On The Prowl (18 page)

Leo landed on a beach—a star-shrouded beach that was far too familiar to Rose. “Luke’s island?” She jerked away from him and her shoes sank into the wet sand. The waves rolled onto the beach. “What, do you seriously have a death wish or something?”

“Maybe.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I also don’t have much time. Your lover
would
have found a damn chopper to use so he’ll be here soon. Another problem to deal with.”

“You aren’t hurting him!”

He sighed. “You don’t want me to hurt him, he doesn’t want you hurt…this love thing is so annoying.”

Rose glared at him. “What do you want? Why did you take me?”

“He took you…because of me.”

Rose spun at that soft, sad voice, and she saw the angel step from the shadows. Luke was right by her side. Actually, he was penning Lila to
his
side.

“Good,” Leo snapped when he saw his twin. “At least someone knows how to hold up a deal.” He motioned to Luke. “I get the angel, you get the vamp, and we’re squared away.”

Lila shuddered.

“She doesn’t want to go back,” Rose said, whirling to glare at Leo. “You heard her before! You can’t
make
her go back.”

“You don’t understand what’s happening here.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Her mind…she’s confused. Angels can’t handle the load of emotions that humans—and other paranormals—have. She’s feeling, for the first time ever, and Lila doesn’t understand how dangerous that can be.”

“I understand plenty,” Lila responded. Her voice was lilting and warm. Exactly the voice that Rose imagined an angel would possess. “You’re the one who doesn’t get it. You think you can make things right, but it’s too late.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I can’t let it be. I can’t fail you.” He pointed to Luke. “Send her to me, and I’ll send the vampire over—with the same gift I always promised Julian she would get.”

Gift? “No,” Rose said, then she shouted, “
No!
I don’t want any gift from you. I don’t want a human life. I don’t want any kind of magical do-over. I want what I’ve got.” In the distance, she heard the whir of an approaching helicopter. “I won’t change.”

“Rose…” Luke’s voice drifted to her. “Are you sure? Do you know what you’re giving up?”

She knew. She turned to face Luke. “Shifters aren’t supposed to love humans. That’s one of your precious rules, right?”

He gave a grim nod. “Shifters are too brutal, they can’t—”

“They can love vampires, though. Can’t they? Because a vampire can handle a beast.”

Leo’s hand curled around her shoulder. “You’d give up my gift for a shifter? You’d lose your life for him?”

He didn’t understand. The angel was right. He was the confused one. “I’m not giving up anything. I’m choosing. And I’m choosing him.” Julian had just better stop being a dumbass and choose
her
in return
.
She turned her head and stared at the angel. “So there’s no trade here. Lila is free.”

Luke exhaled. “I wish that were the case.” He rolled back his shoulders. “But I hold no dominion over the light.
He
does.” His eyes glowed in the dark. “I thought you still wanted to be human, Rose, so when Leo came to me, desperate because the angel had vanished with Rayce, I found them. I brought them back here.”

A growl came from the darkness. Rayce’s growl. “A
shitty
move,” Rayce called out.

Leo inched closer to the angel.

Rose heard the pop and crack of bones. Somewhere in those shadows, Rayce was transforming.

“I hold no dominion over her,” Luke said again. “But he does…and since I’ve brought her here…”

“She’ll be leaving with me.” Leo rushed toward the angel with a burst of speed. His hand reached out to grab her, but a giant white wolf appeared in his path.

And that wolf snapped at Leo’s hand.

Leo yelled and jerked back, narrowly avoiding those razor-sharp teeth.

The wolf stood guard in front of the angel.

“
Angel!”
Leo bellowed.

The whir of the helicopter blades was even louder. Rose felt the rush of air against her back. The chopper was landing.

“
Angel, come to me!”
Leo ordered.

Lila took a wrenching step forward, as if she were a puppet, being pulled on a string.

Luke said he had no dominion over her. Leo controls her. She has to do what he says.

The wolf whined and bumped against her, but the angel kept walking with those hard, lurching steps.

“You tricked me,” Luke said to his brother, and his voice crackled with anger. “You knew that Rose didn’t want to go back, didn’t you? But you couldn’t find the angel. You had to get her close enough to hear your voice so you could control her.
You used me.
” His eyes didn’t just glow now. They blazed.

