She pursed her lips and they turned up at the corners coyly. “Yes. But I bet I could get Marissa to join us. I know you like her.” Isla reached out and rubbed her palms over his chest. “Just say the word.”
Jenner grabbed her by the wrists. He resisted the urge to pull her to him and bury his face in her fragrant throat. “Not tonight, honey.”
Her bottom lip trembled in an almost pout. “What about Carrig? I heard him tell Siobhan that he wanted to have a go at you.”
Carrig was one of Siobhan’s lovers and everyone knew that the male’s tastes ranged wide. Any other night, Jenner might have taken Isla up on the offer, just to see if mixing up his routine would do anything to quell the never-ending want that ate him alive. But knowing the werewolf had been following him again prevented Jenner from taking it easy. The male’s constant presence could mean danger for Mikhail, and despite Jenner’s own needs, protecting his king was more important.
Jenner released his grip on Isla’s wrists and tucked her under his arm. “Come on, I’m taking you back to your coven.”
“But it’s early!” Her petulant tone made Jenner feel like a scolding parent. Awesome.
“You need to sleep it off, sweetheart. Siobhan wouldn’t like it if she found out you’d let yourself get out of control.”
Secrecy was paramount in their world. Getting too high, too drunk, too whatever opened the door for mistakes to be made. For secrets to slip. And Siobhan didn’t spare the rod when it came to punishing the members of her coven.
“You’re not going to tell her, are you?” Isla’s horrified tone made Jenner feel bad for having scared her.
“I’m not going to tell her as long as you let me take you back so you can sleep it off.”
She relaxed against him and Jenner led the way through the club. He got points for not being a selfish bastard when the opportunity presented itself, right?
* * *
Jenner couldn’t be happier to no longer be living with Siobhan’s coven. For a group who considered themselves royalty in the dhampir hierarchy, he couldn’t understand why they insisted on living as squatters in the condemned building. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t done what they could to make the space not only livable but also comfortable, but it was sort of like putting lipstick on a pig. Not the best use of their time and resources in his opinion.
After he tucked Isla into bed, Jenner tried to make as hasty a retreat as possible. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of another of Siobhan’s interrogations. He still had no fucking clue where Ronan was or when he was planning on getting his ass back to L.A. The fucker needed to get back, too. Not just because of Siobhan, but because they had a shit-ton of work backed up and Jenner couldn’t do it all alone.
“She won’t remember in the morning, but she owes you one.” Carrig stepped out of the shadows toward Jenner. “Little twit doesn’t know when to stop.”
Jenner gave the male a blank stare. Isla was young and careless but no twit. “Yeah, well, she’s home now and won’t be causing any trouble. That’s all that matters.”
“Any word on Ronan?”
Was there anyone in Siobhan’s coven not burning the midnight oil to track him down? “No. And like I told Siobhan, I suspect he’ll be back when he’s gods-damned good and ready.”
Carrig shrugged as though he could care less, and Jenner figured the male hoped Ronan would stay away for good. Being Siobhan’s lover carried with it a certain station. With Ronan out of the picture, that made Carrig her main consort.
“Thanks for bringing Isla home,” the male said, and headed down the hallway.
“Yeah, no problem,” Jenner replied under his breath.
Tonight was officially wasted. Sunrise would put him down for the day, leaving him aching with a hunger he couldn’t sate. A thirst he couldn’t quench. For the first time in the weeks since his turning, Jenner was starting to think that the only thing to give him peace would be a Sortiari stake through the center of his heart.
CHAPTER
27
Ronan rifled through the cupboard in Naya’s empty dining room. His head pounded and a dry, raging fire burned in his throat. After he woke from yet another epic battle with the magic trying to take over his body, his only option had been to draw on the communal power that Claire and Mikhail supplied to the interconnected web of vampire-kind. It had certainly helped to get him back to fighting condition, but what he really needed was his mate’s blood to nourish him.
Where in the hell was she?
Icy shards of panic speared Ronan’s chest. The fear that gripped his heart in a vise was unlike anything he’d ever felt before.