“Oh, he’ll show up.” She marched up the basement stairs.
An instant later, Ronan stood in front of her.
“You can’t stop me,” she said. “You can’t compel me. You can’t kiss me. Well, you can kiss me but it won’t be go-off-the-deep-end like before.” No, it wasn’t like before when they shared the vampire bond. But it was even more powerful in a way because of free will. Returning his kiss was her choice now. Not that he kissed her. He was too aggravated with her. “Come on. We’re wasting time.”
“Yes, you’re wasting time,” Ruby said from the top of the stairs.
Ronan glared at Sierra but allowed her to pass. He stayed right by her side.
Sierra hated to admit it, but she was still a bit jumpy about being in the unsecured house. She just hoped that Zoe’s protection spell would keep her safe from Gregori.
Then she saw the graffiti on the living room wall, written in red.
L E A V E N O W!
“Who did that?” she demanded.
“It wasn’t me,” Ruby said.
“Is that blood?” Sierra asked.
“I think it might be your lipstick from your bedroom,” Ruby said.
“My Chanel lipstick? That set me back nearly forty dollars! No one messes with my makeup,” Sierra growled.
She was about to march upstairs when Ronan snared her by his side. “You should let me take care of this.”
“I am not letting this go.”
“It’s just lipstick.”
“No it’s not. It’s not about the lipstick. It’s about my life and I want it back,” she said fiercely.
“Don’t do anything reckless. Do I have your word?” Ronan said.
“I am not a reckless person.”
Ronan just gave her a look.
“Hey, I thought I was moving into a new house and that’s it,” she said. “Okay, maybe there was a slight chance it might be haunted. I did take that possibility into consideration. But I never imagined any of the rest of this shit, and trust me, I have a great imagination.”
“Your word,” Ronan reminded her.
“Fine. You have my word.”
“I still would prefer that you wait in the basement.”
“I know. Let’s get this over with.” As she headed up the steps she remembered her first day in the house, when Ronan had followed her on this staircase and she’d been worried about her butt being too big. Now she was remembering the feel of his hands gripping her there as he teased her clit with his tongue, making her come again and again.
She almost stumbled at the erotic memory.
“Everything okay?” Ronan asked from right behind her. His breath brushed her ear. What if he pushed her against the wall and took her from behind right here on the stairs?
Sierra couldn’t blame her wayward thoughts on the vampire bond any longer. “Can you read my thoughts right now?” she said.
“No.” He lifted a strand of hair from her nape and placed a kiss there. “Why?”
“No reason.” Her voice sounded alien, part breathy Marilyn Monroe, part raspy Janis Joplin.
“Did you change your mind?”
“No.” She hurried up the stairs and into the bedroom on the left.
No hint of cigar smoke. That was a good sign. The dark coldness was still present so Hal hadn’t left the premises. Not yet. But he would soon. This had gone on long enough.
“I’m not sensing him in the immediate vicinity. Go for it,” Sierra said.
Moving with vamp speed, Ronan grabbed the photograph. The moment he touched the frame Hal appeared. “Get your filthy hands off that!”
“Hal…” Sierra barely got that one word out before Hal turned to face her.
“Back off!” A second later, the French doors leading to the small balcony flew open and Hal sent Sierra flying through the air out those doors.
She grabbed hold of the balcony railing as she whizzed by. Roaring his anger, Ronan threw the photograph outside even as he saved Sierra.
“I’ve got you,” he said, wrapping her in his arms.
She heard the frame crash on the cold ground below. Ronan cradled her as he leaped to the ground in a single smooth movement.
“If I’d lost you…” His voice was thick with emotion.
“You didn’t. And I’m not losing you,” she told him. “Voz can’t have you. We are finding this damn key, no matter what.”
“It’s not worth risking your life.”
“It’s not worth indenturing yours.”
“Most people would consider me a monster,” he said.
“Most people don’t see dead people,” she retorted. “Haven’t you figured out yet that I’m not most people?”