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Authors: Delilah Devlin
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breath while he thought about that.
Twice now, he’d thrown caution to the wind—compelled
beyond his willpower to mate with Natalie. It hadn’t been
anything approaching love making. What he’d felt had been
primitive and urgent.
And while his earlier anger, most of it directed at himself,
was tempered by how amazing the sex had been, he knew
there was going to be hell to pay.
64 delilah
devlin
“You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?” she asked,
her voice muffled against his skin.
“Who?”
“Your partner.”
“Her name’s Chessa. Jealous?”
“I don’t know. Disappointed, I guess.”
“Natalie . . .” What could he say? This couldn’t last beyond
tonight. He wouldn’t give her false hope it might. “You don’t
have anythin’ to worry about th—”
“Don’t.” She pressed a finger to his lips. “I’m being needy
again. I keep forgetting about the ‘Big-Bad’ out there. You
should be flattered.”
“Why?” He knew he was quickly becoming monosyllabic,
but he was just too tired to follow her tangents.
“Because you make me feel safe enough to forget.”
His arms tightened around her at the reminder of the dangers lurking in the darkness beyond the walls. “You should
get some sleep.”
She nodded against his chest. “This is nice,” she murmured. “I can hear your heartbeat.”
As rain renewed its patter on the tiled roof above their
heads, silence fell between them.
Rene held her until she fell asleep, then lowered her gently
to the mattress and covered her before dressing in the dark.
He may have broken rule number one, but he’d be damned if
he broke number two.
Rene wasn’t going to lose someone on his watch.
chapter
5
crunch sounded outside—a crisp scrape like a
Afootstep on grit. A sound Natalie knew was distant, perhaps from the courtyard below the window,
but it jerked her awake in an instant just the same.
And just as quickly, she knew something wasn’t
right.
The sound might have been the rustle of drying
leaves as they tumbled across the paving stones, or
a small animal slipping between the iron bars of
the gate, but she knew that wasn’t true.
She no longer questioned how she knew—she
accepted the prickling warning the same way she
did the fact she was a vampire. Instinctually.
The hairs on the back of her neck lifted, and
alarm tensed her muscles, readying her for flight.
66 delilah
devlin
Only she wasn’t the same frightened girl she’d been before
tonight. Now, she’d gained a measure of personal power. She
was becoming a monster in her own right.
And she had Rene.
Only he wasn’t here, now. His musky scent lingered in the
bedroom, clung to the pillow beneath her nose, but he’d been
gone for some time.
Was he aware of the furtive movements outside his house?
Had he left to investigate? Or had he tried to escape her once
again?
She couldn’t afford to wait for him to come to her rescue.
This time, she’d be ready for whatever stepped out of the
shadows. Refusing to huddle beneath the covers, she slipped
from the bed and crept to the French window.
Standing to the side of the casing, she pulled back the edge
of the hazy curtain and stared into the darkened courtyard
below.
At first, it appeared empty. Wind whipped the tops of the
short trees, stirring the leaves into an agitated whisper.
If she’d blinked, she might have missed the blurred gray
shadows that streaked across the tiny courtyard.
Holding her breath, she willed her heart to slow its frantic
beating so she could continue to listen above the rapid tattoo.
Then she stepped toward her suitcase lying open on a small
padded bench beside the door. She reached beneath wadded
clothing until her fingers closed around the hard plastic grip
of her handgun.
As she pulled it out, she felt a cool, fresh breeze lick across her
bare skin and knew the window to the balcony had opened.
Natalie whipped around with the weapon
Twice now, he’d thrown caution to the wind—compelled
beyond his willpower to mate with Natalie. It hadn’t been
anything approaching love making. What he’d felt had been
primitive and urgent.
And while his earlier anger, most of it directed at himself,
was tempered by how amazing the sex had been, he knew
there was going to be hell to pay.
64 delilah
devlin
“You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?” she asked,
her voice muffled against his skin.
“Who?”
“Your partner.”
“Her name’s Chessa. Jealous?”
“I don’t know. Disappointed, I guess.”
“Natalie . . .” What could he say? This couldn’t last beyond
tonight. He wouldn’t give her false hope it might. “You don’t
have anythin’ to worry about th—”
“Don’t.” She pressed a finger to his lips. “I’m being needy
again. I keep forgetting about the ‘Big-Bad’ out there. You
should be flattered.”
“Why?” He knew he was quickly becoming monosyllabic,
but he was just too tired to follow her tangents.
“Because you make me feel safe enough to forget.”
His arms tightened around her at the reminder of the dangers lurking in the darkness beyond the walls. “You should
get some sleep.”
She nodded against his chest. “This is nice,” she murmured. “I can hear your heartbeat.”
As rain renewed its patter on the tiled roof above their
heads, silence fell between them.
Rene held her until she fell asleep, then lowered her gently
to the mattress and covered her before dressing in the dark.
He may have broken rule number one, but he’d be damned if
he broke number two.
Rene wasn’t going to lose someone on his watch.
chapter
5
crunch sounded outside—a crisp scrape like a
Afootstep on grit. A sound Natalie knew was distant, perhaps from the courtyard below the window,
but it jerked her awake in an instant just the same.
And just as quickly, she knew something wasn’t
right.
The sound might have been the rustle of drying
leaves as they tumbled across the paving stones, or
a small animal slipping between the iron bars of
the gate, but she knew that wasn’t true.
She no longer questioned how she knew—she
accepted the prickling warning the same way she
did the fact she was a vampire. Instinctually.
The hairs on the back of her neck lifted, and
alarm tensed her muscles, readying her for flight.
66 delilah
devlin
Only she wasn’t the same frightened girl she’d been before
tonight. Now, she’d gained a measure of personal power. She
was becoming a monster in her own right.
And she had Rene.
Only he wasn’t here, now. His musky scent lingered in the
bedroom, clung to the pillow beneath her nose, but he’d been
gone for some time.
Was he aware of the furtive movements outside his house?
Had he left to investigate? Or had he tried to escape her once
again?
She couldn’t afford to wait for him to come to her rescue.
This time, she’d be ready for whatever stepped out of the
shadows. Refusing to huddle beneath the covers, she slipped
from the bed and crept to the French window.
Standing to the side of the casing, she pulled back the edge
of the hazy curtain and stared into the darkened courtyard
below.
At first, it appeared empty. Wind whipped the tops of the
short trees, stirring the leaves into an agitated whisper.
If she’d blinked, she might have missed the blurred gray
shadows that streaked across the tiny courtyard.
Holding her breath, she willed her heart to slow its frantic
beating so she could continue to listen above the rapid tattoo.
Then she stepped toward her suitcase lying open on a small
padded bench beside the door. She reached beneath wadded
clothing until her fingers closed around the hard plastic grip
of her handgun.
As she pulled it out, she felt a cool, fresh breeze lick across her
bare skin and knew the window to the balcony had opened.
Natalie whipped around with the weapon
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