A wry amusement shimmered in the smoke eyes. “A very stubborn man.”
“I can get rid of him if you want,” Fane promptly offered.
“No, we must work with the authorities. Our”—the Mave hesitated as she searched for the proper word—“relationship is difficult enough without humans worrying that we’re trying to hide a murderer. Besides, I have a few questions I must ask him.” She headed toward the door leading to her private quarters, pausing long enough to glance over her shoulder, a mysterious smile on her lips as she looked directly at Callie. “I’ve had him taken to the guest quarters if you’re interested.”
“Pity,” Fane muttered as the Mave left the office and closed the door.
Callie frowned. “What’s a pity?”
“I was hoping for the opportunity to kick his ass out of here.”
“Why do you dislike him?”
“Don’t ask foolish questions, Callie.” He moved to stand directly in front of her, capturing her chin between his fingers as he studied the faint bruises beneath her eyes. “What did the healer say?”
Fane had insisted on carrying her directly to the healers, growling at anyone who came close to her. Including Duncan, who’d been led off before she could say a word to him.
“There was evidence of pressure on my frontal lobe, but no damage.” She wrinkled her nose. “They suspect the stranger was searching my mind.”
The dark eyes glittered with the promise of revenge. “Bastard.”
She bit her bottom lip, disturbed by the mere thought of Fane coming up against the stranger who’d stolen a young female’s heart without leaving a trace. “I’m worried.”
“A premonition?”
“No, I don’t have any talent for seeing the future, but I do know that whoever, or whatever, I encountered isn’t done.” A chill crawled down her spine. “There’s going to be more deaths.”
His expression was as hard as granite. “We should go to the Tabuk.”
The monastery that was tucked in the Himalayas was a safe house for high-bloods who needed a time-out from civilization. It was not only hidden from the norms, it was so off the grid that it couldn’t be found by the usual technology.
She gently tugged free of his hold. If it was up to Fane she would be locked away for the rest of her life.
“I told you I’m fine.”
“You’re in danger.” The magnificent swirls and arcs of his tattoos appeared even more vivid against his skin as his muscles clenched with frustration. “This creature knows you. He’s been inside your head. I won’t allow you to be the next victim.”
She lifted a brow. “Allow?”
“I am your protector.”
“And I appreciate your dedication, Fane,” she said softly. “But if he had wanted me dead he could already have killed me.”
Fane wasn’t impressed with her logic. “Maybe he likes the hunt.”
She couldn’t argue. She sensed the predatory nature of the stranger. But who or what it was hunting remained a mystery.
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t leave. I’m the only one who can identify the man.”
The Sentinel scowled. “You won’t be able to identify him if you’re dead.”
She reached to brush her fingers down the rigid muscles of his forearm. “Fane, with this man’s power there’s nowhere I would be safe.”
“I won’t lose you.”
She felt a familiar tide of affection for this man who’d committed his life to keeping her safe. “I’m not going anywhere,” she assured him, then dropped her hand when his cell phone beeped. It didn’t take a genius to know who was trying to contact him. Fane lacked the sort of friends who would call him just to chat. “Wolfe?” she asked as he pulled the phone from his pocket with a soft curse.
“He’s waiting for me to report.”
Callie grimaced. Wolfe was the Tagos, the current leader of the Sentinels, and the only man scarier than Fane.
An amazing accomplishment.
“He’s going to cause a riot,” she muttered. “You know how he hates to be kept out of the loop.”
“I’ll deal with the Tagos.” He sent her a warning glare. “You ... be careful.”
She flashed a teasing smile, drawing her finger over the middle of her chest. “Cross my heart.”
With a shake of his head, he left the office.
Callie waited. No point in leaving until she was certain Fane was out of sight. If he knew she didn’t intend to return directly to her apartment, he would throw her over his shoulder and carry her there.
At last she slipped from the room and headed down the white corridor, which was painted pink by the encroaching dusk. The overhead skylights offered a perfect view of the sky, despite the magical dome that surrounded the compound. From the outside the spell hid Valhalla from prying eyes, but from the inside it was invisible.
She turned the corner, ignoring the gleaming silver elevators that would take her to her apartment.
Valhalla was a vast complex that sprawled over several thousand acres, with a number of workshops, garages, barns, a school, and a fully equipped hospital. The central building was constructed in the shape of a pentagon with a large inner courtyard.
Most people never saw beyond the official offices on the main floor or the formal reception rooms, although a small number were allowed the rare honor of being given guest rooms if their visit was expected to last more than a few hours. Certainly no one was allowed to explore the nine levels of private quarters and secret labs that were dug deep into the earth.
Ignoring the speculative glances from the occasional high-blood she passed, she followed the corridor until she took another turn. This one into the guest quarters.
Her steps slowed as she suddenly realized that she didn’t know what the hell she was doing.
Well, she knew that she didn’t want to return to her empty apartment.
And that she had an odd compulsion to speak with the aggravating, sinfully sexy human cop.
But beyond that ... what was the plan?
It wasn’t like she intended to march up to Duncan O’Conner’s door and start pounding. And she could hardly spend hours walking up and down the hallway, could she?
Busy mulling the wisdom of turning around and heading to her apartment, fate took the choice out of her hands as the door just down the corridor was yanked open and the man who’d been gnawing at the edge of her thoughts since they’d arrived at Valhalla stepped out of his rooms.