Her head moved on his chest as her gaze slid from the television to the digital clock on her cable box. “It feels like so much longer than that.”
She sat up despite his protests and shifting, moving to straddle him. He watched her, riveted by her elegant sensuality. She was way, way out of his league, but somehow he was making her happy. She caught the pull of her zipper, one that ran from cleavage to waist on the simple but pretty strappy emerald dress she wore.
“Ready for your surprise?” she asked, with sparkling eyes.
“Hmm… A surprise.” He gripped her thighs beneath the hem and squeezed. “You’re all I need.”
“And I’m what you’ll get.” The dress parted and she drew it over her head.
“A surprise,” he murmured. “And a gift. God. Kim. You shred me.”
Her greedy hands slid up beneath his shirt and her mouth sealed over his. She took him. And fisting her hair, he gave.
They spent Sunday morning being deliciously lazy, rolling around in bed and talking about their work. Raze could say little about the particulars of what he did, but he told her he traveled a lot and worked in teams occasionally. He told her about Vash and Syre, Torque and Salem, smudging details as necessary to get the gist across. It was easier than he would have thought to talk so much. Kim made it easy by listening attentively and refraining from asking questions he couldn’t answer. In return he strove to be as honest as possible under the circumstances. Eventually, he’d tell her everything. After he discussed it with Syre and Vashti.
Kim talked about her job as a medical laboratory scientist and he listened raptly, amazed that of all the people he could’ve found this depth of connection with he’d found one who spent her days looking at blood. She was, in her own way, as drawn to the vital substance as he was. What were the odds?
She was a trust fund baby, which allowed her to do what she loved for a living. Most of her friends were also her co-workers and Janelle had been her best friend since grade school. As he’d expected, Kim had been engaged once, shortly after graduating from college, but she’d broken it off when she realized she wasn’t ready to settle down.
Shortly after ten, she went into the kitchen to grab breakfast and he returned a call from Vashti that he’d missed while indulging in Kim.
“Vash.” He kept the video off and held the phone to his ear. “News?”
“The team of six I sent arrived this morning and they’re already sweeping through what’s left of your list of known Grimm haunts. They have orders to gather what intel they can and pass it along to you. You’re primary, so stay available.”
“Of course.”
She snorted. “You could’ve been hunting last night.”
“Yes. And probably should’ve been. But it’s my time now, Vashti. After all these years, it’s finally my time. I’m not wasting it hunting down a crazy bitch who won’t be found until she’s ready.” He heard the doorbell ring and pulled on his jeans. “I rattled her cage yesterday. She’ll be crawling out soon, because she’ll want to deal with this on her turf and I’ve threatened to leave. I bet she makes a move by tomorrow, and I’ll be out today making myself as easy a target as possible.”
“I’ve emailed the cell numbers of your team. Touch bases with them and-”
Raze killed the call when Kim entered the room with a dozen Black Beauty roses. There was laughter in her eyes and a mischievous smile on her lips.
“I guess this is a hint,” she teased. “I’m glad you approve of my oral skills, since I certainly enjoy-”
Shoving his phone into his jeans’ pocket, he brushed past her on his way to the front door. “Did those just arrive?”
“Yes. Raze, are you-”
“Lock the door behind me. Don’t open it for anyone except me.” He was gone in a flash, taking the stairs at the end of the hall, his heart racing with a sick panic. He raced down the single flight of steps to the first floor and skid into the lobby of the apartment complex in his bare feet. The lone elevator car was empty and the doors sat open, but when he turned his head, he saw the logo’d back of the delivery person disappearing out the revolving glass door.
A female. Blond hair tucked up under her ball cap.
Bloodlust hazed his vision. Her ladyship hadn’t expected him to be there when she went after Kim and she was arrogant enough to forego the quick kill. She wanted to play, like she had with the Cubs fan.
He pursued, uncaring of his bare feet and chest. She was climbing into the back of an unmarked van when her driver-Lake-saw him. The vampress hit the gas, sending Francesca tumbling into the interior. Raze dove into the open doorway, tackling the baroness as the van jerked back into the flow of traffic to the blaring of horns and squealing tires.
She fought, her claws raking into his flesh, her fangs bared as she hissed like a wild creature. A gun went off, the bullet whistling by his head. Raze crushed her to his chest and rolled, using her body as a shield against the shooter in the passenger seat. Her ribs cracked in the vise of his grip.
Her scream pierced his ears. As Lake skid around a corner, they nearly fell out of the open van door. Gaining his knees, Raze threw Francesca backwards into the passenger, startling the man into firing. The bullet lodged in her back, her eyes widening with agony. Horrified by what he’d done the man dropped his gun and it slid on the metal floorboard into Raze’s waiting hand. He took out the minion with a shot to the head and grabbed Francesca by the wrist, yanking her into him so he could pierce her throat with his fangs.
As her blood pumped down his throat, he caught everything she knew-every plan she’d made, every minion she’d told about those plans. He learned the identity of the traitor who’d been providing her with Fallen blood and he knew how to find the names of those he needed to hunt. Not so many, but that wasn’t what disturbed him.
He released her before the silver poisoning from the bullet tainted the blood he drank. She slumped to the floor. Lake screamed and hit the brakes, sending him crashing back into the bench seat.
“Take another step,” he warned, straightening, “and I’ll kill you slow instead of fast.”
She paused, sobbing, standing in the apex of the open door and the body of the vehicle.
Raze gestured her back into the van with a jerk of the pistol. When she returned to the driver’s seat, he directed her to drive to Baron’s safe house.
CHAPTER 8
Francesca, Lady Seagrave, eyed the big vampire who prowled around the refuge she and Baron had created together and felt the hatred sizzling in her blood along with the silver that burned like acid. He was lost in the recording he listened to on her wireless headphones, his face a mask that revealed none of his thoughts. But he had to hear what she’d heard through the bugs she’d placed in his hotel room. The tenderness and affection that had developed between him and his mortal lover were evident in every word they spoke to each other, every breathless cry and pleasured moan.
It was going to wound him terribly when he lost her, perhaps even break him considering how long he’d gone without anyone being necessary to him.
The crash of something breakable shattering on the floor sent a jolt through her. There were others in her home; two men Raze had called to assist him. They were presently rifling through her things, watching the videos she’d made of certain memorable kills. They watched and listened with such horror, as if it was a surprise that a vampire should hunt prey. That’s what was fundamentally wrong with those in power of the vampire nation-they acted like animal rights activists who advocated vegetarianism, an impossible stance when ruling those who could
