But he couldn’t, now could he? She was a null, which meant that the moment he touched her, his gift would go dormant. And because of that fact, the urge to reach out and touch her became almost unbearable. Contact always increased his gift. When he touched people he tended to take on their emotions. It’s one of the reasons why he both craved and hated sexual encounters. The high he got off a woman’s desire was fucking amazing, but it also made him feel sleazy. More often than not when he left their realm of influence, he realized that there had been no actual attraction on his part and he had simply been feeding off theirs. Yet he was definitely attracted to Annie. If he reached for her now, would he experience the same sexual zing as he did with other women? And if he did, would it be better or worse because it was his and his alone?
But is it your own? Isn’t it possible that she’s turned her gift off and you are feeling her attraction?
He tried to reach out but felt nothing. In fact, he was either more exhausted than he’d thought, or she was running hot. He couldn’t sense anyone anywhere. And wow, wasn’t that amazing. “I thought you were on orders not to use your gift, especially outside the base.”
“Ugh, sorry. It’s because you’re so close. I’m not trying to pull, but it’s hard to be a perfect island.”
He nodded, knowing he should be concerned about his lack of the extra sensory input, but it didn’t seem to dampen his innate satisfaction that his attraction was all his own. He glanced over at her, the insane thought to touch her rising back to the forefront. How many other opportunities would he have? The moment they walked back into the base there would be guards and the overprotective shadow of her father.
They came to a fork in the footpath. Without even making the conscious decision he reached out and cupped her elbow, pulling her slightly toward him as he directed her onto the right fork. And damn if that wasn’t a zing. A pretty huge zing that ran straight up his arm, bounced up to his brain, then headed south fast to Mr. John Thomas.
She sucked in a breath, her gaze flying to his face. He immediately let go, making an excuse of scanning the area so he wouldn’t have to answer the question in her eyes.
That had been stupid. Right fucking stupid. Like eating just one sweet…you always wanted more. And though Annie certainly was of age, she was bloody young.
While he was berating himself, his gaze caught that of a man who’d stopped on the footpath a dozen or so yards in front of them. As tall as Bennett, but bigger, more like his brother Alexander’s type of muscle mass. He had dark hair, dark olive skin, and the type of face that women would probably drool over. He was also staring at them like they were Hollywood celebrities or some such nonsense.
Bennett leaned closer to Annie so that his voice wouldn’t carry further than her ears; trying to keep their pace steady, they approached the man while also using his body to edge her off the footpath. Annie looked over at him, a question in her eyes.
“Know him?”
Annie followed his gaze, then chuckled.
“Well?”
She leaned in toward him, lacing her arm through his—damn bloody distracting—and put her head together with his. “I think maybe I should be asking you that. He’s checking you out, not me.”
“Huh,” Bennett grunted, noting that Annie was right. The man was definitely focused on him now and he supposed Annie’s assumption that he was gay and “checking him out” might explain it. But the unease running up his spine wouldn’t pass. “Seems awfully interested considering we’re walking through the park together,” he said when they were fully by him.
“Maybe he swings both ways.” Annie shrugged and lifted her slushee, sucking hard on the straw so her cheeks dipped in. And wouldn’t you know, Mr. Thomas responded to that too.
Focus on the job, mate. Like figuring out what that man is about and getting Annie home safe.
By the time he’d reprimanded his dick and looked over his shoulder, the man had moved on, taking a shortcut across the grass toward a cluster of trees. Bennett frowned, torn between the urge to race Annie out of there or get far enough away from her to make sure there was nothing beyond just a bit of strangeness to the guy.
“What’s wrong?”
“It occurs to me that for all I know he could be a demon or a merker. In fact, for all I know we’re surrounded by them right now.”
She shook her head. “We got close enough to him that if he were a demon, any glamour would have fallen.” She nibbled her lip, her brow furrowing. “What is a merker, anyway?”
Bennett sucked in a breath. Cor blimey, these people knew nothing, did they? What had Valin’s little vampire been teaching them anyway?
“Uh-oh, I said something really naïve, didn’t I?”
“You have no idea.”
She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed as she tracked the progress of the man walking in the other direction. After a moment she sighed.
“Well then, there’s no hope for it.” She chucked her drink in the nearest garbage can and tugged on his arm, directing him off the path and cutting toward the western side of the park.
“Where are we going? I thought we were heading back.”
She nodded. “We are, but first we have to cover our asses by making a few stops on the subway.” She leaned in, her breath fanning across his ear. “You know, just in case hottie over there is a demon in disguise.”
“Hey, watch it!”
Christos growled, flashing enough fang to send the rude human who’d had the gall to not move out of his way scurrying back from the edge of the subway platform. Not that the human’s hasty retreat mattered now, for the train carrying Christos’s object of interest was already pulling away. He narrowed his gaze, air sucking through his teeth as he watched the young, redheaded woman lean in closer to her companion as their car slid out of sight into the tunnel.
What would a Paladin be doing this far from their normal stomping grounds, unless…the woman. A gifted human. Though perhaps the more accurate terminology would be a gift thief. Christos had almost missed the fact that she was a null when he’d first looked up from his brooding mosey through the park and seen her. That hair…cut short, but the color? A deep red that practically glowed. For a moment his heart had skipped, until the woman’s height registered. Walking shoulder to shoulder with her companion, she was way too tall to be Gabriella.
Christos’s disappointment at having his reunion with his vampire-child postponed was quickly tempered when his gaze had moved on to her companion. He’d been stunned into inaction, his fangs throbbing with the memory of another Paladin with the same strong jawline who’d stubbornly refused to give up the hiding location of his wife and son, even though he must have known it was only a matter of time before Christos’s vampires tore the house apart to find them—time that was quickly slipping from the Paladin as Christos bled his life force away. Maybe that stubbornness had been worth something, as his coven had never found the son, though at least the mostly human woman had been a tasty dessert.
Christos had half a mind to grab the next train and try to track the Paladin and the woman to their destination. Finish the job he’d started with the Paladin’s parents, then take the null and see if she couldn’t be of some use. It would have to wait though. He’d gotten the impression from the way they’d quickly altered their course back in the park that this subway station had not been their original destination, making him think the null’s home must be closer to his present location than anywhere the rattling box of metal might take them. Besides, now that he knew she was out there, all he had to do was keep a mental eye out for the lack of an energy signal and he could find her again. If he was doubly lucky the Paladin would still be with her when he did.