It took some work, but she managed to free a short piece. The end was blunt and the metal was light, but it was better than no weapon at all.
Rory went back to her crouch, clutching her prize in her hands. If that thing came for her, she was going to kill it.
Fatigue made Hope’s body sluggish as she climbed the stairs to her room. It was five in the morning, and she had only a couple of hours to sleep before she had to be up for work.
She flopped back onto her bed, feeling something hard under her. She pulled it out. It was her cell phone, which seemed almost comical.
Hope entered the phone number Nicholas had given her, which was scrawled in ink on the back of her hand. He’d said he’d stay nearby until dawn, that she’d be safe during the day without him, but insisted she take his number, just in case. Which worked for her. She didn’t like the idea of having a babysitter sleeping on her couch, which was what he said he’d do if she didn’t cooperate.
She wasn’t used to being bossed around, and she didn’t much care for it, even if she knew Nicholas was right about the danger.
Hope fell into a fast, hard sleep and when she woke, it was growing light outside. It wasn’t time for her alarm, but something had woken her.
She blinked her blurry eyes and tried to get her sleepdeprived brain to function. The lights were off. Only a faint slice of streetlights gleamed from the edge of her blinds. The smell of cold, fresh air filled her room, along with a darker, more intoxicating scent.
Logan.
Hope reached for her lamp, fumbling to turn it on. The lightweight base rocked as her knuckles slammed into it. Finally, she found the knob and light flared through the room, blinding her for a moment.
When the stinging eased, she saw Logan. He sat on the foot of her bed, watching her.
Hope should have been scared. She should have been outraged that he’d slip uninvited into her room. But all she could feel was curiosity and a slow, budding warmth.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “It’s not even six in the morning.”
“I came to see you.”
“Practicing your stalker technique?”
He frowned for a second, the action creasing his beautiful face. His hair was damp as if he’d just showered, falling perfectly over his pale brow. There was a healthy glow brightening his cheeks, which made her wonder if he’d taken blood from someone tonight.
The spike of jealousy that rammed through her was as unexpected as it was unwanted. She didn’t care whose blood he drank so long as it wasn’t hers. It was none of her business.
Mocking laughter flooded her mind as she tried to get herself to believe the ridiculous lie. She wanted him to need her again—to make her feel that exquisite pleasure only he could give her.
“I had to come before dawn,” he said. “We need to talk.”
Not until she’d cleared her head. He was too potent to face so soon after waking up.
“Give me a minute.” Hope pushed herself out of bed and went into the bathroom and shut the door. She took her time washing up, content to make him wait.
Assuming he was there at all. For all she knew this could be some kind of vivid dream.
As soon as the thought entered her mind, she dismissed it. If this had been a dream, Logan would have already had her naked and been making love to her while he fed from her neck. And while she’d never admit that to another soul, she had to be honest with herself. Logan excited her, even the scary parts. Perhaps especially the scary parts. She felt drawn to him, connected to him.
When he’d left her with Nicholas, she’d felt abandoned—like some vital part of herself had been ripped away and held hostage.
She’d never had fantasies about vampires before. All these wayward thoughts were his fault—no doubt the result of some kind of vampire cooties. Having her blood taken had changed her somehow, and part of her wondered if it wasn’t an improvement.
While she’d been with other men before, not one of them had made her feel even half of what Logan had. And he hadn’t even taken off her clothes. She could only imagine the kind of pleasure being naked with him could bring, feeling his skin against hers. No clothing to mute the sensation. And now that the thought was in her head, it was going to occupy all free space.
Hope dried her face and straightened her shoulders to face him. When she opened the bathroom door, he was sitting exactly where she’d left him, so beautiful she forgot to breathe.
He’d replaced the long leather coat that he’d burned with an identical one. The sweater beneath it was the same pale silvery gray as his eyes, and it clung to muscles she swore hadn’t been there when she’d first seen him. His gaze roamed over her long sleep shirt to the bare legs beneath. Her toes curled under his scrutiny, and she wondered if he liked what he saw.
A faint shimmer of light glowed in his pale eyes for just a split second before he squeezed them shut. “What I have to say can wait until you’re dressed.”
“But not until I’m awake?”
“My apologies for that. I had to come before dawn.”
“You could have knocked.”
“No. I didn’t want Nicholas to see me.”
“Why?” she asked as she gathered up a fresh set of clothing.
“His kind tend to be a bit . . . possessive.”
“His kind? You mean men?”
“I mean Theronai.”
“How did you get in here?”
“The window.”
“It was locked.”
He shrugged. “That posed no problem.”
“Did you turn into mist and come in through tiny cracks?”
