Dirty Blood (39 page)

He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I can
see you’re feeling more like yourself every minute.” His amusement
faded, and his brow creased. “How
are
you feeling?”

“My neck still hurts, and I’m sorer than a week’s
worth of training with Jack, but I think I’m okay. Mom says I will
be, anyway.” At the mention of Jack, Wes’ expression clouded
further. “How is he? Mom said it was pretty bad.”

“Fee’s still with him, doing what she can, but he’s
not great. Punctured a lung. Some of the damage was irreversible.
She says he’s going to have a long recovery.”

I shuddered, remembering the sight of him on the
ground next to me, bloody and struggling to breathe. “I thought – I
mean, I was really scared for him,” I whispered.

Wes leaned forward, with an expression that was a
mixture of sadness and longing. “I was really scared for you,” he
admitted. “When we found you, with Leo… I only left you because
Jack seemed worse. Your mom said all you had were scratches, so I…”
He trailed off, and squeezed his eyes shut.

I lifted my hand to my face, tentatively. I’d
completely forgotten about the scratches on my face. I traced my
cheekbone, feeling raised welts and rough scabs, and wondered if it
looked as bad as it felt.

“They’ll heal in another day or two,” he said. I
nodded, and caught sight of gauze wrapped around my wrist. “We
almost didn’t see that one. It wasn’t nearly as bad as your neck,
but it needed treatment and Fee almost missed it. Bailey was the
one to notice it, actually.”

“Tell him thanks,” I said, feeling awkward. The way
he was speaking, his tone, all of it was… not cold, but not like
him; distant. “And Derek? How is he? You said he got hurt.”

He gave me an odd look. “You remember that?” I
nodded. “I wasn’t sure if you could hear me.”

“I could hear just fine. It was responding that got
complicated.”

He didn’t reply. The silence felt awkward, like there
wasn’t really anything left to talk about, except… us.

“So, what now?” I asked, my fingers fidgeting with
the edge of the blanket that covered me.

“Now we find Miles.”

His answer didn’t surprise me, but I felt a sinking
disappointment, anyway. It was always about the business end of
things first. “Mom said Jack told you about the bullet being meant
for me,” was all I said.

“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair, sending tiny
drops of water flying. “I suspected something was up when he didn’t
show up here afterwards. Then Jack woke up enough to talk and told
us what happened. We’re launching a search, but I don’t think we’ll
find him. He’s probably long gone by now. Traitor.”

“He’s Leo’s son.”

His eyes widened. “What? How do you know that?”

“He told me.” I suppressed a shudder and tried not to
think about the weird almost kiss, and Miles’ hot breath on my
cheek.

“He was probably messing with you. There’s no way he
could be Leo’s son. He’s a Hunter. I’ve seen enough to know that,
at least.”

“I don’t know. Miles seemed pretty serious. And Leo
got mad that he’d told, said he was telling me too much. Then, he
seemed sort of proud of Miles, for firing the gun.”

“Miles was really aiming for you, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah. Apparently, Miles argued with Leo about not
killing me. About letting me choose. I think they wanted me to turn
and join their side. I told him no so I guess Miles changed his
mind and decided to do it Leo’s way.”

Wes jumped up, pacing the room and shaking his head.
“I knew he wasn’t to be trusted. I’ve been telling Jack this entire
time. He’s too new, and we don’t know a thing about him. But Jack
vouched for him, said he’d done enough side jobs and he was
in.”

“What kind of side jobs?”

“He claimed to have gone undercover for a few weeks.
He disappeared and none of us heard from him so we just had to
assume it was legit. Then, he shows back up out of nowhere and has
an address for a possible hideout or base for Leo’s operation. So
we get there and there’s like two Weres in the whole place. Both
are known supporters of Leo, but Leo himself is nowhere to be
found. I told Jack then that it felt wrong but he was just happy
for the info, small as it was. When I find him, I swear, I’ll kill
him. Very slowly.” He stopped pacing, but his hands were fisted, at
his sides, and his eyes were unfocused, like he was picturing
it.

