Three
“I can’t do another. Can’t concentrate anymore.”
“Sun’s up. Neither can I,” Kwano agreed. “We’re finished for tonight. Let’s get something to eat and go down for the day.”
The two vampires headed to the large table in the center of the big room. Kwano studied the FP unit to see what had been programmed into it. “Lots of nice choices.”
As he chose some items, he saw the exhausted Saul drop into a seat and lower his head onto his folded arms.
“You’re good at this, Saul. I’ve watched you. Your instincts, your compassion, the gentleness with which you handle each case, are exactly the right way to discover each person’s truth.”
Saul lifted his head. “I just know what it’s like to have your world torn away.”
So there was quite a backstory with Saul, Kwano thought. “I won’t push you to explain that now, maybe someday. When you’re ready. Okay, after we eat, we’ll feed the others and crash.”
Lifting off the chair, Saul pulled down six plates for the remaining vampires they would vet tonight as Kwano programmed in large portions of a potato casserole to share with everyone.
“Do you want to do Barringer tonight, or would you prefer I do him? We already know he kidnapped Dani and threatened to rape her. You knew him before this incident, though. Are you comfortable with assessing him?”
“I am. While I had a passing acquaintance with him several years ago, it never went beyond that. He’s a wild card and his actions last night are unacceptable. Does he deserve to die for that? Is he a threat to us or others? Maybe. It’ll interview him. Then, I guess it’s up to Xavier.”
“All right. Come on, fill your plates. It may be only a cot, but I can’t wait to crawl into it.”
Saul watched as Kwano took over kitchen duties and prepared each waiting plate. Glancing into the corner of the room where the final six sat corralled, he watched Barringer on his cot, his eyes hard, pissed; a compelled vampire that couldn’t understand how.
This was ugly business. That he was now powerful enough to control vampires still freaked him out. Should anyone have the power to control another person’s body? No, they truly shouldn’t. Compulsion allowed too much room for unacceptable abuse. Yet he was grateful that within the first blood community he’d met only honorable people who used their abilities for the good of humanity.
A slow smile replaced his tight-lipped grimace. He was part of this incredible race that topped the evolutionary scale. For a man who had wandered through centuries without family or close ties of any kind, to have this type of connection, to be a part of such a beautiful clan; Saul had no words.
His eyelids dropped hard and he gave in to sweet sleep.
At Hunter HQ
“Dani, you finished all those profiles already?”
Sanquinetta whistled. “You are on it this morning.”
“Thank you. I needed the distraction.” Dani tried to cover a yawn when she noticed San’s eyes on hers.
“You’re tired. Did you sleep much last night?”
“Honestly? Not much. I’m okay.”
Jack put his hand over Dani’s monitor. “You’ve done a lot today, but it’s obvious you need some rest. Go home, young human, before I take you there myself. You know I know where you live.”
Eyes rolling, she pushed him away. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the loan of your house you can’t live in anymore.”
A second yawn made Jack and Sanquinetta’s point as she backed him up. “Go. We’ll finish after you’ve had a nice uninterrupted stretch in Jack’s bed. Not too many women can say that.”
“Whatthefuckever.” Jack lifted Dani from her seat. “This is an order, lady. Go. Sleep.”
“All right, you mother hens.”
Dani snatched her bag as a third lengthy yawn came, and nodded, the gesture almost too hard to do. “See you tomorrow.”
The journey back to her borrowed home couldn’t be quick enough. As soon as she entered, she dropped her bag, walked through the sunlit rooms, dropped every stitch of clothing on the floor as she moved, and fell into the king-sized bed that could easily fit three more people. Pulling a double layer of soft sheets up, she fell into deep sleep almost immediately.
Dani shot up. Something had wakened her. Movement? Yes, someone had passed the opened glass door that led to the elevated deck off her bedroom. Waning sunlight cast long shadows eerily across the now empty space.
“Who’s here?”
No one answered her loud demand. Moments passed before a dark silhouette moved from the corner of the room to block the dying light. Male. He was big, his shape showed thick muscles, back-lit by the weakened sun, and Dani could see no evidence of clothing. This man was naked.
Before he could move forward, she had her hand curled around the XT45 handgun she kept near her pillow. Hunters hated to be without a good weapon. Especially when as vulnerable as alone in bed asleep.
“Stop. I have a gun aimed right at your chest.”
