I Hunger for You Page 5

  “Is sex all you think about?”

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s my line.”

  He gave a slight shrug. “You know how I like variety. And I’ve never done it in the girl’s locker room.”

  Mia didn’t say anything else, and when she left the workout room, he didn’t follow her, yet she could feel his attention focused tightly on her. She was aware of his straining not to come after her, and she knew he was aware of her fight to keep from going back to him. It was a victory that she made it out to the hall and down the stairs.

  She hoped he wouldn’t be waiting for her after she took a long, hot shower and then lingered in the locker room for a long talk with a friend. But Colin was waiting by the entrance when she came upstairs, his back to her. He was facing the wide glass doors, talking on his cell phone. There was no way out of the building but past him.

  She heard him say, “Thanks, Dom.” Then he turned around, smiling at her, the phone already off and tucked away.

  She didn’t know what to make of this man who had left her suddenly getting so clingy. “I’m fine,” she insisted, waving him toward the door. “Go home.”

  “Right,” he said, taking her by the arm. “Let’s go home. I’ll drive.”

  “My car’s in the lot.”

  “I know. Mine’s parked next to it. I’ll drive.”

  “Oh, for crying out—”

  “What were you doing at the airport?” he asked as he ushered her outside.

  The fitness center was open twenty-four/seven, and it was late. There was little traffic on the street, and no one on the sidewalk but the two of them. This privacy, and the intimacy of his hand on her arm, disturbed Mia greatly. It depressed her, as well. Even his solicitousness was depressing.

  It seemed like Colin was always taking her home. To her home, never his. She really knew very little about him, except that he loved being the knight in shining Kevlar, and was great in bed. And that he couldn’t be tied down by one woman.

  “If I answer your question, will you answer one for me, for once?”

  “I told you I was on business,” he anticipated her question. “That woman didn’t mean anything to me.”

  Mia chuckled. “What you do with other women is not my business,” she reminded him.

  “You were jealous.”

  “I was annoyed at myself.”

  “For being jealous.”

  “What is the matter with you?” she demanded. “I’m trying to be civil, but you keep—coming on to me.”

  “Sorry,” he said, and let go of her. “Is that better?”

  She nodded, though she could still feel the possessive warmth of his touch on her skin.

  “Now, where have you been? What were you doing at the airport?”

  She didn’t know why he sounded suspicious. Maybe just because he was a cop.

  “I was out of town doing research.” It was more or less the truth; let Colin think it was research for a story. “And caught a ride home on a private plane. My turn?”

  They turned the corner and walked uphill toward the three-story parking garage at the end of the block. An alley cut between the fitness center building and the garage. The streetlights were spaced farther apart on this side street, and the one nearest the parking lot was out. There was suddenly something very still and spooky about the darkness.

  Fighting off primitive uneasiness, Mia said, “I heard about a bank robbery that SWAT was called in on, while I was in the locker room.”

  Her friend had said, “The news said that a sharpshooter took out two of the robbers. Was that your boyfriend?”

  “Were you the shooter?” Mia asked Colin. She felt him tense.

  “It was me.”

  She stopped and turned to face him, putting a hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded.

  Colin stared at the mortal woman. Just when he thought she was going to rag on him some more about their breakup, she started worrying about him. Every time he convinced himself that his fascination with her was purely sexual, she did something that rattled him.

  “I’m fine,” he told her, too aware of her touch, too aware of her compassion. “I’m bloodthirsty, remember?” There was no way a mortal woman could understand and accept this literal truth the way a vampire female would.

  “Good,” she said, growing suddenly tense. She looked around very slowly and carefully, and whispered, “I think bloodthirsty is about to come in handy.”

  He became aware of the threat a moment before she spoke.

  Mia no doubt saw shadows moving toward them, two out of the alley up ahead, and another pair from around the corner behind them.

  What he noticed before seeing any shapes was dark mental energy, the malevolent psychic signature of Tribe vampires. They’d dropped their shielding as one, wanting him to know they were there. The intensity of their regard sent a stab of pain through his head.

  “Games,” he said, and smiled grimly. His blood suddenly sang with the joy of the hunt. “I like games.”

  “Colin, I think—”

  “Don’t think. Go on instinct.”

  She took something out of her gym bag. If it was a gun it wasn’t going to do any good, but he didn’t tell her so.

  “Parking lot,” he said. Grabbing her around the waist, he picked her up and ran.

  Chapter Six

  Mia might have protested being carried like a child, if she wasn’t so shocked at Colin’s speed and agility. It seemed like it only took him a few steps to reach and dart around the two vampires in the alley. She caught the flash of fangs and glowing eyes as they passed, and brought her hand up enough to squeeze off a blast of aerosol into the vampire’s face.

  When his only reaction was a sputtered cough and a slight turning of his head, she realized she’d pulled out a canister of pepper spray instead of the garlic mixture she’d reached for. But at least it took the monster’s attention away from Colin for a moment.

  As Colin sprinted ahead, she could hear the footsteps of the two from the street pounding up to join the ones from the alley.

  Somebody yelled, “This is no way to run an ambush. I told you to wait!”