“I think we need to prepare for that. Seeing him,
again, I mean.”

“I know. He’s obviously just as crazy as Leo. It’s
only a matter of time before he tried something else.” He came back
and sat next to me again, not really looking at me. “I should talk
to the others; get everyone back here that’s out on assignment, so
we can figure out what to do about stepping up security around
here.” He was already moving towards the door, distracted with
thoughts of strategy and manhunts.

Disappointment stabbed at me again, piercing my chest
with a painful prick. Protecting me was not the same as being with
me, and from what I could hear, protecting me would always be first
on his agenda. It wasn’t enough.

“I’m leaving,” I said. I forced the words out
quickly, picturing my fingers ripping off a sticky band aid.

He froze, his hand on the knob. His shoulders
stiffened and he turned around and walked slowly back towards the
chair. “What do you mean?”

“My mom is sending me to a school. Wood Point
Academy. She said it’s safer there, while you deal with Miles.”

He sank into the chair and gazed back at me. Pain
flashed in his expression, and then he blinked and it was gone,
replaced by resignation. “It’s a good idea. You’ll be safe
there.”

I stared down at the blanket, wondering if that was
the extent of his reaction. “You won’t be there,” I said,
quietly.

“We’ll make it work.”

My head came up, my eyes found his. I felt the pull
again, and I ached to reach for his hand. “Why?” The word slipped
out before I could stop it, and I realized how rude it had sounded,
but a small part of me – the part that struggled to remain
unaffected by the magnetic force that drew us together - didn’t
care. “I mean, I thought you’d made your decision. You said it was
too dangerous to be together. You broke up with me.”

He sighed. “I never said we were breaking up, Tara. I
said it was a break. I wanted to make things right with your mother
first. And deal with Leo.”

I felt myself caving, and had to look away to
remember what it was that I’d promised myself. What it was that
still needed fixing. “And what about the danger?”

“Let’s just say I have a feeling you’re going to put
yourself into plenty of danger, with or without me. I sort of drove
myself crazy, trying to keep you out of it, and in the end, it
didn’t do much good.” A hint of a smile appeared at the corners of
his mouth. “I figure it’s better to let you be a part of things,
than leave you to try to deal with it on your own.”

“So, now we’re back to protecting me, as a hobby? I
don’t want you to be with me, just because you feel some
responsibility, or because of some vision of destiny.”

Wes got out of the chair and sank onto the edge of
the bed, his eyes boring into mine with enough heat to rival the
bite on my neck. It was the look that always made me feel like it
went all the way through me, to my deepest self. The quiet tone of
his voice held the same level of intensity and I knew whatever he
was going to say, I wouldn’t have the willpower to refute. “I’ve
been running around for days, trying to be everywhere at once.
Protect you, find Leo, and keep you away from danger. But I’m not
willing to lose you, in the process. Responsibility and visions
have nothing to do with it, Tara. You are my destiny.”

Something in my stomach flip-flopped. The words were
everything I’d wanted to hear, since that very first night in the
alley. Those words made things like visions and danger and
invisible magnets seem like no big deal.

I tried to form some response worthy of what his
words meant to me, but my vocal cords felt numb and useless. “And
you’re mine,” was all I managed to get out, and even that was a
choked whisper.

I blinked to clear away unshed tears, and then Wes
was reaching for me, pulling me to him, and pressing his lips to
mine. His hands brushed gently at the scratches on my face. His
fingertips left trails of heat in their wake, but nothing like the
pain and anguish of the bites. This heat was delicious and
dangerous all at once, and I pressed myself harder against him, not
wanting it to end - And already feeling a pang of sadness that it
would. His hands tangled in my hair, and I slipped mine under his
shirt, pressing my palms to his back, wondering if my touch left
trails of lovely heat on his skin, as well.