The low rumble of a laugh surprised her only slightly more than the fact that the voice sounded familiar. There wasn’t a tinge of fear in it.
“Who are you? What the fuck are you doing here?”
“It’s Saul. Dani?”
What was Saul doing in her bedroom? She pushed back further against the headboard, setting her feet in front of her, the gun straight out, held steady in both hands.
“Yeah. What are you doing here, Saul?”
“I have no idea.”
No idea? Huh? She realized she was shaking her head over and over. These were the oddest couple of days.
“Saul, why did you come here?”
The big shape moved closer. “I really don’t know what I’m doing here. Honestly, Dani, I would never just show up in your bedroom.” He paused before he continued. “And I seem to be naked.”
“So am I, but that’s typical when I go to bed. Look, I think you’re a good man, but you can’t expect to invade my home and come into my bedroom like this. I don’t know what you think you’re going to do, but you can forget it buddy. You might not die if I shoot you, but it’s sure the fuck going to hurt when I pump lead into your cock.”
She saw his hand drop between his legs to cup an obviously erect penis.
“Whoa. Look, something else is going on here. Did you notice something? The sun is still in the sky. It’s low, but it’s there.”
“So?”
“Think about that.”
The answer struck her at once. “You’re vampire.”
“Bingo. And I can’t stand in front of an open glass door with a setting sun shining on me. Not without burning. Something isn’t right.”
Dani closed her eyes and reached out to the spirit world. No, something wasn’t right here. Her eyes shot open again when she knew the truth.
“We’re not awake. Saul, you’re a dream walker?”
“Um. I don’t know. Maybe? I’m still discovering my first blood skills.”
Hesitating only a moment longer, Dani lowered the gun and slid forward, pulling one of the sheets around her.
“You’re in my room and we’re asleep. I can’t dream walk, so it has to be you.”
“Really? You think I can go into someone’s mind while they sleep?”
She smiled. “It would appear so.”
Which begged the answer to her next question.
“Why did you choose here? Why have you come to me?”
Saul stepped forward out of the doorway, moving to the side of the bed. The remaining sunlight illuminated his body.
God, he was beautiful! Dani tried to lower her eyes, but she couldn’t look away. Saul still massaged the tip of his hardened cock just inches from her, the most arousing thing she’d ever seen. Moisture pumped between her legs, and she was grateful for the sheet wrapped around her.
His eyes glistened, his teeth white as he smiled down at her. “It’s self-explanatory. My reaction to you when we met was, uh, highly erotic under the circumstances. I know you were in danger, I was there to protect you, but I had a powerful reaction to you. And I think you felt the same way.”
Truth. Okay.
Dani shrugged, hoping to downplay the attraction. They were going to have to work together, this couldn’t happen.
“I acknowledge that. You’re fifty layers of masculine hotness, I admit it. Yeah, we both felt the sexual pull, but we’re going to be working together. We aren’t going to date. Or fuck.”
“Even so, I’m here, without choice, because apparently my mind sought you out, and apparently, it wanted me to be naked when it did. And you too.”
“This is ridiculous, Saul. Go back to the brewery and sleep this off.”
“I would, but I don’t think I have any control over this. I’m asleep, Dani, and so are you. How do we make our dream avatars do what we want them to do?”
“I really don’t know.”
“And on that point…”
Saul surged forth and lowered himself onto the bed on his knees. “If we both want to, and this is a dream world, why can’t we enjoy each other?”
“No. Bad precedent. I assume we’d remember when we woke, so as far as this goes, it will be like we fucked in real life. We’ll have those memories.”
“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. May I?”
His outstretched hand was only a few inches from her face.
She should say no. Stay by her conviction that anything intimate between them couldn’t happen. Even if, in reality, it didn’t.
But she nodded.
Gently at first, fingertips only, Saul touched Dani’s cheek, moved down to her lips, then when his thumb pressed between them, she opened up and sucked it in.
It was a mistake, she knew it instantly, because it proved what he already knew, that she wanted to touch him too. That this wasn’t reality and that what happened in the dream world didn’t count.
God, she hoped not, because when Saul slid closer, she let the sheet she held like a shield against her chest, slide.
Eyes dropping as the sheet dropped, Saul stared at full round breasts and dark nipples he’d thought of since he first saw them, and after only a second’s hesitation, slid his hands from Dani’s face down her body, slowly, until they rested on her waist as his lips and tongue tugged on nipples begging him to continue.
