She sucked in a sharp breath.
This wasn’t the cool surge of Jagr’s power.
“Holy crap, what are you doing?” she demanded with a shiver. “I’m freezing.”
“I’ve wrapped you in my shadows. They will hide us from prying eyes, but not from prying ears.” Before she could guess his intention, he bent downward to place his lips against hers. “Not a word, little one.”
Sadie smiled as she watched the expensive Humvee being consumed by flames. Standing several blocks away on the roof of a restaurant that had once been a bordello, she had a perfect view to watch Salvatore leave the cave with his neutered curs scurrying behind him.
Sniffling, spineless dogs.
Their blind subservience to the self-proclaimed King of Weres sickened her. Why didn’t they just put a leash around their neck, and be done with it?
Of course, they had managed to lead her to where Regan was hidden with the vamp, so perhaps they weren’t entirely useless.
Her smile widened as she leaned against the decorative brick wall that lined the rooftop.
“I do love a roaring bonfire. A pity I forgot to bring the marshmallows.”
Standing at her side, Duncan growled with impatience. “Did you also forget to bring a point for this little exercise in futility?”
“Careful, Duncan.” Sophie slid her companion a warning frown. “So far you’ve proven to be as incompetent as you are spineless. Twice now you’ve allowed our quarry to slip through your fingers.”
Duncan’s jaw tightened, his pride obviously still pricked at having been bested by the young, untrained woman.
Again.
“At least I’ve had her in my fingers. Which is more than you can say.”
“Only because I was stupid enough to assume my merry band of morons could manage to capture one little Were.” Sadie shrugged. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
An ugly smile twisted his lips. “Oh, no, you’ve done much better. Now we not only have the most dangerous vampire in the entire world hunting our sorry hides, but you’ve managed to piss off the King of Weres. A real bang-up job.”
Sadie bit back her snarl. It had been an unpleasant shock when the unmistakable scent of Salvatore had invaded her territory. Caine had sworn that the king had no interest in Regan, and wouldn’t so much as lift a finger to help her.
Easy for him to say when he was safely hidden miles away.
Bastard.
And to top it off, she’d followed the scent of the curs to the cave, only to discover that not only was Regan being guarded by a vampire, the King of Weres, and his curs, but there was a damned gargoyle in residence.
A lesser woman would have thrown in the towel. Sadie, however, had always been able to think on her feet, and it had taken only a moment to devise yet another brilliant plan.
“Pissed off or not, I’ve managed to separate Regan from the Weres, as well as the gargoyle,” she pointed out, her annoyance easing as she smugly turned her attention back to the fire below.
Duncan snorted. “That still leaves the vampire.”
Fear skittered down her spine. God, she hated vampires. Bloodthirsty beasts.
“He can be dealt with,” she muttered.
Duncan’s short, ugly laugh set her teeth on edge. “So you’re not only arrogant, you’re delusional?”
“What I am is smart enough to have a plan.”
“So did the wolf in the Three Little Pigs, and you know how that worked out.”
Sophie curled her lips. “What are you, twelve?”
“Just tell me this brilliant plan.”
Reaching into the pocket of her leather duster, Sophie pulled out a small flask and screwed off the lid.
“Culligan was kind enough to donate his blood to our cause.”
Never the sharpest tool in the shed, Duncan scowled in confusion.
“Not that I’m opposed to draining the nasty imp, but what good is his blood?”
Sophie waved the flask beneath his nose. “Such a poignant, fruity scent. Quite unique.”
“Yeah, Calvin Klein should bottle it for his fall collection.”
She chuckled in anticipation. “I’m glad you think so.”
“Just tell me what the hell you’re going to do with it.”
“I’ve at last found a use for you outside my bed.” With a casual motion, Sophie dumped half the blood onto the cur’s silk shirt. “Congratulations, Duncan, you’ve just been promoted to bait.”
Jumping back, Duncan stared at his stained shirt in fury. “What the hell?”
With an efficient motion, Sophie closed the flask and tucked it back into her pocket. She would need the rest of the blood to lure Regan into her trap.
“Circle around the gargoyle and let him catch a scent of Culligan’s blood. Once he’s on your trail, lead him away from here,” she commanded. “Without his ability to sense magic, the vamp and Regan will be powerless to find us.”
“Lead him where?”
“I don’t give a shit, you idiot. Just away from here.”
Duncan’s eyes glittered with fury. “And what are you going to do?”
She turned back toward the bluff. She’d ordered two of her curs to keep watch on the cave from the woods behind the entrance, but she needed to find a closer position to set her trap.
“I’m going to wait for the sun to rise.”
Without warning, Duncan was standing at her side, his head bent to whisper directly in her ear.
“A small warning, Sadie,” he growled softly. “The early cur doesn’t get the worm…she gets eaten by the big bad vampire.”
A spike of unease tightened her stomach before she pushed him away with a violent burst of temper.
“Just go, Duncan. And try not to screw this up.”
Ignoring the warning glow in her eyes, Duncan swaggered across the roof, and with one motion leaped over the low wall. She heard the faint scrape of his landing in the alley behind the building, followed by the fading sound of footsteps.
Waging war against the instinct to shift, Sadie clenched her teeth and dug her nails into the palms of her hands. It was a futile effort, of course.
Unlike purebloods, a cur was always at the mercy of their nature. Once they reached a critical point, there was no halting the transformation.
“You owe me, Caine,” she swore on a low growl. “You owe me big.”
With an effort that should earn her sainthood, Regan managed to hold her tongue as Jagr streaked through the darkness. His blinding speed (not to mention the icy shadows he’d wrapped around them) made her eyes water and her lungs struggle to function properly.