"No—"
"She did ask nicely," Rhoan said, his voice holding an edge as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe "Leave, or I will make you."
Quinn's expression darkened. "This is between me and her—"
"You take her on, you take me on," Rhoan said. "Right now, she doesn't want you in this apartment, or her life. Go, as asked, or I will make you."
Quinn's gaze went from Rhoan to me and back again, and the sudden sense of danger had the hairs along the back of my neck rising. Even though he hadn't moved a muscle, the man standing in front of me was suddenly every inch an old and deadly vampire. Then he shook his head, and the sensation fell away.
"I never took you for a coward, Riley. I guess I was wrong."
"I guess you were." I took a sip of coffee, then added, "But then, you're the one trying to change a werewolf's nature, not me."
He gave me a look that was an odd mix of anger, determination, and regret, then spun on his heel and left. When the front door slammed shut, I sighed in relief.
"Thanks, bro."
He nodded. "You sure you want to do what you just did?"
"He was trying to change who I am, Rhoan. I can forgive many of the things he's done, but I can't forgive that."
"For ever and ever, or just for a while?"
"I don't know. I'll tell you when I figure that out."
"Fair enough." He walked up beside me and flicked on the kettle. "I'm your backup for tonight."
"No offense, bro, but I hope you're not my only backup tonight."
"Jack will be there. And the place will be surrounded." He hesitated, and added with a wry grin, "And our enigmatic vampire will undoubtedly be there, if only so he can close the gate."
"The more the merrier." I reached up to the shelf, grabbed the regular coffee, and handed it to him.
Rhoan's tastes weren't as fussy as mine when it came to coffee—even if I'd drink just about anything when push came to shove.
He accepted the jar with a nod of thanks, and tossed some granules into a mug. "You worried about tonight?"
"Yes." I rubbed an arm, and tried to ignore the goose bumps that fled up my skin at the thought of stepping into the den of a dark god and his dragons. "If they felt Caelfind's entrapment, then things could get very nasty in there tonight."
"But they have no reason to suspect your involvement with that."
"No. But Caelfind was a very old being with powers we can only guess at. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that she contacted Kingsley somehow when she was caught."
"If they knew Caelfind had been caught and restrained, then they'd be on the move. So far, Kingsley hasn't stepped from the house."
"As far as we know. He might have access to underground passages or something."
"In the middle of Toorak?" Rhoan grinned. "I doubt it."
"Toorak has sewers, just like every other suburb. There's no saying he hasn't got cellar access or something."
"No, but it's unlikely."
Maybe. But we worked in a world where the unlikely was more than possible. "I'd like to go in there with a couple of hidden weapons. Just in case."
"A set of your special shoes would be sensible." His gaze went to my hair. "And I think we can attach a couple of the threaded knives to some hair clips or something. But we'll have to go to the Directorate to get them."
We had to go back there, anyway. Jack wanted me to try and place some listening devices and micro-cameras around the place. "They'll have to be short knives if we're attaching them to hair clips, and short knives won't reach the heart."
"No, but all you really need them to do is to pin his spirit to his flesh. We can use conventional weapons after that, and let Quinn do his priest banishing or containing stuff."
I nodded and glanced at the clock. It was nearing six-thirty now, and given I was supposed to meet Jin at seven, I was going to be pushing things. Still, I liked the thought of making the bastard sweat a little.
And I certainly wasn't in a hurry to get there, anyway.
I finished my coffee, then pushed away from the bench. "I'll go for a shower, then we can head off."
"Then I'll go pick out an outfit that'll guarantee they won't notice any hidden weapons."
"Great. I'm going to end up basically naked."
He grinned. "When you've got something to hide, show as much flesh as possible. Now go grab that shower, or we're going to be horribly late."
I went.
And we were horribly late.
It was nearing seven-thirty by the time I climbed out of the cab. Jin paced the sidewalk in front of Kingsley's mansion, his expression anxious. I had to wonder why—after all, it wasn't like he had to bring a partner or face dire consequences.
Was it?
I remembered the tone of Kingsley's voice when he made the request, and suddenly wasn't so sure.
The traffic noise from the main road began to fade, and the click of my heels against the pavement became more noticeable, carrying sharply across the night. Jin spun, and an almost relieved smile touched his lips. But as my gaze met his dark eyes, I noted the anger there. He might be putting on a pleasant and urbane front, but the creature within was furious.
A shiver ran through my soul. I didn't want to face that anger. Didn't want to feel the consequences of it.
Knew I'd probably have to do both.
He walked toward me, his gait unhurried and yet sexy, that of a man who knew he was good-looking and who knew how to work it. I let my gaze slip downward, unable to help admiring the outer package even if the being within frightened the crap out of me.
He stopped when there were still several feet between us, his gaze traveling idly down my body, making my skin burn and my blood boil. He was close enough that the heat of him, the musky male scent of him, rolled over me, briefly erasing the other scents that filled the night. I breathed deep, letting the musk of him fill my lungs, letting it fuel the moon-spun desire to greater heights. I had a bad feeling I'd need to be at fever pitch to get through this night without giving in to the need to run for the hills.
"I was beginning to think you'd stood me up." His voice was husky, deep, and in his dark gaze, lust now competed with the anger.
A shiver that was part desire, part trepidation, raced up my spine. "Couldn't escape work early, then couldn't get a cab." I shrugged casually. "I figured you'd wait."
He raised an eyebrow. "And why would you be so certain of that?"
I closed the distance between us, until my nipples—erect and hard inside the filmy confines of my little green dress—brushed the silk of his gray shirt. "Because you want me. Badly."
He made a sound low down in his throat, then wrapped a hand around my neck and pulled me close. For the briefest of moments, the memory of who and what he was rose and something inside resisted. Ruthlessly, knowing I had no other choice—that another part of me wanted no other choice—I pushed thought and resistance away. As his lips met mine, I kissed him urgently, giving in to the press of his body against mine, letting sensation fuel desire to greater heights.
His free hand slipped down my back, cupping my butt, pressing me hard against him. After a few minutes, he groaned softly and broke off our kiss.
"You're not," he said, his breath short and sharp, his lips brushing mine as he spoke, "wearing any panties."
"They tend to get in the way of a good time." I ran my hands down his arms, then slid them around his waist. The only way we could get any closer would be for him to slide deep inside. And part of me—most of me—wanted that. I was a werewolf, first and foremost, and sex was high on the agenda tonight. "Are you sure you want to have dinner with your friends?"