Dark Promises(58)

“Would you mind giving me back my holy water and the two stakes I fired at you?” She was proud that she managed to sound matter-of-fact and maybe a little snippy as well. After all, he had her things. She’d bought and paid for them.

“You want them back?”

She scowled at him and narrowed her eyes to show him she wasn’t a woman to be trifled with. “I feel very strongly about this. They’re mine.”

He looked at the vial of holy water and then reached up to his arm and casually removed the dart. Blood dripped down his shoulder. She bit her lip. She hadn’t thought the little stakes were still in him and that they’d actually hurt him. She felt bad about that. He seemed too invincible for her tiny little stake gun to do much damage. Secretly, she was just a teensy bit elated. Her money wasn’t a complete waste.

Fane’s gaze never left hers as he removed the second dart and more blood appeared, dotting his immaculate shirt. That didn’t look good.

“I’ve got a first aid kit,” she volunteered, although she wasn’t certain she wanted to touch his muscles again. Just touching his chest made her go weak at the knees, and for a dried-up old prune, she had responded in areas of her body she had given up all hope on too many years earlier. “I could let you use it.”

His steady, focused, unblinking stare made her nervous. It was the way he looked at her, as if he might devour her.

“You’re actually bleeding a lot,” she pointed out. “We aren’t anywhere close to a hospital and if you don’t stop the bleeding . . .” She trailed off.

“You will supply the blood necessary. You are my lifemate. And put that silly weapon down. You are liable to shoot me again by accident.”

She tried her sternest look, the one that made her girls quake and run to their rooms. It always worked. “It wouldn’t be an accident. Don’t try bossing me around. I am not intimidated by you.”

A slow smile curved his mouth and softened his features. Did he have to be so beautiful? She had never been able to stand seeing anyone hurt. And she’d been the one to do it. Still. He came out of the ground. Naked. And he floated. And put clothes on without actually getting dressed.

Her fingers closed harder around the gun. It wasn’t loaded and she needed to try to get to the other stakes. When she put up her one-star review she was going to mention how the gun really needed to carry a full six rounds. You obviously couldn’t bring down a real vampire with one or two mini-stakes. You needed a big gun.

“I am reading your mind,” he announced softly.

“I don’t believe you. No one can do that.”

“A bigger gun? Are you thinking of staking me again?”

The amusement in his voice annoyed her. “You need to take me seriously,” she snapped. “I’ve got the gun, not you. And I’m not afraid to use it.”

“You closed your eyes when you shot it. Your hand jerked and that sent you off target twice,” he pointed out. “And then you forgot to take the stopper off the vial of holy water.”

She glared at him. “It isn’t very nice to sound arrogant and amused when you’re pointing out a couple of minor mistakes. I’m certain I’ll improve with practice.”

“Lifemate. You have enough attitude for ten women.”

“Exactly.” She was more than pleased he saw that. That should send him screaming for the hills and respecting her vampire-hunting kit, even though it was kind of lame and needed a few improvements, which she intended to see to.

He was standing close one moment and the next he was there. Right there. In her space. The gun was in his hand and he tossed it away. She hadn’t even seen him move. She’d blinked and there he was. All gorgeous, a hot, hunky mass of muscle in her space. Touching her. She raised both hands to ward him off. Her palms landed on his chest and she closed her eyes, feeling the muscle definition there.

“I like attitude,” he whispered, his mouth against her ear.

She felt the brush of his lips on her ear and a multitude of tingles moved through her body on a real rampage. There was no controlling that reaction. Pushing against the wall of his chest wasn’t an option, not when his mouth moved against her ear and his tongue touched just behind it in a small, delicious swipe that sent a little tremor through her body. Waking her up. She couldn’t be woken. She’d tamed that monster a long time ago. She wouldn’t know what to do with a man like him.

“Don’t.” One word. That was all she could get out. Her mind was sort of fraying around the edges. His mouth was hot on her skin. Seductive. She thought to resist. She knew better than to play with fire, but her body suddenly wasn’t her own anymore. She felt too weak to move.