Vampires Never Cry Wolf (17 page)

“Fine by me,” Killian murmured.

Fully aware he was pushing her buttons, to say nothing of the levels of propriety in front of the czar, Killian continued. He closed the distance between them slowly, but Sadie didn't retreat. She held her ground and met his challenging stare with one of her own. Her simmering brown eyes were filled with more than anger, and beneath her fury he sensed lust. A smile curved Killian's mouth as he inched close enough to touch her. Sadie wavered slightly, even though her feet remained planted firmly in one spot. His gaze danced over her perfectly crafted features.

Keeping his urge to touch her chained beneath the surface, he whispered, “And by the way, Ms. Pemberton, you aren't the only one who can show a little self-control. I make you this promise, with your maker here as a witness. I will not touch you from this point forward
unless
you tell me to.” Leaning closer still, her body scant inches from his, he growled, “And we both know you will. It's only a matter of time.”

Sadie's eyes widened in shock before her mouth snapped shut with an indignant yelp. Without waiting for her to formulate any kind of retort, Killian turned to Olivia. She looked more than a little amused by the previous exchange.

“Thank you for your help with this, Olivia.” Killian shook the czar's hand and turned to Sadie. “Shall we?”

Without a word, Sadie spun on her heels and threw open the door, leaving in a silent furious blur. Killian smoothed the lapels of his jacket and bowed his head to Olivia before following Sadie out.

“Good luck, Your Highness!” Olivia shouted after him. “You're going to need it.”

As Killian followed Sadie out into the Presidium's waiting room, he had a feeling he was going to need more than luck.

They walked in silence side by side through the underground stone hallways of the Presidium, and Killian noted the detailed workmanship. Aside from the intricate stone archways, there were beautiful carvings throughout. The cavernous passages were lit with iron chandeliers that had been modernized to electricity years earlier. It was an impressive facility, and a fascinating combination of the past and present. What made it even more intriguing was that the city of Manhattan bustled above with no knowledge of the world that thrived beneath.

“Xavier's lab is just around this corner.” Sadie didn't look at him, pointing to a corridor on the left. “I'll make sure you get back to street level, and then you can be on your way. I have work to do and I'm sure you do too. Besides, I have a feeling that
partner
of yours is going to keep you jumping. She seems like a real barrel of laughs.”

Killian suppressed the grin that threatened to bloom when Sadie mentioned Christina. Whether or not Sadie wanted to admit it, she was jealous. He wasn't looking to have two women fight over him, and yet he felt a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing that Sadie had Christina on her radar.

“I've known Christina my entire life. She's more like a kid sister than anything else.”

“Right,” Sadie scoffed. “I've never seen a sister paw at her brother that way. Talk about inappropriate. Anyway, she seems like exactly the kind of woman you should be with. She's rich, well-groomed, and stuck-up. Sounds like a match made in heaven.”

“It's true that Christina's life has been one of absolute privilege, and I can assure you that I have no illusions about her motivation. She wants to be queen. There's no mystery there.”

“She may not be mysterious, but she's certainly beautiful,” Sadie said quietly with a quick look at Killian. “Regal, almost. She already looks like a queen. The duds she had on last night probably cost more than everything I own put together.”

“Perhaps.” Killian kept his voice low and fought the urge to reach out and tangle her fingers in his. He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans instead. They stopped in front of a set of massive stainless-steel doors and Sadie pressed a panel to the left. Desperate to touch her, Killian inched closer and breathed her in. Her spicy, exotic scent filled his nostrils and instantly brought back memories of their tryst at the club last night. There was no sign of the heartbeat she'd miraculously attained after drinking his blood, and she was doing her best to pay him as little attention as possible. He kept his gaze on her.

“Sadie, I promise you that in spite of her best efforts, Christina will not be my queen.”

“Why not?” Sadie pressed the panel again and folded her arms over her chest. “Where the hell is Xavier?”

Silence filled the hallway and he felt Sadie's unusual energy humming around him again like music. She bit her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut as Killian's gaze slid over her delicate, curvy profile. The long, dark ponytail swung temptingly at the middle of her back, right above the delicious dip of her waist. He suppressed a groan of driving need. Damn it all. The only thing he could think about was rubbing the silky strands between his fingers.

“Aside from the fact that I can't stop thinking about you…I don't love Christina and I'm not attracted to her. At all.” His hands clasped casually in front of him, he smirked. “You don't have anything to be jealous about.”