When he began to pull away, I wrapped my arms around
his neck and held tighter. I didn’t want it to end, not yet. Then
I’d have to think about the fact that it still made me angry that
he always put my safety ahead of anything else, including our
relationship, or that I wasn’t completely sure I trusted this
strange magnetic pull that always drew me to him, or that there was
another Dirty Blood, after all, and he was gunning for me. Or,
well, the list was endless.

I didn’t know exactly what waited outside these
walls, and outside this moment, but I knew it might never feel this
good again.

###

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

MANY THANKS to many people for making this book what
it is. All of you left your mark somewhere in these pages. Trust
me.

Candy, you are a creative genius, as long as you
don’t have to write anything down. Lucky for you, I love lists.
Thanks for the strategic plotting sessions.

Warren, you are everything a girl could ask for, in a
mentor. Thank you, sensei. Let’s do lunch.

Michelle and Becky, my fabuloso beta readers! Your
feedback and support are priceless. You help plug the holes and I’m
so glad I have you!

To Angeline, who spots all of my invisible commas,
and makes them visible again, mucho thanks!

And to Angeline Kace and Jenn Sommersby, my fellow
Accendo Press authors, a big, fat YAY for us! We’re the Terrific
Trio, and we can’t be stopped. We’re going to take over the world,
one #TGNO at a time. I’m so lucky to have found you, and I’m so
glad we’re taking this journey together.

Mom, bro, and sis – you guys are awesome beyond
words.

Brooke and Austin, I love you to the moon and back.
Your support and excitement over “Mommy’s stories” make my day. And
Brian, you’re such a sweetie. Especially when it’s eight o’clock,
and I still haven’t started dinner, and I don’t even know what day
it is, because I’m so glued to the computer screen. You’re making
my dreams come true, and I love you.

But most importantly, to my readers. I’m YOUR biggest
fan! I hope you’ll check out our other titles at
http://www.accendopress.com/
.
Keep an eye out for release info for Book 2: Cold Blood. Find out
more at
http://www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com

If I forgot anyone, I’ll get you next time. It
doesn’t mean I don’t love you.

Turn the page for a sneak peek at my short story
DreamKiller, and a preview of Sleight, Book One of the Avra-K, by
Jennifer Sommersby.

DreamKiller, The Longest Day

Chapter One

This wasn’t going to be easy. Marlena squared her
shoulders. She’d have to do it anyway. There was no time, now. She
looked up at the moon one last time. It was fading from red to
white with each passing second. It had to happen now, or not at
all.

With surprising strength and speed, she leaped from
her hiding place high above the crowd and dropped into the bodies
milling about. No one even noticed. She weaved quickly, in and out,
until her target was within reach. She was careful to keep her hood
pulled down, until they reached the far end of the open gallery. No
one gave her a second look.

When they were outside, she made her move. She had
exactly thirty seconds until the valet brought their car around.
She wasted no time.

Moving like lightning, she sprang, snapping their
necks so quickly that the second one didn’t even have time to
scream before it was his turn to die. When she was done, she faded
back into the shadows, her mission complete…

“Were you successful?” The old woman’s tone was
professional, almost cold.

“Yes,” Marlena answered.

“Any problems?”

“No.”

The woman simply nodded at the others and the room
emptied. When they were alone, her shoulders relaxed.

“I’m glad to know your safe,” she said, gently,
holding out a hand.

Marlena went to her and took the hand she offered,
kissing her sandpaper cheek. “Azura, there’s nothing to worry
about. As long as I act within the window of time the dream
reveals, I’ll always be fine.”

“And complete it only in the manner the dream has
revealed. Don’t forget that part, it’s important.” Azura’s tone was
stern but Marlena knew it was only worry. Azura had been her mentor
long enough to make her like a mother.

“I won’t forget,” Marlena assured her. “Did we get to
him before he could reveal us?”

“I think so. You did well.”

“Let me know if you hear anything more. I’ll be in my
room.”

She squeezed Azura’s hand and then released it as she
left.

* * * * * 

Sleight

Jennifer Sommersby

:1:

December 31

May my soul ascend aloft after death; may it descend
only after it has perished.