  “You don’t give orders, exile,” an arrogant voice answered.

  While the vampires behind them argued, Colin leaped over a ramp barrier and put her down on the other side. All the parking stalls on the ground floor were empty. Her breathing seemed to echo loudly in the vacant space. The garage wasn’t well lit, and Colin dragged her farther into shadow behind a thick concrete pillar.

  “Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’ve called for backup.”

  She had no idea when he could possibly have done that, but this was hardly the time to argue. “Those—men—” She tried to warn him, but she didn’t know how. “Did you see their—”

  “Great makeup. It’s a cult. Don’t worry about it.”

  He was right, there was no time to worry. “How do we get out of here?”

  “Up,” he said. He snatched her gym bag from her and dropped it on the ground. “Run,” he ordered, and gave her a slight push.

  Mia pelted up the curve of the parking ramp. The sooner she got to her car, the sooner she could get to the antivampire weapons stowed in the trunk.

  She was aware of the pounding of her feet on the concrete, of the roar of her heart and her own breathing, but she didn’t hear Colin behind her. Even a quick look back would slow her down, though, and she needed those weapons!

  Besides, Colin was a dangerous man, and he could move silent as a cat.

  She didn’t look back even when she heard shouts, or the meaty sound of a blow. A few more steps, and she’d reached the second level, where her car was parked.

  Damn it! Her keys were in the bag Colin had tossed aside.

  She started to turn back, then felt air coldly caress her face as something flew past. The next moment, a vampire was standing in front of her. It was the pale-haired one who’d first come after her.

  Mi
a came to a jarring halt, just in time to keep from running into the monster’s widespread arms.

  “We meet again,” he said.

  He was smug, smiling, and even in the semi-darkness she could see the obscenely long fangs protruding over his red lips. He held out a taloned hand.

  “Come along, and nobody gets hurt,” he told her.

  “He’s lying!” Colin shouted from below. “Don’t let him touch you!”

  “Don’t listen to him,” the vampire said. “You’ll beg for my protection after he’s dead.”

  She heard the sounds of fighting. Colin was outnumbered, surrounded. He needed help.

  The vampire stepped toward her, and she backpedaled quickly. Her impulse was to turn and run, but Mia couldn’t bear to turn her back on the fanged creature.

  “Enough of this,” he said, and rushed toward her.

  Mia dove sideways and flattened herself on the concrete.

  A vehicle swerved into the parking lot below, crashing through the barrier, and then its bright headlights raked up the curving ramp ahead of the roaring engine. Mia watched in astonishment as two figures jumped out the back doors while the huge SUV was still moving. And suddenly Colin wasn’t alone in fighting the vampires.

  The car kept coming, as big as a tank, straight toward the blond vampire. He jumped just an instant before the SUV would have hit him, landed on the roof with a heavy thud of boots, then leaped again completely into thin air from the second story of the garage.

  As he disappeared, the SUV came to a halt next to where Mia cowered against the ramp’s inside wall. The driver opened the door and looked calmly down at Mia.

  “Hi, I’m Domini. The guy with the beard down there is Tony. The one with the cleft chin is my Alec.” The dark-haired woman got out and helped Mia to her feet. “Welcome to—” She put her arm out to stop Mia from running toward the fighting.

  “Colin needs help!” Mia protested.

  “Help’s here,” Domini said. “No need for us to interrupt the boys when they’re fighting. You know how much they enjoy it.”

  The woman’s cheerfulness and enigmatic words confused Mia further. “Who are you? What are you doing here? And thanks,” she added, finally realizing that she’d been rescued from the vampires. Relief flooded her as she realized who the rescuers might be. “Are you hunt—”

  Colin ran up to her before she could finish. The next thing she knew, she was wrapped in his tight embrace, and his mouth came down hard and fiercely on hers. All the fear and excitement in her shifted instantly to desire, and she responded just as hungrily. She lost herself to the need.

  Until someone coughed loudly.

  Domini said, “You guys want to use the back seat? Concrete can be so hard on the back.”

  “And the knees,” one of the men added.

  Someone else said, “There are alarms going off. We really ought to leave before the police—”

  “The police are here,” Colin said, lifting his head from hers.

  “But this isn’t the kind of rumble you want to report,” one of the men said.

  Mia was glad that Colin’s arms were around her, because her knees were weak. She supposed she ought to be embarrassed by this visceral reaction to danger, but it felt so right to be alive and with Colin. Her body was full of lust, but she fought to focus her attention on the three newcomers. Domini, Tony, and Alec were all tall, dark-haired, attractive, and dressed in black.

  “What happened to the—those—” While everyone stared at her, Mia finally remembered what Colin had called their attackers. “Cultists?” She couldn’t bring herself to use the word vampire until she was sure of who their rescuers were. “Who are you?” she added.

  “The cowards ran away when my backup showed.” Colin gestured toward the one with the chin. “That’s my cousin Alec, and his lady Domini. And that’s her cousin—”

  “Identifications have already been made,” Domini interrupted him.

  Tony gave her a charming smile. “You’re Mia. I’m delighted. Let’s go,” he said to Colin.

