Read Online Rush of Darkness by Rhyannon Byrd - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Rhyannon Byrd
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politics to be effective.”
“So what’s this new group called?”
His mouth twitched again, and this time a crooked grin took shape. “That’s still under debate. Kellan suggested the X-Men, but it was quickly turned down. Aiden said the spandex would ride up his ass.”
That sounded exactly like something Ade, a tigershifter with a seriously sarcastic sense of humor, would say, and a soft burst of laughter slipped free, before she choked off the throaty sound, stunned that he’d been able to make her lower her guard. She fidgeted in her seat, unnerved by the way he was watching her, the heat in his eyes so warm she could feel a simmer beginning beneath her skin, her primal instincts reacting powerfully to the raw force of his masculinity, whether she wanted them to or not.
Needing conversation to steer her mind away from her body’s frustrating reactions, Raine broke eye contact and coughed. “So, um…what will you do when this is over?”
“You mean your hunt?”
Shaking her head, she wet her lips with a nervous swipe of her tongue. “The war.”
Even though she was now watching her fingers tracethe grain of denim across the top of a thigh, she could feel the heat of his stare against her profile, the intensity of his gaze nearly as compelling as the deep rumble of his voice. “I’ll continue to work with Kierland and the others.”
“You mean hunting?” Impossible to ignore the way her stomach twisted at the thought.
“I mean helping, ” he corrected her, that deep voice edged with irritation. “I have experience, good or bad, Raine, that can be useful to the Watchmen.” From the corner of her eye, she watched as he turned his head to the side, his jaw like carved marble as he stared out the window into the starless night. “It’s time for the Collective to come to an end. But some things out there still need to be dealt with, and the Consortium can’t be trusted. Not after what they’ve allowed to happen with the Casus. Christ, who knows what other nightmares they’ve turned a blind eye to or hidden from the Watchmen? So there’s a helluva lot of work that will need to be done, even when the war is over.”
“Sounds intense.”
“I’m sure it will be.” His tone turned wry as he pulled a hand down his face and drawled, “But then, it probably doesn’t get more intense than this. Protecting a headstrong Deschanel on the hunt for blood is about as intense as it gets.”
She laughed, and his head came back around, his sharp green gaze locking hard on hers. At his questioning look, she said, “I’m sorry. It’s just ironic.”
He didn’t look angry, merely curious. “What is?”
She rolled a shoulder, as well as her eyes. “The way you spent over half your life killing vampires, and now you’re determined to protect one. Talk about a change of heart.”
Though she could sense his tension level was still high, another one of those slow, crooked smiles lifted the corner of his mouth. “Who knows? Maybe it’s penance for my sins.”
She sensed the deeper meaning to his words, and couldn’t stop herself from probing for more detail, needing to understand him in a way she couldn’t explain. Yeah, she could have fobbed it off to curiosity, but she’d have been lying, because it went deeper than that. Deeper than she was willing to admit. “So then you think that what you did while with the Collective was wrong?”
He leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. For a moment, she didn’t think he would answer, but then he finally said, “You’ve seen inside my head, Raine. If you’re looking for an answer to that question, I’m sure it was in there.”
“To be honest, I didn’t spend a lot of time evaluating your emotions.” Her tone was dry. “I was a little too horrified by all the murder and mayhem lingering around in there.”
A hard, husky laugh surged up from his chest, and he rolled his head toward her, his
“So what’s this new group called?”
His mouth twitched again, and this time a crooked grin took shape. “That’s still under debate. Kellan suggested the X-Men, but it was quickly turned down. Aiden said the spandex would ride up his ass.”
That sounded exactly like something Ade, a tigershifter with a seriously sarcastic sense of humor, would say, and a soft burst of laughter slipped free, before she choked off the throaty sound, stunned that he’d been able to make her lower her guard. She fidgeted in her seat, unnerved by the way he was watching her, the heat in his eyes so warm she could feel a simmer beginning beneath her skin, her primal instincts reacting powerfully to the raw force of his masculinity, whether she wanted them to or not.
Needing conversation to steer her mind away from her body’s frustrating reactions, Raine broke eye contact and coughed. “So, um…what will you do when this is over?”
“You mean your hunt?”
Shaking her head, she wet her lips with a nervous swipe of her tongue. “The war.”
Even though she was now watching her fingers tracethe grain of denim across the top of a thigh, she could feel the heat of his stare against her profile, the intensity of his gaze nearly as compelling as the deep rumble of his voice. “I’ll continue to work with Kierland and the others.”
“You mean hunting?” Impossible to ignore the way her stomach twisted at the thought.
“I mean helping, ” he corrected her, that deep voice edged with irritation. “I have experience, good or bad, Raine, that can be useful to the Watchmen.” From the corner of her eye, she watched as he turned his head to the side, his jaw like carved marble as he stared out the window into the starless night. “It’s time for the Collective to come to an end. But some things out there still need to be dealt with, and the Consortium can’t be trusted. Not after what they’ve allowed to happen with the Casus. Christ, who knows what other nightmares they’ve turned a blind eye to or hidden from the Watchmen? So there’s a helluva lot of work that will need to be done, even when the war is over.”
“Sounds intense.”
“I’m sure it will be.” His tone turned wry as he pulled a hand down his face and drawled, “But then, it probably doesn’t get more intense than this. Protecting a headstrong Deschanel on the hunt for blood is about as intense as it gets.”
She laughed, and his head came back around, his sharp green gaze locking hard on hers. At his questioning look, she said, “I’m sorry. It’s just ironic.”
He didn’t look angry, merely curious. “What is?”
She rolled a shoulder, as well as her eyes. “The way you spent over half your life killing vampires, and now you’re determined to protect one. Talk about a change of heart.”
Though she could sense his tension level was still high, another one of those slow, crooked smiles lifted the corner of his mouth. “Who knows? Maybe it’s penance for my sins.”
She sensed the deeper meaning to his words, and couldn’t stop herself from probing for more detail, needing to understand him in a way she couldn’t explain. Yeah, she could have fobbed it off to curiosity, but she’d have been lying, because it went deeper than that. Deeper than she was willing to admit. “So then you think that what you did while with the Collective was wrong?”
He leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. For a moment, she didn’t think he would answer, but then he finally said, “You’ve seen inside my head, Raine. If you’re looking for an answer to that question, I’m sure it was in there.”
“To be honest, I didn’t spend a lot of time evaluating your emotions.” Her tone was dry. “I was a little too horrified by all the murder and mayhem lingering around in there.”
A hard, husky laugh surged up from his chest, and he rolled his head toward her, his
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