Dan set me on my feet, and I clutched at my stomach and its memory of pain. “Dan, oh my gosh. That really hurt.”
He held onto my arm, as if afraid I’d crumple to the floor. “It’s going to be all right.”
I straightened, wincing in anticipation of the agony returning. Not even a twinge remained. I really was okay. Dan slipped his arm around my waist nonetheless, helping me to the clerk at the front desk. I’d forgotten the gentleman’s name, but that was the least of my concerns right now.
The clerk, his smile pleasant but brow pinched with obvious worry, handed Dan a key without being asked. “Shall I send a message to Mr. Keith when he arrives?”
Dan nodded. “The serial killer sent a witch after Brandilynn. We’ll need a practitioner to clear the wards around the library.”
The desk clerk – Charles, his name was Charles – lost his smile but not his professionalism. “Very good, Mr. Saling. I hope the rest of your evening passes more pleasantly, Miss.” He gave me a little bow.
“Thank you, Charles,” I replied, glad I remembered such a polite man’s name.
Dan tugged me towards the grand staircase. “Come on, Brandilynn. Let’s pull ourselves back together.”
I couldn’t help but look towards the entrance to the hotel. Somehow I expected Erica and Goons One and Two to come charging in after us at any moment. “Will we be safe here?”
Dan’s smile was tight. “Tristan has his own small army of witches that keep the hotel secure. Erica couldn’t break in here even with the blood of an innocent.”
The blood of an innocent? Oh boy. I didn’t want to know I’d made that ruthless of an enemy.
I still reeled when Dan ushered me into the hotel room. It looked the same as the room we’d used before, though maybe all the rooms were identical. I hadn’t paid much attention as we’d climbed the staircase to see what floor we’d ended up on, nor the room number on the door. My poor shocked brain was too chock full of thoughts and worries to notice much right now.
Dan gently pushed me towards the bed. “Sit down, baby girl. You’ve had a bad shock, but it’s going to be all right.”
I glared at him, needing someone to take my upset out on. He might not have deserved it, but he was nicely handy for the job. “How can it be all right? The killer wants to catch me!”
Dan sat down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. He pulled me close, and despite my frame of mind, I inhaled his scent. Musky, with a hint of freshness like he’d just emerged from a shower. So very masculine. My worrying inched down a notch, and I burrowed into the hollow of his shoulder.
His voice rumbled comfortingly. “I know you’re scared, but you’re safe here.”
“Are you sure? Are you absolutely positive?” Protect me, my big, rugged man.
Sue me for going damsel in distress. Some guys just exude the hero type, and Dan fit the bill. I usually don’t have a problem standing up for myself, but at this moment any excuse to fold into him worked for me.
“I’ll stay right with you. As long as you don’t separate yourself if we have to transport again,” he amended.
That reminded me of what I’d learned at the police station. “Oh, I have news on where I ended up, but I’d rather wait until I can tell both you and Tristan.”
Dan’s arm around me tightened, and I felt him shift to look down at me. I peered up to see a frown marring that handsome face. “Look Brandilynn, I know we’ve just met and all, but I’ve taken a liking to you. I need to know if you prefer Tristan over me.”
I scowled and tried to push away. He wouldn’t let me, holding me in place next to his strong frame. The show of strength and domination melted a little puddle inside me, but I was so not having Dan stake a ‘happily-until-I-find-something-better’ claim.
I gave up trying to put distance between us, settling for a glare to let him know I wasn’t playing around. “Please tell me you’re not going to start beating your chest over me. I’m not somebody’s possession.”
He cocked an eyebrow at me. “I never intimated you were. But even though casual sex is a mainstay among the dead, I feel there could be more between us.”
Oh jeez, there it was. I almost had to laugh at my own trepidations though. I trusted Dan, an admitted murderer, with my life … er, afterlife. But my heart? Uh-uh. No way.
I should have lied to him then and there. He didn’t need to know I had visions of two of us riding into the sunset together forever. I don’t lie to those whom I respect however. It’s just wrong. So I sighed and admitted, “I feel that too, but I’m not comfortable with monogamy. I don’t know you well enough to swear fidelity to you. It takes a lot for me to get close to someone.”