Leo opened his hand to Lila.

She shook her head, but her hand rose, as if she’d take his. As soon as they touched, Rose knew Leo would spirit the angel away.

It’s not right. It’s not what she wants.

The wolf howled as he shifted back into the form of a man. “Let her go, you bastard!” Rayce demanded and then he was flying across the sand.

The wind pounded into Rose’s back. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Julian bounding from the helicopter. “Rose!” Julian screamed. “
No, you can’t take her!”

But Leo wasn’t there to take her. He was about to take the angel who shook as she reached for his hand. The angel who wasn’t being given the choice she wanted.

Screw this.

Leo was worried about the threat coming from Rayce, but Rose was the one standing closest to him. And had he learned nothing from their last little episode? She shoved the angel to the ground and Rose was the one who grabbed Leo’s hand. She jerked his wrist forward and her teeth sank into him. His blood pulsed into her mouth, hot and powerful, just like before.

“No!” Julian bellowed. “Rose, please,
no!
”

It was too late. She’d attacked. Leo yanked back beneath her touch but she didn’t let him go.

“
Angel, get out of here!”
Rayce yelled. “Fly away—now!”

Now…while Leo was distracted.

Now…while Leo was weak.

But…oddly…she was the one who felt weak.

Rose and Leo both fell to the ground, their knees hitting the sand. She still didn’t let him go.

She heard the rush of wings. That would be the angel, flying to safety. Getting far enough away from Leo that he couldn’t control her. And then she felt hands on her. Strong, warm hands that were tipped with claws. Those hands pulled her away from Leo. She blinked and found herself staring up at Julian. She tried to smile for him.

Fear had deepened the lines on his face. “Oh, love, what did you do?”

She’d…helped.

“You’re dead,” Leo rasped.

Julian lifted her into his arms. “Watch your fucking mouth, bastard.” Julian’s hold tightened on her.

Leo surged to his feet. His blood dripped into the sand. “
That vamp is dead!”
He lunged for her and Julian, but Luke blocked him.

The twins faced off.

“I think you’re mistaken,” Luke murmured, his voice as gentle as a breeze. “You see…Rose is a vampire. That means she’s under
my
dominion. A creature of the dark. You have
no
say about what happens to her. And if you so much as twitch in her direction…we’ll finally have that battle that has been prophesized for centuries.”

The waves crashed onto the shore.

Fire began to burn inside of Rose’s body. Just like before…just like when she’d had Leo’s blood in her and it had started to burn her up, from the inside out. “J-Julian?” Now she was the one afraid.

He stared down at her, and his bright eyes were all she could see. Everything else was getting too dark.

“She wasn’t supposed to have my blood!” Leo yelled. “It is
poison!
She barely survived once—it will hit her even harder this time. She’s dying! I wasn’t threatening her—I was telling you what’s happening. She’s dead—and there is nothing either of us can do for her now!”

Julian’s hold tightened on her.

She wanted to smile for him.

She couldn’t.

“Love…don’t go,” he whispered.

“I…choose…” She had to say this. He needed to always know. “
You.”

***

Her fangs were gone.

“Why doesn’t the vamp have fangs anymore?” Rayce muttered.

Because something was fucking
wrong.

Julian lowered Rose onto his bed. She’d been drifting in and out of consciousness while he carried her to the house. He’d begged her to drink from him, pushing her mouth to his throat as he hauled ass to get her to a safe place but…

Her fangs hadn’t come out.

“It’s okay, love,” he said, hating the fact that his voice came out so rough and ragged, as if everything was very much
not
okay. “I’ll take care of you.” He slashed open his wrist and forced her to take his blood. It had worked before. It would work again.

The blood dripped into her mouth. Julian massaged her throat, forcing her to swallow. But…

Her body seemed to be getting warmer to the touch. Too warm. As if she were feverish.

“Drink, Rose. Drink for me.”

A hard hand closed around his shoulder. “She can’t.” Luke’s voice. Sounding sad. Luke was never sad. He didn’t have time for emotions.

