He brushed his lips softly over her mouth. “You got it, sweet Laylah?” “Three.”
As the word tumbled from her lips the fog began to swirl, twirling ever faster as she thinned the veil between worlds. Dammit. She’d made her decision and no arrogant bloodsucker was going to stand in her way.
“I wish to remain at your side,” he muttered, grabbing her arm just as she began to step through the veil.
There was the sensation of clinging spider webs and the prickles of electricity that became stabs of lightning as she pressed through the veil. And pain. Enough pain to send her to her knees as they tumbled through the fog and into a chilled darkness.
The combination of pain from the entry and the shock at being wrenched from the ephemeral mists to the very real world of hard stone and damp air briefly disoriented her. She sucked in a shaky breath.
This was the very last time she was taking passengers along for the ride.
Slowly working through the pain, Laylah became aware of her surroundings.
The dark tunnels that ran beneath the outskirts of London. The faint scent of rain from overhead. The sound of Tane’s curses as he struggled to his feet. And …
Awareness.
Awareness of Tane that tingled deep inside her. Holy crap, had it actually worked? Had she actually leashed a powerful vampire? And if she had, was it a good thing or the worst mistake in the history of the world?
Fairly certain it was the mistake thing, Laylah was distracted by the sight of Levet lying like a frozen statue on the smoothly worn floor of the tunnel.
“Shit.” She scrambled forward, touching the tiny demon who was now as hard as granite. “Levet?”
“It’s daylight,” Tane said, his dagger clutched in his hands as he tested the air for danger. “He won’t awaken until dusk.”
Thank God. With her current streak of piss-poor luck, she’d feared she managed to kill the poor thing.
Scooping the gargoyle into her arms, she straightened with a groan. The creature weighed a ton. Then, deciding there was no time like the present to test her hold on Tane, she nervously cleared her throat.
“You need to find us someplace safe to rest.”
There was a brief, dangerous hesitation, and Laylah tensed, her mouth dry with fear. She was too weakened by the shadow walk to battle Tane if he remained unrestrained.
In fact, until she rested and fed she was entirely at his mercy.
Not the most comforting thought.
Braced for the worst, Laylah nearly fell to her knees in relief as Tane offered a mocking bow.
“Your wish is my command, mistress. This way.”
He turned to flow through a side tunnel, not bothering to see if she were following or not. She hoped it was a sign his powers were at least muted.
In silence they moved through the cramped passageways. Laylah knew she was taking a desperate risk. If she hadn’t gone skitzo with the need to track down information of the Jinn she might already be back under the protection of Caine with the child safely in her care.
Instead she was risking all for what?
Information? Affirmation?
Lost in her broodings, Laylah allowed herself to be led through the maze of tunnels, only vaguely aware they were headed away from London.
Nearly half an hour later, however, she was jerked out of her dangerous distraction. She came to a sharp halt, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Stop,” she commanded.
With a low growl, Tane spun around to stab her with an impatient frown.
“Laylah, we don’t have long until your scent begins to stir unwanted attention.”
She matched him glare for glare. If she’d managed to bind him, he was already proving to be the worst slave ever.
“I’m more interested in the scent that’s already here,” she snarled. “You’ve brought me to a vampire lair.”
He shrugged, completely unrepentant. “What place could offer you more protection?”
“Yeah, and when they learn your companion is a half Jinn they’ll serve me up for dinner.”
Without warning he was standing directly before her, his eyes glowing with a frightening intensity.
“There’s not a chance in hell another vampire is going to sink his fangs into you,” he swore, his voice harsh with male possession. “Not as long as I’m alive.”
She ignored the strange excitement that arrowed in the direction of her pelvis. She wasn’t going to be distracted again.
“I’m not walking into a trap.” “Trust me, my sweet, if I decide to lead you into a trap you’ll never see it coming.”
She ground her teeth. “Not helping.”
He made a resigned bid for patience. “Victor is clan chief of London. We will need his permission if you intend to remain more than a few hours.”
She grimaced. The last thing she wanted was more vampires. One was enough, thank you very much.
“What we need is a witch who is willing to sell us an amulet to hide our scents,” she countered.
Expecting an argument, she was caught off guard when he shrugged.
“Yet another reason to approach Victor.”
“He has a witch on the payroll?”
“Actually he mated one.”
“Seriously?” She gave a disbelieving shake of her head. Magic was the one power a vampire had no defense against. They couldn’t even sense a spell until too late. As a result they possessed a pathological hatred for both witches and mages. “A witch and a vampire? Isn’t that illegal or something?”
“Or something,” he said dryly, his own thoughts of a vampire taking a witch as a mate carefully hidden. No doubt a wise precaution. “Actually, Juliet is half witch and half imp, with a rare talent that allows her to sense magical artifacts. If anyone has a spare disguise amulet lying around it will be her.”
“And that’s the only reason you brought me here?” she demanded, concentrating on her tenuous awareness of Tane in an attempt to impose her will. “The truth.”
“I’ve heard rumors that Victor had a brief encounter with a Jinn.”
His brooding expression made it impossible to know if he was being coerced to speak the truth or merely playing along.
“Recently?”
“I suppose that’s a matter of perspective.”
Her brows snapped together. “Tane.” “A few hundred years ago.” “What happened?”
He folded his arms over his bare chest, making his muscles ripple beneath his golden skin. “That’s his story to tell.”
She turned away from his compelling beauty as she considered her options. Or lack of options.