The wise thing to do would be to push him away, but Dani laid back. Shaking her head, she pressed it into her fluffy pillow even though Saul’s hands slid lower, lifting her buttocks as he slid the sheet away and unwrapped her completely.
“I plan to take my time, little hunter. Are you okay with that?”
His voice had turned her on from the first moment she’d heard it. Now, his breath as he spoke blew across her breasts while his fingers slid from her buttocks and between her legs.
“Yeah, I’m okay with that,” she barked out, low, not even sure she’d actually spoken until his tongue took its time sliding down the center of her chest to land just above her slit.
“Good choice.”
She wanted to see; wanted to watch him. Just enough light remained in the sky when she lifted up on her arms to see his tongue stroke her and then…Saul faded.
Dani startled awake in complete darkness, disoriented, her head fuzzy, unable to remember where she was. Catching her breath, she pushed off the bed and stood facing the open French door that led to her balcony. A crescent moon winked at her as bits of memories began to filter through her confusion.
Saul?
Why was Saul on her mind? He’d touched her when forced to by her abductor. No, that wasn’t what she was remembering.
Saul, his hands on her, his tongue wrapped around her breast, then nearing her…
Pushing out a long held breath, she wandered out onto the balcony into cool night air and a stiff breeze that bit her bare skin.
“A dream,” she whispered out loud.
And what a dream! It appeared she hadn’t been right when she told Sanquinetta she was over the trauma of her abduction and the weird attraction to her rescuer. Working with him would be difficult.
“Well shit!” Leaning over the elaborate iron railing, she watched barely illuminated waves brush the shoreline under the tiny light of the barely there moon and thousands of twinkling stars.
As always, in a life that spanned decades longer than she’d ever been entitled to, and events that still shocked her even now after all those years, Dani let her mind settle and her heartbeat calm. This wasn’t even a blip on her radar with what she’d been through.
She could work well with every member of this team, the newest vampire included. Yes, her libido fired up at the thought of him, that freaking dream was proof, but it was just a dream. No controlling the subconscious.
Glancing at the projected clock, she saw it was only 8 o’clock. Jack and the others would likely have just gotten to HQ. Getting back to work would be the best thing for her. Forget about Saul, the danger she’d been in, and take care of business.
Her image in the bathroom mirror nodded to her.
“You rise up, girl. Show your metal, earth warrior.”
Stepping into the shower, Dani lathered her hair after a vigorous scrub, enjoying the warm water coursing through her hair and against her scalp. She let her guard down for a moment and envisioned the dream. Her recall of every moment of it was shockingly detailed. Saul, walking toward her, the glow of sunlight surrounding him, then the silhouette of his heavy body as he turned and she saw his cock, thick, bouncing as he moved, his fingers still wrapped around it. Yes, he wanted her, and yes, if the dream had continued, she’d have taken that massive penis inside her. He was vampire, and she was ridiculously attracted to him, and knew sex with him would be remarkable.
“Whew.”
Dani lowered her head back to rinse her hair, longer now than she’d ever worn it. She groaned. Waking before they fucked in her dream was fortunate, no matter how much she would have liked to see it through. Just thinking about him, she was wet again. Sliding her fingers between her legs to caress the swollen folds, she began to rub, her eyes closed, but she visualized Saul doing the same thing, his own fingers squeezing his cock.
Oh, Gods, it really was going to be impossibly hard to work with him.
Reaching up, Dani brought the pulsating shower wand lower and leaned against the tile as she visualized Saul’s tongue doing what hard jets of water were.
At Hunter HQ
Kwano shoved Jack so hard he smashed into the brick wall that formed the back of the building.
Recovering from the blow, Jack raced toward Kwano, forcing him into the tile floor, Kwano rolled over using air displacement and easily pinned Jack.
“First bloods are stronger, Jack. Always. I’ll win against you in any physical fight. You have to be smarter to stop me. Use strategy.”
Kwano looked up at Evaleigh and Sanquinetta with raised eyebrows and a grin. “We’re better at everything.”
“Fuck!” Under his breath, Jack spat the one word he could squeeze out since his breathing was cut off.
While Kwano was preening for the ladies, Jack caught him off-guard enough to toss him forward, and as the first blood lost his balance, he crawled out from under him.