“Why, you arrogant bastard.” Eyes flashing, Sadie spun around and poked him in the chest with one finger, getting right in his face. “I am not jealous. I was simply making an observation.”

Killian dipped his head low so that their mouths were scant inches apart. “So was I.”

The thick pulse of desire swirled around them and Killian breathed her in, which only served to entice him beyond reason. Sadie's eyes widened and her curvy body wavered ever so slightly, making the thin, cool fabric of her T-shirt brush against him. A growl rumbled in his chest, heat coiling in his gut, and every inch of him hardened to the point of pain. Sadie's lips parted on a sigh, and for a split second, he thought she was going to cave in and kiss him.

The sudden and sharp clanging of a lock slipping open echoed through the cavernous stone halls. The massive steel door slid open, breaking the spell. Sadie blinked and practically jumped away from him, trying to act as though they hadn't been eye-fucking each other about two seconds earlier. Unable to resist the temptation to tease her, Killian reached out and whispered into her mind.
I'd say that round goes to me. Wouldn't you agree?

Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, she shot back a response with all the spice and sass he loved:
No, actually, I wouldn't.
Sadie narrowed her eyes and flicked them down to the growing evidence of their encounter. Folding her arms across her breasts, she gave him a satisfied grin before walking toward the open door.
I'm not the one with a big hard-on.

Unable to argue with that true and sexually frustrating fact, Killian buttoned his jacket before following her in. The vampire who greeted them was not at all who or what Killian was expecting. The fellow was only about three feet tall, for one. In addition to a shock of white hair on his head, he had a giant smile on his face that was clearly meant for Sadie.

“Hello, Sadie girl!” he shouted. The smile faltered when he spotted Killian. “I see you brought a friend. You must be Killian.”

“Great,” Sadie groaned. She shot Xavier a mortified look before walking past the two men into the lab.

“I see Sadie has told you about me.” Killian shook Xavier's much smaller hand and gave Sadie a sly smile. If Sadie had mentioned him to her friend, he could only take that as a good sign. “Thank you for your help with this.”

“Yes.” Xavier chuckled and flew back into the lab. The doors shut silently behind Killian. “Right this way. Olivia texted me that you had some letters that need to be examined for evidence. Correct?”

“What are these letters, anyway?” Sadie asked. She looked genuinely concerned, seated on a stool near Xavier.

“Threats,” Killian said casually. He pulled out a stool on the other side of the table and sat down. He reached over and handed the ominous notes to Xavier. “Looks like a few of your people have their panties in a wad about the Loup Garou opening here in the city.” He winked. “People aside from you.”

Sadie rolled her eyes and suppressed a smile as she scooted closer to Xavier, peering over his shoulder at the notes. Her reaction, albeit a small one, gave him hope.

“Were they mailed?” Xavier pushed his glasses onto his head. “Dropped off? What? Are there envelopes?”

“No. The first two were slipped under the front door of the club, but this last one, the more threatening message, was slipped beneath the door of my office.” Killian leveled a serious look at Sadie. “
In
my club.”

“Alright. I'll run an analysis on the paper for trace DNA evidence and see what we come up with. Did anyone else handle these?”

“Aside from you, just me and Olivia.” Killian snapped his fingers. “And one human. He's the foreman on the construction at the club. Mike.”

“Can you get me a DNA sample?” Xavier popped his glasses back down and perused the note some more. “Hair maybe?”

“How do you suppose I go about that?” Killian asked, running a hand through his hair as frustration started percolating. He just wanted to open his club and do his thing. All of these complications were starting to piss him off. “Not to sound ungrateful, but do you suggest I just walk up to the guy and ask him for a hair sample?”

“I see your point.” Xavier looked at Sadie and his white eyebrows flew up. “It seems our friend here could use the glamouring skills of a well-schooled vampire.”

“I can't—”

“Sure you can.” Xavier elbowed her playfully. “You're great at it, and it really would be a help to me, Sadie girl.”

“Xavier.” Sadie let out a sound of frustration and looked from Xavier to Killian and back again. “Okay, fine. I'll do it. But that's it. After that, I leave the sleuthing to you.”

“Perfect.” Killian rose to his feet. “In fact, Mike should still be there. We can kill two birds with one stone, because this will give me a chance to show you around the club. Just like you promised.”

Sadie narrowed her eyes.
You're really enjoying this, aren't you?

I
have
to
admit
that
watching
you
squirm
is
kind
of
amusing.