Julian didn’t look back at him. “This happened before. She bit your asshole of a brother once before, and I gave her my blood and everything was fine.” Her cheeks were flushed. Not just her cheeks. Her neck, her collarbone. Her arms.

“She’s burning up, from the inside out.” Again, Luke’s voice was sad. “It won’t matter how much blood you give her. My brother wasn’t lying. His blood is poison to vamps. She…didn’t really survive the first time.”

What? That was bullshit, of
course
she’d survived.

“The first time she had his blood, the poison got in her body.”

Julian kept his hand to her mouth. “And I gave her my blood. I diluted that tainted crap of his. She came back
fine.
”

“The poison stayed in her body, but it was dormant, waiting for another exposure. That’s how it works. One bite to begin, one bite to end.”

What?

“Her heart is going to burn up. She’ll burn in front of you. You should…step back. Let her go.”

Dazed, Julian couldn’t move at all.

“Fuck,” Rayce swore from the corner of the room. “I’m so sorry, man.”

No, this wasn’t happening.

He stared down at Rose. Her hair was spread on the pillows behind her head. It just looked as if she were sleeping. And he remembered another time…

Rose had been lying in a bed, blood on her body. She’d been so still. But she hadn’t been warm to the touch. She’d been ice cold and he’d known he was losing her.

So he’d turned to Luke Thorne, and he’d made a deal.
“Bring her back, Luke. Change her. She can’t die.”

The memories swirled through his mind.

“
She’s already gone.”
Luke had stared at him with no expression on his hard face.
“Mourn the dead, and move on.”

He’d hit Luke then. Punched him. Clawed at him. And Luke had just taken the blows. “
I can’t lose her! She’s the first thing in my life that matters—don’t take her! Don’t let anyone take her!”
And he’d been lost—lost to a fury and pain that had sent him out of control. He’d destroyed that room. Slashing the walls. Breaking the furniture. Turning his claws on himself…

My fault. I did this to her. My fault. Mine…

Luke had grabbed his hands. Julian’s claws had been buried in his own chest.

“
Why are you doing this?”
Luke asked him.

“
Because I should die. She should live.
” Simple. So simple…And if she didn’t live…then he was ready to die.

“
You…love her? You fell in love with a human, knowing it was forbidden?”

One of Luke’s laws. “
I fell in love with her…”
He stared unflinchingly at the most powerful dark paranormal being in the world. “
Because I couldn’t stop myself. She owns me. Owns me. And I can’t just let her die!”

Luke stared back at him. “
Too late, my friend. She’s gone.”

He’d grabbed Luke by the shirt-front, his claws tearing into him. “
Make me a deal. You make deals with everyone else. Give her life back. Help me.”

“
I can’t,
” Luke gritted in response. “
To bring someone back from the dead? That would deplete my power. My enemies would close in. I would be done. The dark would fall.”

“I will take care of your enemies.”

Luke’s gaze had hardened. “
Be careful what you say.”

Rose was still and cold on the bed.
“I will hunt your enemies down. You know I’m the best hunter out there. You keep her in this world—”

“It’s not keeping her here. It’s bringing her back. And believe me, there would be a heavy price for that. Both for me…and for you.”

“I don’t care about the price. I care about her. Only her. And I’ll do anything…”

Then the deal had been set. Rose had come back.

“I tried to do the right thing,” Julian rasped. His hand slowly lowered from her mouth. His blood had dripped down her chin. Steam seemed to rise from her body. “I was sending her away, trying to make her leave because I knew I was bad for her. I hurt the ones close to me, and no one has ever been closer than her.”

Rayce cleared his throat. “Buddy, um, I think we should walk out now. There are some memories that you don’t want to have. And your lady burning? You don’t want to carry that memory.”

His head turned so that he was staring at the wolf. “Do you think I would ever let her die alone?”

Rayce’s jaw hardened.

No, dying alone wouldn’t happen.

He used his claws to cut his wrist even deeper. “I just have to give her more blood. It worked before. It will work again.”

“No,” Luke told him. “I’m so fucking sorry, but it won’t. My brother was made to be my opposite. His blood can destroy dark paranormals just as mine…mine destroys the light. We’ve both always known we were poison.”