The Warrior Vampire(109)

She felt him smile against her skin and it caused her chest to swell with tender emotion. “Work first. Play later.”

His thumb brushed her jaw. “Promise?”

She smiled. “On my word.”

He refused to let her leave his lap as he scored his wrist and offered it to her. The moment was entirely too intimate for their current situation and audience, but Ronan didn’t seem to care.

“Let him watch.” Ronan jerked his head to where Paul lay, immobile. “I want the world to know that you are mine, and I am yours. And that anyone who seeks to come between us will suffer for their efforts.”

Who could argue with that logic? Naya sealed her lips around Ronan’s wrist and sucked. Before she met him, Naya never would have dabbled in blood magic, let alone taken blood straight from someone’s vein. But with Ronan it was comfortable. A natural evolution of their bond. She was careful not to take too much. She needed to be stronger, not buzzed. The punctures closed as she pulled away and Ronan flashed a very male, very self-satisfied smile.

“Do you need to feed?” She could only imagine what having such dark magic inside of his body was doing to him.

“Later.” His brow furrowed as though in pain.

“Are you sure? We have time if you need—”

“Later, love.” Ronan smoothed her hair back and gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his silver-rimmed eyes. “Let’s finish this, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Naya sighed. Still so much to do for so many. Could she come through for all of them?

With the mapinguari gone, containing the residual magic was an easier task than she thought it would be. Naya gathered it with the aid of her dagger and stored it within the gold box. Manny was shaken but otherwise unharmed. He muttered under his breath something about staying out of bruja business for a while, and though she didn’t say anything, she definitely agreed with him. He took off toward the redwood where Ronan tended to Luz. Aside from a nasty bump on the head, she was going to be fine. Thank the gods.

“Dude. I missed all of the action!” Luz wasn’t so hurt that she couldn’t let loose the snark. “The least you losers could have done was wake me up.”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Luz,” Naya said. Manny stepped in to help Luz to stand and supported her weight as he guided her back to where Paul lay. She let out a low whistle. That pretty much summed it up. “Because we’re not even close to being done for the night.”

“All right then,” Luz said with way too much enthusiasm. “Let’s get the show on the road.”

Ronan hauled Paul up and tossed him over his shoulder. He led the way down the foot trail with Naya following close behind and Luz and Manny bringing up the rear. There was no telling who else Paul might have corrupted, and they weren’t out of the woods yet. Heh.

Naya had used every ounce of magic in her stores to bind her chieftain. And though she and Paul had their many disagreements, he was still the leader their pod looked to. His actions tonight would ripple throughout not only their pod but the entire Bororo. What in the name of the gods could have prompted Paul to allow himself to be corrupted by foreign magic?

Her gaze wandered to her fingertips and the sparkling light that clung to her skin. When she was a girl, she used to pray to the goddess to take away the music that never ceased in her ears, and instead make her stronger. She wanted to shift like Joaquin. To run at night in the forest, stretch her powerful legs. She wanted to hunt. To prowl. Naya wanted to be respected as a warrior.

Perhaps she hadn’t been the only one in her tribe who wanted what they couldn’t have.

“Luz, I need a truth powder. Do you have the ingredients to make one at your place?” It would save time if Luz could blend the powder rather than drive to Naya’s house on the outskirts of town.

“I think so. I haven’t made one since I caught Eric Randall stepping out on me a few years ago, though. Valerian doesn’t have an expiration date, does it?”

Naya gave a little laugh. “You’re not supposed to be using powders for your own personal use, Luz. Especially on human ex-boyfriends who don’t know any better. But no, as long as it’s dried, it’s fine.”

“Not for personal use, huh?” Ronan piped in from the head of the line. “If I recall, a certain witch used a powder on me to make me nice and drowsy a couple of weeks or so ago.”

“Oh, snap!” Luz giggled. “Vamp boy’s got you, Cuz.”

Har, har. Whose side was Luz on, anyway? “When we get to town, go straight home. Make the powder and then get back to the main house ASAP. Got it?”