“Sadie girl, come on over here. I'll give you a sterile evidence bag.” The scientist flew to the other side of the room and waved for Sadie to follow him. “I'll give you a swab too. If you could get me both hair and saliva samples, that would be best.”

Killian walked around and perused the rest of the lab while Sadie and Xavier chatted quietly in the back. He could have eavesdropped if he'd wanted, using the heightened hearing of his wolf, but he didn't. He wasn't interested in violating her privacy. If he wanted her to trust him, giving her space was a good place to start.

* * *

Sadie couldn't ignore Killian if she tried, and damn if she hadn't been trying since they left Xavier's lab. Xavier had taken the watch monitor from her so he could download the information it had gathered, but she doubted it would shed much light on her weird situation.

While making their way through the Presidium's hallways, she blamed the close proximity to Killian for why she couldn't escape the attraction. It was bullshit. Walking alongside him, with his woodsy scent surrounding her, Sadie knew it wouldn't matter where she was. Killian Bane would always be nearby—the man had gotten in her head and under her skin.

And he knew it.

She'd tried to act like she was pissed at him back at Olivia's office and failed miserably. Pushing him away seemed like the smart choice, and yet he seemed totally unwilling to allow her to get away with it. It was monumentally frustrating to stand her ground when the guy could make her laugh at the most annoying moments. Her father had been able to do that with her mother. No matter how upset Sadie's mama may have been with him, her daddy had a way of getting past it and finding her funny bone. It was charming and disarming, and until Killian, she'd never met a man who could defuse her anger like that.

“The entrance to the subway tunnels is just up ahead.” Sadie nodded to a doorway down the hallway on the left. “The sun isn't down quite yet, so we can't go to street level. As much as I love the summer, the shorter nights are a bitch. We should be able to use the subway tunnels to make our way over to your club.”

“My club?” Killian's deep voice echoed through the halls, surrounding her. “There's no underground entrance into my club.”

“You sure about that?” Sadie stopped at the black-paneled doorway and pressed the button on the left. “Your Highness?”

“Positive.” Killian's eyes narrowed and he peered at her with his usual air of confidence. “Ms. Pemberton.”

The door opened silently and a rush of damp warm air came with it, making Sadie's ponytail flutter behind her like wings. She stepped into the tunnel with Killian close behind. The door slid shut, leaving them both in the dimly lit tunnel of the New York City subway system.

“You're awfully cocky for a guy who's new to this city.” Sadie hopped off the ledge and onto the tracks. Killian followed and quickly matched her pace. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because we sealed the entrance,” he said calmly.

“What?” Sadie stopped short but Killian kept moving. His tall form cut a striking figure even in the dingy, dank subway tunnel. “You closed off the entrance? Does Olivia know that?”

“I don't know.” Killian glanced over his shoulder at her briefly before continuing on his way. “It's my club and my building. Ivan and David found the entrance during one of our initial tours of the facility. They picked up a vampire scent. Granted it was old and no vamps had likely been there for some time. The building had been empty for years, after all. Anyway, we thought it would be a good idea to get rid of it.”

Sadie watched him saunter along the tracks and shook her head. The guy looked remarkably comfortable and didn't seem to have a worry in the world. He didn't seem fazed in the least that he was deep within vampire territory. She should probably be annoyed, and yet to Sadie's surprise, she found his confidence refreshing.

And sexy.

Drat.

Like it or not, she was undeniably attracted to Killian. No matter how much she wanted to ignore it, she couldn't. She was going to have to deal with her feelings so that she and Killian could get past this
thing
between them. After all, there wasn't any way for them to have a future together.

In a blur of speed, Sadie flew up to meet him. To her delight, he flinched when she landed next to him. His light brown eyes glinted at her and the lines at the corners deepened as he smiled.

“Not bad.” Slipping his hands in his pockets, he nodded with approval. “I knew you were fast. You're quiet too.”

“Yeah, well. I have to tell you that this is the slowest I've ever moved through these tunnels.” She made a sweeping gesture with both arms. “Especially ones like this that are still in use. Can you move any faster? I'd prefer not to get hit by a train, and even though this line doesn't run as often as some of the others, it's still active. No offense, but you're kind of slow.”

“Me? Slow?” Killian stopped dead in his tracks and his hand went to his chest, feigning injury. He leaned closer, dropping both arms to his sides, and whispered. “I guess you've never run with a wolf.”