Dove and I both screamed. I had to admit, she was better at it. I opened my eyes, ready to . . . well, scream some more.
A man stood in the space between Dove and me, and he filled it out nicely, too. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and muscled . . . oh, so muscled. His silky black hair was drawn into a leather strap. He wore a long-sleeved black T-shirt tucked into a pair of denims that looked painted on. He had on black cowboy boots, too. He had the kind of looks you found in TV commercials touting designer cologne. Chiseled jaw. High cheekbones. Cleft chin. A mouth that demanded nibbling. But it was his eyes that drew me the most . . . a beautiful jade green. I’d never seen eyes that color before.
“What the hell are you?” asked Dove crankily.
I noticed that she asked what instead of who. When he turned to look at Dove, the length of his ponytail was revealed. That gorgeous hair hit him right above a very fine ass.
“My name is Drake,” he said, not addressing that whole question of what. He turned back to me. “I’m afraid you and your lovely assistant will be in our care until Karn has been caught.”
“Caught?” sputtered Dove. “Aren’t light bombs supposed to kill vampires?”
“Unless they escape,” he said. “Unfortunately, Karn excels at saving his own hide.”
“Awesome,” I said. “Let’s go back to the part where you said we would be in your care. What does that mean, exactly?”
“We will take you to a safe location and protect you from Karn.” He offered a killer smile. “I represent the Consortium. It’s an organization that protects certain types of artifacts and information.”
“Gawd. Why do I feel like we’re stuck in a Men in Black movie?” asked Dove. She sighed dramatically. “Do you plan to leave us gift-wrapped so you can transport us to your serial killer van?”
Drake blinked. “Of course I will release you from your bonds. So long as you understand that coming with us is non-negotiable. We must insist on offering our protection.”
“What kind of artifacts?” I asked because I couldn’t help myself.
“Really, Moira? Really? That’s the important issue here?” Dove’s voice cut through my curiosity and reminded me that maybe that whole artifact question could wait.
Drake offered a grin, and I nearly melted right out of my bonds. Cute or not, it had been a helluva night, and I wasn’t riding off into the dark with this guy because he was mind-numbingly handsome. Or because he supposedly had access to artifacts. I mean, what we were talking about here? “Where are the artifacts from? How old are they? Do you have items from Egypt?”
“Moira!”
I flinched at Dove’s outraged tone.
“You’ll forgive us for being cynical, given that we were just kidnapped, punched, and terrorized,” she said. “But we need credentials. References.”
“Yeah,” I said. My jaw throbbed. “And maybe an ice pack.”
“I have something better,” he offered.
“No,” said Dove. “We’re not in Men in Black. We’re in Terminator.”
“What’s taking so long?” A beautiful blonde dressed in a blue frock that highlighted her pregnant belly marched into our circle. She eyed us. “Why are they still tied up?”
“I was hoping to gain their cooperation before releasing their bonds.”
“Oh, for shit’s sake! My name is Patsy. I’m . . . uh . . . well, screw it. I’m the vampire queen. I’m seven months pregnant, in a really bad mood, and mad as hell that Karn got away again. I want some ice cream, to put my feet up, and to watch Desperate Housewives. I will glamour you if I have to. I don’t want to, though, because it makes me dizzy.” She put her hands on her very round belly. “Everything makes me fucking dizzy.”
Not even Dove had a response for the woman. She just stared at the blonde openmouthed with something like respect gleaming in her brown eyes. It took a lot to impress Dove, and a whole lot more to earn even a smidgen of her respect.
“Aren’t vampires dead?” I asked. Obviously, that was the most important question. It was nice to know I knew how to order conversational priorities. Usually I was more organized.
“True,” said Dove. “That should nullify the ability to breed, right?” She huffed out a breath. “Now you’ve got me doing it, too.”
“I’m a different sort of vampire,” the blonde said. “Also, I’m Preg. Nant. You might want to keep that in mind.”
“You really do,” said Drake. He shuddered, and then winked.
Something poked at my memories. Something . . . well, I didn’t know. It was similar to the feeling of going to the grocery store without a list and trying to remember what I was supposed to buy. Was it strange that Drake’s wink was somehow familiar?