Yanking her against his hard body, Victor wrapped his arms around her, his frigid energy pulsing through the warehouse.
“Damn. We must get out of here.”
“I’m not leaving until I have found Levet.”
He pulled back to glare at her in disbelief. “Do not be a fool. Whatever is creating such a violent disturbance in nature is beyond our ability to defeat.”
“I am not asking for your assistance.” She ignored the daunting implication that whatever was creating the lightning was more powerful than a vampire clan chief. “Indeed, I prefer to continue my search without your interference.”
“Juliet, you can come with me willingly or I will take you by force. In either case, you will not be allowed to endanger yourself.”
Jerking out of his arms, she glared at him with an unmistakable threat.
“Marquis DeRosa, if you attempt to force me to leave, I will never forgive you.”
His brows snapped together at her mulish determination, and for a moment Juliet sensed he was poised to ignore her warning. Victor was a vampire accustomed to being in command. He gave an order and it was obeyed, without question and with a nauseating amount of groveling. His instinct would be to toss her over his shoulder and to hell with her own wishes.
But, even as Juliet was preparing for a futile battle to keep from being hauled away from the docks, Victor muttered a curse in a language that was long dead and, closing his eyes, tilted back his head.
“What are you doing?” she demanded suspiciously.
“Attempting to sense the gargoyle.”
“Is he near?”
“Impossible to say.”
“Impossible or inconvenient?”
“Both.” Lifting his ridiculously lush fringe of lashes, the vampire stabbed her with an admonishing glare. “And before you condemn me to the netherworld, you are sensible enough to realize that there are hundreds of scents, most of them excessively unpleasant, that mask any particular trail.” He paused, an unmistakable tension etched on his beautiful face. “Besides, there is a strange energy that is interfering with my senses.”
Juliet studied the empty warehouse. “It cannot be a spell.”
“No, it is the natural magic of a demon, but I cannot tell you the species. I only know that it is strong and very aggressive.”
Perfect. Juliet unconsciously wrapped her arms around her waist.
“How can you know it is aggressive?”
“The hostility fills the air.” The cold fingers lightly touched her cheek as Victor regarded her with a brooding frustration. “Juliet, this is no game. We have to leave.”
With exquisite timing, another explosion rocked the warehouse, unexpectedly buckling the stone floor to reveal a gaping chasm.
A scream was wrenched from Juliet’s throat as the earth crumbled beneath her feet, and with a sickening sense of helplessness she plunged into the darkness below.
Victor cursed as he grabbed for Juliet, only to have her snatched from his grasp as the floor collapsed.
He didn’t hesitate.
For perhaps the first time in his very long existence, Victor leapt without considering the consequences, without seeking the potential dangers, his savage need to protect the vulnerable female simply overcoming his instinctive sense of self-preservation.
Astonishing.
Landing lightly on the balls of his feet, Victor moved silently to where Juliet sprawled on the packed-earth floor, her hand lifting to rub the back of her head.
“Ow.” She struggled to sit upright. “Where are we?”
He crouched next to her, his hunter senses capable of determining that she had a small cut on the back of her head and a few bruises, but that she was essentially unharmed.
His fangs lengthened, aching with hunger at the intoxicating scent of warm peaches and blood that abruptly swirled around him. Damn. With an effort, he thrust aside his potent reaction, instead concentrating on their surroundings.
The small cavern appeared to be connected to a series of tunnels that ran beneath the docks, the smooth walls and carved ceiling proving they were not natural, nor the work of mere humans.
“I assume we have intruded into the lair of some demon.”
“Lovely.” With an effort, Juliet rose to her feet, glancing up at the opening far above them. “How are we—”
Her words ended in a small squeak as he shifted with blinding speed to stand directly behind her, one hand clamped across her mouth and his arm wrapping around her waist to tug her against his chest. Bending his head, he placed his mouth next to her ear.
“Ssh.”
He felt her stiffen as she became aware of the ominous foreboding that drenched the air above them.
“What is it?”
Her words were muffled and so low that only a vampire’s heightened hearing could have heard them.
“Death,” he whispered.
“I am desperately hoping that is a metaphor.”
“Only if we are fortunate enough to avoid being caught.”
Keeping his arm wrapped around her tiny waist, he lifted her off the ground and began backing toward the nearby tunnel, calling upon his powers to cloak them in shadows. It would not entirely disguise their scents, but it would hopefully mute them enough to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
Silently he moved away from the cavern, edging deeper into darkness until he at last halted where the tunnel split in two directions. He gently set Juliet back on her feet, but he kept his arm firmly around her, absurdly needing the tangible comfort of knowing she was unharmed.
Glancing over her shoulder, Juliet tilted her chin, refusing to reveal the fear he could feel trembling through her body. His lips twisted as he ruefully admitted that he admired her courage, even as it threatened to drive him insane. After all, if she were a bit more timid they might even now be at his lair, spending the evening in a far more satisfying manner.
Wickedly, intimately satisfying.
“What are we doing?” she demanded.
“Waiting and hoping the creature passes on without noticing our trail.”
She nodded her head, then her brows tugged together as she noticed the thick scents that wafted from the far tunnel.
“Good lord, it smells of…”
“Humans.”
“Terror,” she softly corrected.
His hand cupped her chin as he studied her delicate face. “And what would you know of such a thing, little one?”
“When I was young my parents and I were traveling through Africa. One night we entered a town where a slaver’s ship was berthed.” She shivered. “I will never forget the stench of desperation. It spread through the streets and tainted everything in its path.”