.” She tossed him a smug look. “And I’ve got news for you—when I’m mad my voice and language can be pretty alarming. I don’t think you want that kind of attention.”

Damn, she was good. Her combative nature and challenge to his authority had him wondering what she’d be like in bed. Bloody hell. Why was he letting his mind wonder there? “Two questions.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You can ask me two questions that I’ll answer honestly. And then you’ve got to go.” He picked the pace back up, the realization of what he’d just offered making him want to hurry and put an end to this conversation. For reasons he couldn’t understand, he was willing to share with her things about his pack no other human knew.
Fuck
. What was it about her that made him want to spill everything he’d always kept close to the cuff?

She didn’t answer him right away.

The night shadows vanished, clouds swiftly blocking the full moon as he looked up to the sky. He felt the urge to howl, just to tease Tess, but refrained. Tonight’s sky held no real power over him besides causing the occasional itch. During full moons, Night Runners especially liked to mate. Maybe that was why he felt like confiding all of a damn sudden.

He steered her down a narrow alley that cut the distance to the bar by a block or two. The quicker they parted ways, the quicker his heart could return to a normal beat.

She tucked a few more strands of hair behind her ear while she peeked at him. The small gesture made him swallow. Hard. Her subtle study of him made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. A feat no other woman had accomplished.

“Fine. But no matter what I ask, you’ve got to answer. No picking another question—and no one-word answers.”

“You’d better make them good then.” Why did he suddenly not mind the questions?

Because she already knew about Veilers, he reasoned. If he placated her, maybe she’d stop being a pain in his ass.

“First question.” She paused and once again her blue eyes slayed him. “Explain what kind of wolfen you are.”

A brief sentence crossed his mind, but instead he decided to go for the longer version. Damn blue eyes. “Night Runners are half shifters with the unique ability to perceive, experience and feel human subjectivity.”

“How can that be?” she asked.

“Is that your second question?” He sensed her disconcertedness.

“No!” She turned her face away from him as if that might make it easier to refrain from speaking out of turn.

The corners of his mouth lifted without permission. He tried not to enjoy himself, he really did. He decided to give her a little more because…hell, just because. “My father is a werewolf and my mother is a Sentient.”

Her head whipped back in his direction, eyes wide. She was about to speak, then stopped herself and just stared at him like she was trying to decipher a code.

Laughter rang inside him. He saved her by continuing. “So when I shift I remain on two legs and have all the strength and animal instincts of a werewolf, including tissue regeneration, but my mind is able to pick up on things other humans can’t.”

“Like fear,” she said, not in question, but confidence.

Hugh choked. “Among other things, yes.” There was definitely more to Tess than met the eye. She
knew
about Sentients. Was she some sort of Veiler? Impossible. Her scent was one hundred percent human. He wanted to ask her questions, but bit his tongue. The last thing he needed was to get to know her better.

“I’ve always thought Sentients were angels in human form, but angels don’t procreate outside their kind. Which means…” Lines creased her forehead as she paused. “Are you telling me they’re just human? With special mind powers.”