  Colin glared at Tony. “I thought you said there weren’t any of them in town.”

  “I said I hadn’t found any yet. Looks like they found you.”

  “Why?” Alec questioned.

  “Has anyone asked the local hunters if they know anything?” Domini questioned. “Aren’t they the ones who keep tabs on the bad guys?”

  Tony made a sour face. “We don’t communicate much with—them.”

  “Maybe we should. Look, I could—”

  “No,” Tony cut her off. “I said I’d find out about their being in town. I’ll set up a meeting with the hunters—cranks and loons though they are.”

  The man didn’t sound at all happy about it, but Mia was overjoyed to hear mention of local hunters. Chances were that Colin and his friends thought that vampires were some kind of nut cult. Tony clearly thought that those who hunted so-called vampires were also nuts, so this was no time to point out that vampires were real, and that she was a hunter.

  Still, if this Tony could help her contact the local hunters…

  “Come on,” Colin said. He led her up the ramp. “Now I really am going to drive you home.”

  Chapter Seven

  The only thing that seemed real in the whole surrealistic incident was Colin’s kissing her. Mia’s lips were still alive with the memory of it, and her body sparked with need.

  But information was more important than need. Her world had changed so radically in the last few days, she didn’t know what reality was anymore. Now it looked like even Colin had secrets connected with the dark underworld she’d so recently entered. She needed to know them without giving her own away.

  “Colin, I—”

  “Don’t ask,” he said.

  Mia’s hand was on his arm. He didn’t think she was aware of touching him, but the contact sizzled all through him. She’d sat beside him on the drive, stunned and confused, and the hunger for each other buzzed silently between them. Now as he turned onto her street, she was growing curious, restless, wanting answers.

  “Those people,” she said. “Your relatives. What were they doing—”

  “I shouldn’t have introduced you.”

  What was wrong with him? How stupid was he? By all that was holy and sane in his world, he had no business giving information and the names of his kind to an outsider, a mortal.

  “I told you I called for backup,” he told her. “One of them is a retired cop. The other two—”

  Damn! He was doing it again. When had it gotten so easy to spill his guts to this woman who was supposed to be a passing fancy?

  “Forget about them,” he said. “Your knowing about them isn’t important. You won’t see them again.”

  “Why not?” Mia asked. Her attitude stiffened with hurt and anger. “Aren’t I good enough to meet your family?”

  The question, and the pain she tried to hide, tore Colin in two opposite directions. He couldn’t very well say, “No, not really,” without hurting her further. He hadn’t meant to drag her into his world, a place where she did not belong.

  “What were they doing there?” she asked. “What do they—you—have to do with this so-called vampire cult?”

  “I can’t answer that.”

  He was going to have to make her forget it all, especially any reference to vampires. But the woman was both stubborn and psychic. It wasn’t going to be easy to alter her memories.

  “Won’t answer, you mean.”

  “Yeah. Won’t,” he admitted. “I’m sorry you’ve gotten involved.” He pulled into her driveway and turned off the engine.

  He could tell his words weren’t reassuring her. In fact, he felt her growing not only annoyed, but more suspicious by the moment.

  “Why have you really been following me?” she demanded. “Why are you always around lately? I know you don’t want anything to do with me, so there’s an ulterior motive, isn’t there? Are you using me as bait to draw these—cultists—ou
t?”

  “That’s a good theory,” he admitted. “But the farthest thing from the truth. All I want to do is help you.”

  Maybe he had sort of been stalking her, but he’d thought the only harm was to his own sanity. The results were proving dangerously unhealthy for her, though, as well as for his mental health.

  “This is all my fault, Mia. I can’t explain, and I know you don’t think you have any reason to trust me. And you don’t, not on a personal level. But I will get these nuts out of your life, and keep you safe. Then I’ll go.”

  “Maybe I don’t—”

  Another car pulled in behind his. Was she going to tell him she didn’t want him to stay, or that she didn’t want him to go? He got out of his car and hurried toward the other vehicle.

  Tony Crowe stepped out of Mia’s car and tossed her gym bag and keys to Colin. “Thought the lady would like to have these.”

  Colin caught Mia’s stuff and glanced behind him. Mia was standing in the driveway. It was his turn to toss the keys to her as she started toward them. “Go inside.”

  “I beg your—”

  Go inside.

  The telepathic order came not only from him but from Tony, as well. Though Tony did add please when he intruded into Mia’s mind.

  Go to bed, Colin said. Sleep.

  Mia moved with slow reluctance, and kept glancing back toward them as she went toward the front door.

  Colin glared at the other Prime when she was safely inside the house. “I don’t need your help.”

  “Yeah. You do,” Tony declared bluntly. “Remember Serisa’s plan for this mortal? You aren’t part of it. Alec, Domini, and I are supposed to protect the woman and find the Tribe pack. Your job is to take out the Patron. What were you doing with her tonight?”

  “Protecting her,” Colin answered. “Which was more than you were doing. I knew where to find her—”

  “Which you should have told one of us.”

  “I want to protect her.”

  “Does she belong to you, then? Do you claim her?”