“You’ve watched too much TV.” A smile lifted one side of his mouth. Instantly, the need to feel her lips against his exploded inside her. She needed to see if he tasted as good as he smelled, and if that wicked smile was teasing or a promise of more to come.
“TV?” she asked, all her thoughts dribbling from her ears.
Logan rose and glided toward her, holding her gaze. Her head tilted up as he came closer so she wouldn’t have to look away. She really didn’t want to look away.
“I’m not here to discuss myths and fiction. I’m here for more important matters. I want you to come with me.”
Hope had to blink several times to get the gears in her head to spin again. “I already told you I would, once we find those missing people.”
“Let the police handle that. You and I can leave now. Together.”
That sounded nice. “Where will we go?”
“I know a special place. Secluded. Romantic. Eric is there, waiting for you.”
Hope jerked, reeling back at the mention of another man’s name. He might as well have thrown ice water down her shirt.
She turned away, grabbed up her clean clothes, and went into the bathroom.
It was clear Logan didn’t want her. He kept shoving other men at her, and like a fool, she kept letting him. Not this time. She wasn’t going anywhere with him. And it didn’t matter how many men he brought around. She was staying put in her life, where she belonged.
When she came out of the bathroom armored in comfortable clothing, she faced him down. “Tell Eric to find someone else. I’m not interested. I’m done letting you play matchmaker. I don’t care if I never get my memories back. I don’t care if I have to find Rory on my own. You’re using me and I don’t like it. I’m not playing anymore.”
One second he was a few feet away, and the next he was right in front of her, his strong hands wrapped around her upper arms. “You made me a promise. You can’t escape that, so don’t even try.”
“I’ll do what I want, and if you try to stop me, I’ll call the police.”
“Human police. There’s nothing they can do to me.”
“I’m willing to test that theory,” she shot back.
“Don’t, Hope. Don’t do this.”
“I’m not doing anything. You’re the one who keeps trying to foist me off on other people. I don’t understand why. What is it you want with me?”
His grip loosened as his gaze slid over her face. There was longing in that look. Needful desire that went beyond sex.
He was into her. He couldn’t hide that. A man didn’t look at her the way he did if he wasn’t at least thinking about getting her naked. And Hope wanted that. Bad. A man like Logan didn’t come by more than once in a lifetime, and she wanted to at least give them a chance. She wasn’t a fool. She knew things would probably end in disaster, like they always did. But for Logan, the risk of heartbreak was worth whatever time they might have together, no matter how fleeting.
His eyelids lowered, masking his emotions. “The things I want don’t matter. Only the things my people need.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know. Trust me when I tell you that I would never allow anything bad to happen to you. I want you to be happy. Safe. Loved.”
“Why? You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough to realize you’re deserving of only the best.” Pain creased his brow, shimmering in his eyes. “And that’s something I simply cannot give you.”
“You’re not even willing to try?”
“I’m not willing to risk disaster.”
Maybe he wasn’t, but she was. He deserved to be happy, too, and from the way he looked at her, he wanted her as much as she did him. If there was a chance for them to find some joy in each other, she owed it to both of them to make it happen. Even if it was only a little fling.
Hope broke his grip on her arms and slid her fingers through his hair. As soon as she had two fists full of his silky locks, she held him still while she went up on tiptoe. She pressed her lips to his, testing the theory that they’d be good together.
At first he was stiff and resistant, but it didn’t take long for that to change. He yielded with a rough groan of defeat. His mouth opened and melded to hers. She licked over the inside of his bottom lip, tasting him as she’d been dying to do. He growled in excitement and she felt a shudder race through him. His hands slid around her, gripping her hips, pulling her body against his. Heat bloomed between them and she swore she could feel his heart pounding through their clothes.
Her feet left the floor as he lifted her and pressed her against the wall. His body held her pinned, freeing his hands. Those long, elegant fingers caressed her face and neck while their kiss deepened. Her tongue traced over his teeth until she found the sharp tip of one fang. A thrill raced through her as her body remembered how good his bite had made her feel.
Sweet tremors fluttered in her belly where his erection pressed against her. His scent grew stronger and darker as the fever between them increased.
There was no more question in her mind. Despite the fact that he kept trying to set her up with other men, he wanted her. She could feel it in every rapid breath and every heated touch. Only a man who wanted her would kiss her like he was, demanding and thorough.
She wasn’t going to let him deny it again.
Hope’s fingers trailed down his back, enjoying the hard planes and contours beneath his leather coat. And while she totally dug the whole black-leather, bad-boy look, what she really wanted was to feel his naked skin.