He was at her side in a second, grabbing the bag out of her hand. Surprise morphed into fury. Emotions were rolling through her faster than an out of control locomotive. It was exhausting.
“Give. That. Back.”
“No. You’re not going anywhere. It’s too dangerous.”
“Is that so? More dangerous than being in a house full of vampires? I think I’ll take my chances, Mr. Fallinsworth.”
Faster than she could blink, she was pinned up against the wall by two hundred twenty pounds of lean, muscular, aroused man…er vampire. She had to crane her neck to look up at him.
“What are you doing?” She hated the way she sounded so breathless and needy.
He leaned down so their noses were almost touching, his strong hands firmly gripping her hips.
“First of all, I’m not letting you go anywhere, love.” He tilted his hips into her, grinding his arousal against her stomach. Her breath caught as his mouth slid to the shell of her ear.
“Second of all, I think we’re way past formalities here since my cock has been inside that hot, wet, delicious body of yours.” When he nipped her neck and laved it with his tongue, she whimpered. Actually whimpered. Pathetic.
He looked at her with so much longing in his eyes, she was sure she would spontaneously combust on the spot.
“You are mine, Kate, and you are not going anywhere.” One hand cupped her head, as he took her mouth in a searing kiss. He pulled away suddenly, groaning.
“I’m sorry, I have some business to tend to. I won’t be long.” He gave her another quick peck and he walked to the door. Turning back, he said, “Stay here. Please. We have a lot more to discuss.”
She nodded, with no intention of following his instructions like some lovesick schoolgirl, but knowing if she disagreed he’d likely handcuff her to the bed. Not a bad idea. Stop it, Kate!
He closed the door and she whipped into action, throwing clothes into her overnight bag. She ran to the bathroom to grab her toiletries and fished her pj’s off the floor. She grabbed her cell phone and called her one close friend, Erin, to beg for a ride back into town. She knew they had turned onto the lane leading up to the house from the highway, so she explained as best as she remembered how to get here and told her she’d be waiting for her by the side of the road in thirty minutes. It would probably take her at least twenty to make the long walk to the highway. She also had to figure out how she was going to get past the security gate.
She looked around the room for anything she may have forgotten and slipped out quietly, hoping not to get busted on her way to the front door.
Thankfully she made it unnoticed and, quiet as a church mouse, exited the house. Once she was outside, she felt an inextricable pull to return to Dev. It was a struggle to turn and walk away. That was all the more reason she had to get away from here. She needed some time to breathe and process everything that happened over the last few days. She felt like a dam after a heavy rain, ready to burst at the seams.
She turned, walking further and further away from the one person she knew, deep down in the depths of her soul, was The One for her. And it was the hardest, longest walk she’d ever made in her life.
Chapter 33
Xavier
“Why do I not have that dreamwalker in my possession yet? Do I have to do everything my goddamned self?”
“I’m sorry, my liege, but neither the woman nor the detective have been back to their homes yet. My sources tell me that the detective is not working today and we still don’t know where the woman is. We keep rotating new shifts every three to four hours to keep the men at their freshest. We will find them, I assure you.”
The rage Xavier kept at a slow simmer at all times instantaneously boiled over and the animal in him took control. He threw his head back and bellowed an inhuman sound that shook the walls of the compound. He immediately ripped out the neck of the vampire standing in front of him, dropping his dead corpse to the ground.
Several of his other men came running at the sound of the vicious attack, ready to defend their lord and master. The first two arriving had the bad fortune of meeting with an untimely death in a similar gruesome manner before he calmed down enough to stop the killing rampage.
“If I don’t have that goddamned dreamwalker in my possession by dusk, more motherfucking heads will roll!”
“Yes, sire.” The remaining vampires scrambled for their lives.
Chapter 34
Mike
Light spilled through the tattered blinds that wouldn’t quite close. Mike woke with the mother of all hangovers. Holy shitballs…he was gonna be sick. He bolted up from the bed in hopes of making it to the bathroom, which was not a splendid idea, as he tripped over a discarded shoe, staggered and fell face first into the hair-strewn motel carpet. Not something you want to walk around barefoot on, let alone face plant in.