“Hah!” Jack ripped the distance between them using air displacement, and stood holding a hot cup of coffee, leaning against the counter. But he was still breathing rough. “Okay. Fuck. Lesson learned. Remind me never to wrestle with Ife. She would kick my ass into the next century. That woman is powerful.”
“She’s an earth warrior, like me.”
Everyone turned to face Dani, who had silently entered the break room where the group often congregated at the beginning of their work “day.”
“Dani!” Evaleigh hadn’t seen Dani since the abduction and rescue, moving to give her friend a hug. Blue eyes searched Dani’s big chocolates. “You seem okay. You look rested.”
“I am okay, Eva.” Dani scanned the other three faces, grateful to see Kwano, and equally grateful not to see Saul.
“Everyone, let’s get back to business. What we do can be dangerous, we all know that. This turned out well. I’m uninjured. Okay, so maybe I’m a little gunshy, but I will work through it with all of your help. I guess I should officially thank you for the rescue.”
“Saul was the one…”
Dani cut Evaleigh off, aware it was abrupt and rude.
“Yes, yes, I know. Speaking of…where is he?”
Jack lowered his mug. “Getting settled in my house. He had just arrived when you were…”
“Got it. Okay. Shall we get to work? San, when do we execute the mission to SoCal?”
“We’ve locked down most of the intel. Tomorrow night, I think.”
“Then tomorrow night, we fly.”
“Crap.”
Jack had hoped to use the tube.
Brushing a hand along his arm as she passed by, Sanquinetta joined Dani and Evaleigh.
“I’ve finished mission specs. Dani, why don’t you come take a look.”
Dani nodded and followed Sanquinetta to her computer station. “What do you figure? Two days?”
“Three. Maybe four. We found out the hunting team has grown to thirteen active fighters and six apprentices. Four people in support and about twelve watchers.”
“Holy shit. Work cut out for us, no doubt. This is good. I need to hop back on the proverbial horse.”
“This should do it. If he’s ready, it would be nice to have Saul on this time. We can really use the extra hand.”
Dani did her best not to react as she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sure.”
If she was lucky, he wouldn’t be ready. Dani glanced around the room she’d come to know so well. Kwano and Jack were finishing up another training moment. The two vampires had wicked senses of humor and played off each other like fine-tuned instruments. Eva was back at her station that included multiple monitors, San at her side as they covered the coming mission, and sighed happily.
This was a family of co-workers and friends she’d come to love. Initially, she had only been expected to pinch hit until another hunter could be brought in after Jack left, but, once here, she’d never left.
The reasons were many, but the sense of belonging and accomplishment made her feel more settled and happy than she had in a long time.
In addition, from that first moment she’d arrived here, she’d sensed something…something indefinable, untouchable. Almost literally on the wind that night…this place, these people, these missions, something here held a destiny that required earth magic. That required her. The odd sense of premonition had lessened, but it was still there, an underlying threat, unknown, but as true as the sun in the sky.
Something was coming. Dani knew with no doubt that she had to be here to protect them all, and she would be.
After the past few days, she could use the distraction and comfort she’d found here; to forget the crazy scary moments of danger and the freaky dream from last night.
Back to normal. Yeah. Back to normal.
As if cued, Sanquinetta’s voice interrupted Dani’s thoughts.
“Jack, get over here and fill everyone in on Raoul.”
Getting one final punch in, that he knew felt like a tap to Kwano, Jack rolled his eyes as he picked up his coffee mug and sauntered over to join the rest of the crew.
“The team we’re purging in L.A. this week was built by an old friend of mine. He’s grown it much larger than I realized. Raoul and I’ve known each other for about fifteen years. He was raised as a hunter just like me and Ben, and he’s a good guy, but he’s a hot-dogger. I hate to admit that we did a lot of damage when we worked together. Thing is, he’s as dedicated as anyone I’ve ever met to eliminating the vampire threat. Last I’d heard, he’d settled down with another hunter. Hell, I thought he’d stopped for a while until San got the word about this large group south of L.A. I hear he’s put together one freaking amazing hunting party.”
“One of the biggest single groups we’ve seen so far. I’ve sent mission specs to everyone’s tablets. Jack, since you’ve been working with weaponry for the last several missions, you and Kwano want to assign weapons?”
“Sure.”
