Wanted: Undead or Alive

“Yours are like the sky on a bright sunny day. I . . . I can’t see the sky anymore. Unless I look at you.” He cast a nervous glance at her.

She was staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

“I shouldn’t have said—”

“No,” she interrupted him softly. “It’s the most beautiful thing anyone has ever told me.”

He shrugged. “I know you don’t like compliments.”

“But I do. I’m just not used to receiving them.” She smiled sadly. “But I think I could adjust.”

“Good. ’Cause I have a lot more where that last one came from.”

“You’re a sweet man, Phineas.”

Sweet? Was that why she wanted him for a friend? Next, she’d be asking him to go to the mall with her to get a manicure. “I’m not always sweet,” he grumbled.

She gave him a curious look. “Is it true what that woman said on the phone? You were a drug dealer, and there’s a warrant for your arrest?”

He winced. He should have stuck with the sweet perception. The more Brynley found out about him, the more she would want to avoid him. The truth would only convince her that she was right.

They were horribly, dreadfully mismatched.

Chapter Ten

Boy, did he clam up fast. Brynley slanted a glance at Phineas. She must have pushed a button. Well, she could hardly blame him. She had things in her past she refused to talk about, too.

A sudden notion pricked at her. Maybe they had something in common after all. Maybe they were both . . . survivors. Their wounded souls recognized each other and were being pulled together by a magnetic force they couldn’t stop or control.

She shook her head. What romantic nonsense. She’d been slapped around by reality too much to believe that souls could be destined for each other. Phineas was like any man, and they were all governed by the Three-Step rule. He couldn’t help but think about sex, and since she happened to be the only female in the vicinity, she automatically became the subject of his sexual thoughts.

She waved aside a mosquito that buzzed past her ear. “Damned bloodsucker.”

“Talking to me?” Phineas gave her a wry look.

“Should I? I thought you’d stopped talking to me.”

He sighed. “There are things in my past I’m not proud of. I’d rather be judged for the real me and not for my mistakes.”

“You think I’ll judge you?”

He scoffed. “Haven’t you already? I’m a disgusting parasite. A user. Your words.”

“What about your words? You call me Snout-Face.”

“You do have a snout when the moon is full. Would you rather I talk about your hairy legs?”

She stiffened, and her inner wolf bristled. “There’s nothing wrong with my fur. If you weren’t so ignorant about wolves, you’d know that I have a very nice pelt.”

“You’re extremely argumentative—”

“I am not!”

“And touchy. I’ve never met anyone so prickly.”

“You bastard!”

His mouth twitched as he gave her a pointed look.

Her face grew warm as a sheepish smile tugged at her mouth. “All right. I might be a little touchy. But I have good reason.”

“Then tell me about it.”

She swallowed hard. No way was she talking about her past. She needed to change the subject fast. “Hairy legs? If that’s how you flatter a woman, then you’ve got a lot to learn, Mr. Love Doctor.”

He flashed his perfect smile at her. “I was getting to it. My point is that even with your pretty snout and gorgeous legs and cheerful personality, I would never hold it against you. I like you exactly the way you are.”

She tightened her grip on her horse’s reins as her heart started to race. He likes me. For myself.

Last night, he’d admitted he was attracted to her. She’d figured that was simply lust. A common result of the Three-Step rule. But now, with this latest confession, she could no longer pretend the attraction was purely physical.

And she wasn’t sure she liked that. Lust was easy to handle. If it itched too much, you simply scratched it. But once the heart was dragged into a relationship, it always ended in heartache. Abandonment, betrayal, abuse. She’d endured them all and couldn’t bear to go through it again.

She gave him a wary look. “I suppose a Love Doctor like you has enjoyed a lot of conquests.”

He snorted. “What conquests? You heard how LaToya talks to me. She judges me on my past mistakes.”

“And you think I will?”

“Don’t you hold it against me that I’m a vampire? A disgusting parasite?”

She grimaced. “It’s not personal. I just don’t like users.”

“Have I ever used you?”

She rode in silence for a moment. She could accuse him of using his vampire allure on her, but she was beginning to question that idea. She’d lived at Dragon Nest Academy for a few months now, and she’d never felt any kind of allure from the other male Vamps she came in contact with. They were handsome guys, but they never affected her like Phineas.

She needed to face the truth. It was only Phineas who attracted her. She liked him exactly the way he was.

Did she dare tell him?

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said softly. “Do you think I’ve used you?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I think you’re a . . . a good guy.”

The corner of his mouth tilted up. “Well, I guess we found something we can agree on.”

She smiled, her cheeks growing warm. “I guess so.”

His gaze met hers and their eyes locked for a few seconds. Her heart squeezed in her chest, and she looked away.

Oh God, who was she kidding? Her heart was already involved.

A silence stretched out between them, but she could sense an undercurrent that sizzled with electric energy. This was dangerous. Feelings this intense had a way of filtering through to her inner wolf. It was becoming aware of the desires of her heart, sharply attuned to the lustful needs of her body. And once the animal inside her latched on to the scent of her chosen prey, it didn’t give up.

Phineas wouldn’t stand a chance.

Phineas stiffened as they approached the next campsite. This one was definitely inhabited. The stench of unwashed human was strong enough to knock over a moose.

Brynley wrinkled her nose as she stopped the horses. “I think whoever is camping here had a run-in with a skunk.”

He winced inwardly as he dismounted. “I’ll check it out. Stay here with the horses.”

“No way.” She dismounted quickly and tethered the horses to a nearby aspen tree. “I’m supposed to be helping you.”

“You are helping me, but I don’t want you in any danger.”

“I’m not a wuss, Phineas. I can handle myself.”

“Are you two gonna fuss at each other all night?” a gruff voice rumbled from behind a large lodgepole pine.