“A gun? Seriously?” Cassandra asks from behind me, her voice firm. I’m impressed she’s keeping her cool.
“Verbena bullets,” I shoot over my shoulder at her. “Toxic to vampires.”
“Might need to buy some,” the shifter throws my way with a side-eye, and I would punch him if I didn’t have someone pointing a gun at me.
“Do something,” I roar at him, holding Cassandra behind me, using my body as a shield. Even if she’s immune to verbena, a bullet would still hurt her. Even with the magic coming off her, she’s basically human if she doesn’t have control over her powers.
To my surprise, the shifter moves. He upholsters a gun and points it at the bouncer. Even being a vampire, the bouncer is not fast enough to change his target. The shifter puts a bullet to the bouncer’s leg, and the vampire crumples to the ground like a house of cards. Cassandra jerks in surprise behind me, but I don’t give her a chance to get over the subject, tugging her out of the club.
Her fingers slide through mine, and I hold her against me. The smell of her, so close, doesn’t help with managing the raging erection I have right now. Watching her making out with the shifter was amazingly hot. I’ve never been one to watch, though I gave that a shot on the occasions I shared my partners. Now, watching her is hotter than I expected. The way she moved, and how she threw her head back, exposing her lithe neck... I could almost taste her on my tongue.
My cock twitches in my pants, but, unfortunately, this is not the time. “Keep walking. Fast, but don’t run,” I say against her hair, keeping her close against me. The shifter tails us, looking over his shoulder, suspicious. With the two of us being able to smell anything in such a wide range, I’m pretty confident we can keep her safe.
We turn right on the sidewalk and mix ourselves with the crowd coming out to enjoy the night. I keep Cassandra close, watching people around us, but they’re too busy with their own lives. There are more humans around, of course. There’s always been a morbid fascination about the life of vampires. I keep my ears preened, exchanging glances with the shifter now and then to make sure no one’s following us. Finally, we enter my building once more and ride the elevator up. I let my shoulders drop, knowing the actions of tonight will haunt me.
As soon as we’re locked inside my place, I turn to Cassandra. Reading her emotions is easy. Her cheeks are pink from the exercise. Her delicious lips are parted as she takes air in, and her dark eyes meet mine with her ever-present curiosity.
I cup her cheek, and she leans into my palm. My thumb traces down her cheekbone. “You were supposed to stay here,” I tell her, but there are no ragged edges to my voice. “For your own safety. It is a city of vampires, and I understand it’s something new, but you could have died.”
The shifter scoffs. “I wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. She was with me.”
I don’t take my eyes off her, but I can’t keep a glower from my face. “That vampire disagrees. His teeth were almost deep in her jugular.” I throw him a heated glance. “If you reacted and pulled her after he bit her, he could have ripped her throat out.”
The shifter stops, his shoulders tensing. His face twists, and I know he wants to fight but can’t come up with an argument. He made a mistake, and I made a mistake. We shouldn’t have put her in danger.
Cassandra interrupts our staring contest with a chuckle. “I’ll be honest. The two of you and that pissing contest can be annoying, but it’s also kind of hot.”
I snap my gaze to her, arching an eyebrow. “You look impressively underwhelmed after you witnessed a murder.”
She bites the corner of her lower lip. Lust shoots straight to my balls. “I’ve already murdered someone. Sort of.” She shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t feel affected. Of course, I won’t go out on a murdering spree, but the guy was trying to eat me. Literally.”
I swallow hard. “And I hate you could have gotten hurt when I was so close.”
“I share the feeling,” the shifter points out, changing the weight of his body between his feet, uncomfortable. Bet he never thought he’d be in this position. Almost losing his mate because he was too busy rubbing all over her. It serves to teach him not to underestimate vampires.
“I’m sorry,” Cassandra says, a soft smile on her face. “It was my idea, and I promise I won’t leave places without letting you know first. It was a jerk move to go out exploring the moment you left.”
She’s not only honest but open. My admiration for her swells in my chest. “At least you bought new clothes. I’m glad I didn’t spill blood on them.” I rake my gaze down her skin-tight shirt and pants. “They look fantastic on you, but I’m sure it’s because you’re wearing them.”
Cassandra laughs, then the smile disappears off her face. “Oh, shit.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“I forgot your jacket back at the club.”
I try to stop myself, but a peal of laughter bubbles up from my chest, escaping my lips. “Don’t worry. I have plenty of others.” I can’t believe that’s what’s worrying her. We’re being chased by both human police and the New Council, and we might have announced our presence after what I did in the club. And Cassandra’s worried about losing my jacket.
With a smile, I motion with my chin toward the kitchen. “Let’s get something inside you.” I shoot her a smirk when she arches an eyebrow. “And I mean food.” Not that I would mind putting something else inside her.
The events of last night turned my life upside down, but I’m glad she’s with me. Whatever comes next, I’ll face it with her.
CHAPTER13
CASSANDRA
Donatello makes his way to the fridge and starts plopping things down on the island. Pretty sure he plans on cooking for an army. I’ve never been much of a cook myself, not when the one burger joint in Myrtle Creek was so freaking delicious, but I delight at the stack of condiments he puts next to the food.
Propping my hip next to the island, I watch Donatello cup his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. “What are you thinking?” I ask, and I’m taken aback by my own question. I’ve never been the prying type. Donatello doesn’t seem to mind, though.