eye.
It was that other face, that frightened, innocent face with the exotic eyes pleading for his help.
5
Reaper was lying in the bed, as instructed, surrounded by the freshly laundered scents of the white sheets and leopard-print comforter, when Roxy returned with his sustenance. She handed him the glass, and he drank and prayed she didn’t want to stay and talk until the sun came up.
She sat down on the bed, though, so he figured he was doomed. Still, it wouldn’t be more than a few minutes before dawn came and saved him from her knowing, probing mind.
“You’re fuming,” she said.
“I don’t like being attacked by my own kind.”
“Bullshit. You relish a good battle. You’re fuming because you needed help tonight.”
He slid her a look. “Don’t go there. I didn’t need help.”
“No? You know you would have died in that car, Raphael. You were bleeding out, unconscious and about to go up in flames. Your stubborn fledgling hunk refused to leave, even though he could have been toast.”
He nodded. “You don’t have to sing his praises to me, Roxy. I know he has the soul of a hero.”
“Really?” She seemed surprised to hear him say something nice about Seth.
“You think I would make a vampire out of an ordinary human? Even one with the antigen? No, he’s special.”
“I agree. You, um, might wanna think about telling him that.”
“And let it go straight to his head? Please.”
“You’re a mean bastard, you know that?”
“I’m mean? Could you have teased the poor kid any harder, do you think?”
She shrugged. “I was only being myself.”
“Right. It’s not your fault young men want you.”
“All men want me, hon. Young, old, humans, vampires. There are dead men who want me. Is it any surprise your young Seth wants me, too?”
“Don’t—”
She shot him a look, a dangerous one. And he knew better than to presume to tell Roxy, the most independent female on the planet, not to sleep with his pain-in-the-ass charge. She slept with whomever she wanted. And God help anyone who presumed to judge her for it.
He licked his lips and started over. “Don’t break his heart, okay?”
“I’m not planning to jump him, Raphael. He’s got important work to do, and a night of my incredible body would only distract and confuse him.”
“Important work, huh?”
“Hell, yeah. He’s on a mission, that one. I don’t know what it is—don’t think he does, either—but it’s practically sparking from his aura. Something big is in store for him.”
“So he keeps telling me.”
“Believe him.” She got up from the bed. “Sleep, now. At sundown, the van will be packed and ready to go.”
“Roxy—”
“You don’t have wheels of your own anymore,” she reminded him. “You can’t go on foot, after all.”
“I can get a car.”
She shrugged. “Fine, get one. I’ll follow you.” She reached out a hand, as if about to lay it over his, but then she hesitated, because she knew he disliked touching unnecessarily. Drawing her hand away, she went on. “I know you hate accepting help, Raphael, but you’d damn well better believe me when I tell you that just this once, you need it. I feel it all the way to my gut. You’ll die if you don’t let Seth and me go with you.”
“And you and Seth could die if I do.”
“We won’t—”
He reached out and grabbed her hand, maybe just to show her how damn serious he was about this. “You know what I’m capable of, Roxy. You’re the only one who knows. Anyone who’s near me for any amount of time is at risk.”
“All the more reason to take me along. I won’t let you hurt him. Or me. Believe me, I can handle you.”
“No, you can’t.” He released her hand. The sleep was coming on strong and fast, but he had more to say. “I’d planned to come to see you while I was here. I’d planned to ask you to keep Seth, teach him until he’s ready to be on his own.”
“Yeah, I already figured that out. But it’s not going to work. We’re going with you. If you’re so worried that you might hurt us, then I’ll see to it we’re both armed.”
“You wouldn’t be willing to shoot me. I know you—” His eyes fell closed. He opened them again. “You’d be too afraid of killing me.” Again his eyes closed.
“You let me worry about that. As if I’d hesitate to kick your oversized ass to the grave and back if I thought you were gonna hurt me. Hell, Raphael, don’t kid yourself. Now, get some sleep.”
He tried to reply, but the sleep was on him before he could make a sound.
Vixen waited in the cell, wondering what was taking so long. She still wasn’t sure she could do what they asked of her, but she couldn’t stand any more torture. Why these people delighted in causing pain, she could not fathom.
Their footsteps came, just minutes before dawn. Briar was not alone this time. The one called Jack was with her. Longish brown hair, shot through with streaks of blond, parted on one side, so that it tended to fall over his eyes. An unshaven look that was always just that. Never more, never less. As if he meant it to be that way. Light blue eyes, almost shockingly pale.
Jack looked at her, smiled slyly, shook his head slowly. “Damn, she is a pretty thing, isn’t she?” He stuck his arm between the bars of her cage and made smacking sounds with his lips, like calling a pet. “Come here, hon. Let me feel that silky hair, hmm?”
She backed up to the far wall, her eyes wide and darting from Jack to Briar. Of the two, it was the female she most feared.
“Fine,” Jack said. “Your loss, babe.” Then he turned to Briar. “So what is it you wanted to show me?”
“She’s not human.”
“No, not anymore. Not since Gregor changed her.”
Briar shook her head. “Not even before. She’s a shape-shifter. Spent half her time as an animal.”
Jack grinned. “Right. Briar, have you been feeding on crack addicts tonight or what?”
“Gregor knows.
