“Okay,” she said with a nod, drifting that sweet scent his way and managing to intensify the ache. “I can do that. But how will I recognize a vampire? I mean, unless your fangs are extended, you look human to me.”
“Anyone who tries to lure you away, you will bring to me.”
“And if they aren’t vampire?”
Then they would still deserve the beating he gave them for daring to try to lure his woman. Temporary woman. “I’ll know the moment I smell them, and will send them on their way.” Broken and bloody.
“Sounds tedious and boring, and not to mention like shooting an enemy in the dark. Which means, if you need that translated, we’ll be relying on luck.”
He shrugged. “I can think of no other way. If they scent me first, and they will if I’m by your side, they’ll leave. Whether they want to drink from you or not.”
“Well, maybe you should walk into wherever you think they’ll be, and I’ll wait at the back door and grab the runners.”
Smart, but such a plan placed her in too much danger. “You won’t be able to stop a fleeing vampire on your own, Ava. Besides that, we couldn’t be sure what exit they would take.”
The corner of her lip curled. “I stopped you, didn’t I?”
Ache … intensifying again … “And I stopped you back. Only my caring nature saved you. Something the others might not possess.”
She snorted. “Caring nature. Please. By your own admission, you just wanted to strip me.”
“That’s not the only thing I wanted to do,” he muttered. Then, more clearly, “You won’t know what the vampires are capable of, so you won’t know what to fight against. You won’t be able to stop more than one, either.”
“Two pyre-guns can stop two vampires.”
“And if there are three?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’ll freeze two, then fire at the third. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll fistfight him.”
The woman had an answer for everything. “And the fourth? Fifth? No, don’t reply. We’ll do things my way or not at all.”
“Oh, well, in that case, I pick not at all.”
And he’d found her smugness attractive? His teeth gnashed as they often did in her presence. “Then I won’t help AIR. With anything. Not with vampires. Not with the Schön disease. Not with the Schön queen. I won’t answer Agent Snow’s questions, either.”
After only the slightest hesitation, she said, “Fine. Your way.”
Smiling, he eased to his feet. “Thank you. We shall begin tomorrow. As for tonight, get some rest. You’ll need it.” He strode to the front door, and it opened automatically, allowing him a straight shot into the hallway.
“Hey. Where are you going?” she called.
“Until tomorrow,” he replied as the door closed. Tonight, he needed to have a serious heart-to-heart with himself, and allow his anger with her to fester. Falling for this woman wasn’t acceptable. Being charmed by her every word—despite his irritation with her—was not acceptable, either.
Surely there was someone out there who was prettier, wittier, and nicer. Someone better suited to him and his needs. Someone with fangs. Tonight, during his heart-to-heart, he would search. Find a starting place for his and Ava’s hunt.
Because, what she didn’t know and what he would never tell her, what he’d realized a short while ago, was that if he could find and question bloodsuckers who had learned to live in the daylight, he could also find her replacement.
Fourteen
Another sleepless night. Of course. Ava expected no different despite McKell’s command to rest and her body’s desire to obey him. She’d wanted to call him about … oh, a thousand times, and ask where he’d gone, and what he was doing.
By nine the next morning, when she suspected he would be sleeping himself, Ava gave up trying to rest and finally caved to the impulse. He had her cell phone, and what better way to punish him for stealing it?
After three rings, he actually picked up. “What?” he barked.
He was alive, at least. Ignoring her raging headache, she relaxed into the mattress, the covers plumping around her. “How dare you answer my phone, you thieving bastard.” The hangover added spice to her tone. “Have you been answering all my calls?”
Static sounded, and she imagined him rubbing the fatigue from his face. Such a human thing to do, so slumber sweet. The pain in her temples migrated to her chest. “Ava?”
“Who else would be calling?”
“Your friend Noelle. She called all night long,” he grumbled. “And she never talks about anything of importance. I now know about her favorite shoes, what foods agree with her and what foods do not. That wasn’t pleasant to hear about, by the way. Oh, yes. And I know she’s considering chopping off her hair, and can’t decide if she wants to sleep with Dallas or Hector.”
I love that girl. “Who’d you vote for?”
“You. I offered to be there, and give instruction as needed. You’re very difficult to please, you know.”
A chuckle and a moan mixed in her throat, emerging as a cough. One part of her wanted to continue down that path with him, knowing very well where it would end. Heavy breathing, dirty talk, wandering hands, and climax. The other part of her wasn’t brain-damaged.
She rolled from bed, phone propped against her shoulder and bones creaking in protest. “Anyone left any messages for me?” she asked as she padded into the kitchen. Yawning, she filled the coffeepot with synthetic coffee beans and water. Most food was synthetic, most meat was from cloned animals, and even fruit was somehow a copy of the real deal.
Apparently, after the human-alien war, supplies had dwindled, and unapproved scientific methods had been the only chance for survival. Suddenly those methods had met with approval.
“People left messages, yes,” he said, but offered no more.
“Well, what are they?” Thankfully, the scent of caffeine soon filled the air, chasing away the last remnants of exhaustion and alcoholic excess.
“I don’t know. They were for you, so I ignored them. You’re welcome.”
Bastard. The pot finished its nearly instant percolation, and she poured herself a cup of coffee, then added the last of her butterscotch creamer. Wait. The last? She held the dispenser to the light and shook. Sure enough. Not a single drop remained. Shit. She needed a moment of silence to mourn its loss.