Seduce the Darkness (Alien Huntress #4)(38)
Author: Gena Showalter

“Wh-what?" She scrambled backward, only the arm of the couch stopping her. She reached behind her, probably meaning to grab the gun, but came up empty.

Devyn moved with her, never letting more than an inch separate them. "Did. You. Sleep. With. Him?" The words snarled from him.

Her gaze roved wildly. Searching for a way out? Trying to figure out what had happened? "What are you talking about? How did you find me? How did you get in here?"

"I’m going to ask you one more time, and you’re going to answer, or I swear to God I’m going to kill him in front of you. And you know I don’t make threats. I make promises. Did you f**k Nolan?"

Confusion flittered over her a split second before she shook her head. "No. Of course not. He’s diseased."

Devyn remained in place, studying her, gauging the truth of her words. The rage inside him … he’d never experienced so much. And for what? The thought of a woman in bed with another man? It was laughable. He never promised monogamy, and he never demanded it in return. He didn’t stick around long enough.

Seriously. What the hell was wrong with him?

"She’s telling the truth," a grave voice said from behind him. Nolan had awoken.

Dallas rubbed his finger over his gun’s trigger. "Try something, and your brains will end up on the wall. This isn’t stun, ass**le. This is copper."

Nolan kept his gaze on Devyn. "It was the wine. She gave me two glasses of wine, and within an hour of drinking each, I felt healthier than I had in years."

"Try again," Devyn snarled. "Wine can’t kill a disease as strong as yours." Nolan raised his chin. "Hers can, and I want more."

"It wasn’t wine, you sellout," Bride gritted. With a shaky hand, she smoothed the hair from her cheek and hooked it behind her ear. "Not exactly. I, well, I mixed my … blood with it."

All three men stared over at her in astonishment.

She straightened her shoulders. "Well, it helps me heal, and he was so near death, I thought I’d give it to him and see what happened. He didn’t turn into a vampire, though," she rushed out.

As if anyone cared about that. Her blood. Her vampire blood had taken a dying man and propelled him into health. That, Devyn could believe. The hottest fires of his rage seeped from him.

"What are you doing here, Devyn?" she demanded.

He splayed his arms. "Isn’t it obvious? I’m winning the game we were playing."

It was like a bomb detonated in her eyes, hazel scattering and leaving only emerald fury. Mask gone, he thought with a grin.

"I knew it! You tricked me. Lied to me. Told me to meet you at the pier, and then you followed me."

"Nope." He shook his head. "I didn’t follow you, and I didn’t have anyone else follow you. Try again."

"Then how …" Her features scrunched adorably as she pondered what could have happened. A moment passed. She gasped. "Somehow you tagged me with a GPS, didn’t you, you bastard?"

"Yep." A slow smile curled the corners of his mouth. "Your bra. Remember the way I licked you …?"

Red bloomed on her cheeks, the prettiest blush he’d ever seen. "You are such a cheater."

"That hurts, darling. Really it does." He tugged a long, thin black case from his back pocket and popped the lid, revealing a syringe of glowing crimson liquid. Bride would have leaped from the couch, but he held her down with his mind. "And how did I cheat? There were no rules."

She glared up at him. "Let me go, damn it."

"Not yet. See, with this baby I’ll know where you are every second of every day for the next three months. I see you’re wondering what it is. Well, it’s my pleasure to tell you. This is an isotope tracker, and all I’ll have to do to find you is log on to my computer."

He jabbed the needle into her thigh, and her mouth fell open on a pained gasp. "Sorry for the sting," he said. "Ask nicely, and I’ll kiss it better."

"You shouldn’t have done that." A look of utter concentration descended her features. Determination. "Soon you’ll wish you hadn’t."

He’d seen that expression on her before, seconds before she’d exploded into mist. "Don’t you dare think about misting and leaving. I have your friend, remember?"

The determination fell away, vulnerability taking its place. She fingered the necklace she still wore. "You’ve treated her well?"

"Of course. Treating women well is a hobby of mine."

Sparks of anger returned to her eyes, but she never again looked as if she would mist. "So what are you going to do to me?"

"We’ll get to that." The fact that her blood had healed Nolan—permanently? temporarily?—would be of great interest to AIR. They’d take her from Devyn and turn her into a pincushion, no doubt about it. He wasn’t ready for that to happen. "Nolan, tell us about the changes in you." His attention never veered from Bride.

The otherworlder was happy to obey. "I’m no longer clouded by the disease’s thoughts. I can think clearly for the first time in years."

So. Did that mean the disease was completely gone?

"You’ve lied and screwed us before." Dallas swiped his gun against the cage, rattling the bars. "No way you expect us to trust you now."

Nolan lifted his wide shoulders in a shrug. "Trust me or not. Doesn’t matter. But I know I’m free. The queen, she—" He pressed his lips together, waited, then scrunched his brow. "I think I can talk about her," he said on a shocked gasp. "I know she’s … infected the last of her captives…" His eyes widened. "That didn’t hurt! I can. I can talk about her. She’ll come to New Chicago within the week. Exactly where and when, though? I no longer sense her, so I’m not sure."

Yep, truth or not, AIR was going to want Bride’s blood.

Devyn looked over at his friend. "Give me an hour," he said. "And do whatever it takes to find out anything else he knows about his queen and her vacation here." Knowledge was power, and Devyn liked power.

Dallas flicked a good-luck glance at Bride, then nodded.

Without another word, Devyn released her from his mind-hold. He picked her up and anchored her on his shoulder while she hit, bit, and kneed him, and then he carried her into the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him. The true fun was about to begin.

CHAPTER 12

“What the hell are you doing? Put me down!" Bride slammed her fists against the solid wall of Devyn’s back. The hot silk of his skin was evident under the material of his shirt, causing her arms to tingle. A dangerous tingle. A tempting tingle. Something she should not feel for the enemy.