On the Hunt (Sentinel Wars #3.5)(70)
Author: Gena Showalter

"Jamie?" Sunny prompted, staring up into his face. This time she sounded almost . . . concerned.

He studied her, rubbing his temple. There had to be a way to pin down her true identity and nature. His mind whirled, grasping at any number of possibilities. The radiance of her burnished skin was lovely, but it wasn’t normal or human. This chick literally seemed to glow a little.

He squinted down at her, as if somehow his sight might kick into overdrive and cough up the goods on the woman. "I . . . Seriously, Sunny. Where’d you come from?"

"I grew up here, in Savannah."

"From what age?"

"Since I was a kid," Sunny said, eyeing him oddly. "Why?"

He turned to Kate. "Do you see it?" he asked, even though he knew she was the last person who’d validate any theory he might form about her best friend.

Kate didn’t balk or deny, but she did stare at him as if he weren’t quite speaking English. Then she turned sideways and took a good long look at her friend. After a moment she shook her head in confusion, facing him again. "Jamie, what are you talking about? I’m the only vampire in this house right now."

He shook his head numbly. "She’s not a vamp."

"I’m glad you can see that." Sunny laughed, the sound musical, beautiful. Strangely soothing and hypnotic.

"No, trust me; I realize she’s not a bloodsucker."

Sunny scowled at him. "Now, that, Jamie Angel, is just plain rude. And you here, in your big plantation house, I’d think you’d know better how to treat a lady."

"I’ll treat you to the full-court press once you admit it." He gave her a slow, devilish smile, his trademark. It never failed to unravel female composure, and get him whatever or wherever he wanted.

Sunny just scrunched her nose up at him, utterly unaffected. "Admit what?"

"That you’re not human." He folded both arms across his chest with a self-satisfied gesture. "Not even close."

"Of course Sunny is human." Shay came trotting down the stairs. "And about time you showed up. First, you vanish when we’ve got guests coming. And now? You harass them. Good work, big brother. Thanks for being completely embarrassing."

Jamie pointed at Sunny, sputtering, "How . . . how can you not see it, too?"

"Jamie." Shay eyeballed him hard, but before he could explain that he really was just calling it like he saw it, his sister linked arms with Sunny and Kate. "Come on, ladies. Let me show you some proper hospitality. Just ignore Neanderthal James."

Jamie skulked behind them, slowly meandering toward the dining room in their wake.

Something about Sunny Renfroe wasn’t right; he was sure of it. He didn’t get an evil vibe off her, but his senses were definitely picking up that she was supernatural in nature. He just didn’t know if she was a threat. He knew enough about evil, too, to realize that it often came dressed up and looking pretty . . . and a lot like what you most wanted. Also, it wouldn’t be smart to forget that the wards protecting their property had been compromised several times lately.

Yet how could he explain the instant attraction he’d felt awaken inside of him, an almost magnetic pull toward Sunny Renfroe? He prided himself on never reacting this strongly to any female; he had far too many walls in place to do so.

Besides, she wasn’t even his type, although he’d always had a thing for big brown eyes like hers. And for curls, and she a head full of light brown corkscrew spirals that tumbled to her shoulders. Watching those curls bounce as she walked into the dining room, he had to fight the urge to rush after her and stroke one, wrap it around his pinkie.

But evil often came looking pretty and full of seduction. He vowed to remember that. He’d assumed a position of detente regarding Kate and the Savannah-area vampires, but whatever Sunny was . . . Well, he’d made no promises not to expose or hunt other paranormal creatures.

After everyone had wrapped up brunch, Mason brought out a margarita machine, and the vampire crew all seemed to think that cocktails in the afternoon was a splendid idea.

Pain in the ass, that was what it was. Jamie had hoped they’d already be heading out the door by now, not settling in for the long haul. He’d participated in enough Cinco de Mayo celebrations to realize that one margarita had the mystical quality of becoming two or three.

Jamie tailed Mason into the kitchen, where he stood, starting to read the machine’s directions.

"So tell me you saw it, too," Jamie hissed under his breath.

Mason glanced up at him curiously. "Saw what?"

"That Sunny girl is supernatural in nature. It can’t be good, either, considering she’s cavorting with known vampires."

Mason laughed, and started reading the directions again. "Having a vampire in the house has your dander all in a knot. Chill and be nice to them."

"I was plenty polite to them both. I even pulled Kate’s chair out for her at the dining table."

Mason smirked. "Well, don’t you get the good-citizenship award for gentlemanly excellence?"

"Damn it, Mace, take this seriously. I’m telling you—that female ain’t right. She’s not human, and she’s here, in our house. What’s to say she’s not doing recon work as we speak? Trying to find the way into the cellar to destroy some of our lore?"

"I can hear her laughing in the dining room," Mason told him matter-of-factly. "Sounds really sinister, too, man. Better go arm yourself down in the cellar, get that new Glock of mine."

As if to underscore Mason’s sarcasm, at that exact moment he heard Sunny’s light, sweet-sounding laughter as she said, "He’s not that hot."

Him. They were laughing at him; he knew it.

"She is not human," he ground out.

"What are you saying, then? That she’s a demon?" Mace gave him a hard-boiled stare, the kind of glance he’d probably used to intimidate privates and even squeaky-new lieutenants under his command back in his Marine Corps days. " ‘Cause we both know she wouldn’t have made it past the wards if that were true."

Jamie sighed. "Didn’t stop you from suspecting Juliana a few months ago, the fact that she’d gotten past the protections—and it turned out you were right."

"Partially right," Mace corrected. "Juliana had accidentally bound herself to a demon. She wasn’t one…. That’s how she was able to get past the wards."

"So then why are you automatically assuming I’m wrong, not that maybe I could be on to something? Just like you were on the right track with Juliana. But no, I’m half-cocked and seeing things that aren’t there!"

"Jamie, come on, now." Mace set the directions on the kitchen counter and turned to face him.