Kissing Sin

get some of our people to do a flyover.'

Kade strode over and pointed at an area on the screen. 'I don't think we can afford to wait for reinforcements. They'd have to realize our escape will put their position in jeopardy. I wouldn't mind betting they're pulling out even as we speak.'

Jack glanced up at Kade, then at me. And I saw the question in his eyes, even though the words he said next were completely different.

'Do you think five of us is enough muscle to tackle that place?'

'No,' Kade said. 'But if you want to catch any of these bastards, then we have to take the risk.'

And it was a risk. A huge risk, and everyone in the room knew that, including me. But it was one Jack was contemplating. Had to contemplate, if we were to have any hope of finally getting a proper lead on these maniacs.

I continued to meet his gaze, and mulled over the implications of his unasked question. Of giving him what he wanted—me on this raid, taking yet another step on the road to becoming a guardian—juxtaposed against the promise I'd made on the knoll outside Genoveve. A promise to see this through, to see it finished.

'Riley's not a guardian.' Rhoan said. And though he didn't add it, the word 'yet' seemed to hang in the air as he continued. 'You can't expect to include her on a raid like this. It's too dangerous.'

Jack glanced his way briefly. 'She has senses and reflexes as sharp as yours. That alone gives her an advantage over most other races.'

'A good olfactory sense and sharp reflexes aren't going to mean squat if she gets attacked again.'

'I'm not stupid enough to send her in alone.'

And still he continued to look at me, waiting for my answer. An answer he knew I had no choice but to give, because I wanted to see this finished as much as he did. After all, these bastards were continually coming after me, not him. That alone would have been reason enough to do this.

Even if it was one more step away from freedom, and the life I'd always dreamed of having.

'I'm in,' I said, even as my stomach squirmed at the thought of going back to that place. 'And I agree with Kade—we had better hurry.'

A pleased smile touched the corners of Jack's mouth, but all he said was, 'Rhoan, get Riley kitted out, then take her into the other room to catch some rest. Kade, you can stay here and give me an idea of the layout,' He glanced at his watch. 'We'll move at five—'

'But that's still two hours away,' Kade interrupted. 'We need to move ASAP.'

'Unfortunately, we're restricted by the fact I'm a vampire. Some daylight I can stand, but not a whole lot.'

Kade muttered something under his breath, then nodded. Rhoan cast a somewhat dark look Jack's way, then motioned me to follow him.

My gaze went to Quinn. His face was still very expressionless, and yet I had some sense of what he was feeling. Whether that was due to the link we'd formed between us—a link that was closed, and yet not—or whether it was simply wishful thinking, I have no idea Bur Quinn was no happier than Rhoan about my inclusion on this raid.

Well, tough. He'd lost any right to comment on the direction of my life when he'd turned his back on me that final time.

I followed Rhoan out the door and over to the black van. Overhead, the afternoon sky was clear and blue, and free of any soaring shapes. But the day was unnaturally still, free of the busy chatter of bird life usually found in the thick bush that surrounded the hotel. My gaze skimmed the trees circling the cabins, a prickle of unease running across my skin.

'Do you hear that?' I said, as Rhoan pulled open the van's side door.

'Hear what?' he said, looking at me.

'Exactly what I mean. It's unnaturally quiet.'

'We are in the mountains, not the city.' Even so, he had a look around and his gaze narrowed a little. 'Maybe you'd better get inside while I look about.'

'Given the things that have been tracking Kade and me, I think we're better off sticking together.'

'Riley—'

'Don't 'Riley' me. You haven't seen the orsini. I have. Trust me, you do not want to come upon those beasties by yourself.'

'What the hell are orsini?' He reached inside the van and handed me several small laser guns and a knife. My 'kit,' presumably.

'Weird-looking bearlike creatures with nasty claws and big teeth.'

'Ah. Well, if you survived them, I think I might be able to.'

'They wanted me alive, Rhoan.' Or at least they had, before I'd actually managed to escape the main compound. 'It's probably the only reason the orsini didn't actually kill me when I first escaped the cage.'

Though their attempts at recapture, if that's what it had been, had felt bloody deadly.

'And you think those things are the reason for the sudden silence?'

'No. But it just doesn't feel right.'

He strapped on his weapons, and slung a laser rifle over his shoulder. 'Then let's go a-hunting.'

I hesitated, ever so briefly. Rhoan smiled grimly. 'Are you sure you're ready to do this?'

He didn't mean hunting orsini or whatever the hell else was out there. I looked down and began strapping on the weapons. 'I have no choice.'

'There's always a choice, no matter what the situation.'

I snorted softly. 'Like I had the choice of getting the unapproved fertility treatment? Like I have the choice of how it's going to affect me? Like I have a choice of becoming a guardian if it does affect me?'

'That's different.'

'No, it's not.' I finished strapping on the knife and one of the lasers. The second laser was a small palm model, and that I held. I had to admit, the press of cold metal against my skin felt oddly comforting. I straightened and met my brother's gaze. 'I have to go back to that place and uncover what they were doing. For my own piece of mind, if nothing else.'

His gaze searched mine, then he sighed softly. 'You are such a stubborn bitch.'

'Learned from the best,' I said, with a smile.

He shook his head, then closed the van door and padded quietly over to the trees at the end of the cabin. I followed at his back, listening to the wind, to the sounds underneath it—or rather, the lack thereof—as I scanned the trees and the dappled shadows for any sound or sight of the orsini.

Nothing.

No sound, no movement, no misshapen bear things or any other creature, nasty or not. The bush was a strange and silent place, and the sensation that something was wrong continued to scratch at my nerves.

We circled right around the property and all its building, and came to a stop near our starting point. 'You'd better go get some rest.'

'Rhoan—'

'Riley, you look dead on your feet. Just let me do what I'm paid to do, without arguing for a change.'

I blew out a breath, then nodded. Truth was, I did need to sleep, though I very much doubted I'd be able to when in two hours' time I'd be heading back to a place that had snatched eight days of my life away. But that wasn't the reason I couldn't force my feet toward the cabin. It was the silence. The creeping sensation that something was near.

'Why do you think Kade is being allowed on this mission?' I asked instead, my gaze on the nearby trees.

'Because Jack knows his history and has every confidence he can handle it.' Rhoan shrugged. 'And we need the extra manpower.'

'So you haven't seen his file?'

'No. And no, I'm not going to steal it for you. If you want to uncover his history, ask the man.'

'I did. He said he was a builder.'

'The horse-shifter is as much a builder as I am straight.' Amusement twinkled in his grey eyes 'Now, stop delaying. Get inside and rest.'

I scanned the trees a final time, finding no hint of danger or anything out of place. There was nothing around,