With a nod, Sanquinetta sat on her desk.
“We know the drill. Not much else to do until we depart tomorrow night, right after sunset. And yes, Jack, we’re going in a lift-car. I hate the tube. Too fucking claustrophobic. Plus, weapons can be an issue with public transport.”
The hyperloop that connected all major cities along the west coast would get them from Eugene to L.A. in one third the time, but Sanquinetta threw up the past two times she’d tried it. While she was the toughest of the team’s fighters, small enclosed spaces defeated her.
“I can do it, San, don’t worry.”
“I know, Jack. So, why don’t we get some dinner at The Northern Sun and relax a little? I doubt there’ll be much relaxing for the next several days.”
Everyone was on with the idea.
“Give me and Kwano half an hour to check weapons and we’ll join you. You ladies can go ahead if you’d like.”
Hungry, Sanquinetta agreed. “Okay, we’ll see you soon. Gals?”
Jack and Kwano paused to watch the three female hunters they loved and respected talk animatedly as they left the building. Two incredible fighters, and one brilliant computer genius.
Kwano caught Jack’s eyes. “And they are gorgeous. The scenery doesn’t get much better.”
“I agree. We make a perfect team. With Saul, we’ll be evenly balanced in power. Plus, I can sneak out more often to go home to Brazil.”
“Same. I love it here and plan to stay, but I still miss the roar of the falls back home.”
“Ife wants to take me to Africa next month. I’ve never been, but I’m looking forward to it.”
“Ah, my friend, you have no idea how breathtaking the first blood community is. You may never want to leave.”
“Ife misses home, deeply. I am, uh, told that meeting her father may be, um, challenging?”
Laughing, Kwano opened the weapons vault.
“Don’t worry, Jack. While he is our leader and the most powerful vampire on earth, Ahmose will only kill you if he doesn’t think you’re good enough for her.”
“Hah, hah.” But as he studied Kwano’s face, Jack wasn’t really sure that Kwano was joking. Ah, there’d be a call to Ife tonight.
At The Northern Sun
Feeling more comfortable in familiar surroundings, hungrier than she’d realized, Dani leaned back in the padded chair at a table Quesh kept for their team. At one time Quesh had been read into the vampire world, but now that they had disbanded the original intention of this Remington family vampire hunting group, they didn’t need watchers, so he’d been purged. He remained a good friend to the small team with their re-imagined mission.
The waiter arrived with a welcoming smile, and Sanquinetta leaned toward him at once.
“Hey. Steak. Thick, Rare. Onion rings. Quesh’s seasoned breadsticks. Glenfiddich 12.”
Exchanging glances with Eva, Dani lifted the elaborate menu. Sanquinetta never changed her order, and in her impatience, had established a protocol. Once her order was in, everyone else was free to place their own. It was one of their strange traditions that Dani cherished.
“Turkish salad with chix and chox. Heavy on the dressing. Two big glasses of Trios, please.” Dani had long ago given up real meat, a rarity these days anyway, now that excellent vegan choices like chix, and cheese replacements like chox were available.
Eva had few issues with food; she could eat anything. “I’ll have what Dani ordered, but add the onion rings to it. Just a glass of white wine.”
Their orders placed, the three women sat back and released collective sighs.
“After we eat, I’m going to head right home to sleep into the night and all day tomorrow,” Sanquinetta announced. “You ladies are going to want to drop dead too. I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a frantic week.”
“Then I think I’ll have a little nighttime toddy before we leave.”
“Dani, after two glasses of that colon cleansing Trios, I would hope so.” Evaleigh laughed. “I mean, I know that it’s supposed to be healthy, but it tastes so strange.”
“It does, but I got used to it in Vegas when I was visiting friends last year, and I actually like it. The woman who developed the drink is a brilliant chemist and sister-friend to Olivia.”
“Oh. Big money, that. Trios is kind of a global sensation for dedicated healthies.”
“True, but money isn’t an issue for vampires. Corri felt that the drink would benefit so many people, she decided to produce it. She donates most of the supply to areas that need the nutrition and clean water.”
“It’s admirable. When Saul first suggested I join this group, my first reaction was that there was no way I would work with vampires regularly. I had no idea who and what they were, and while I’m ashamed of my ignorant reaction back then, I’m grateful to have all of you in my life. Saul will tell you that I was a keyboard loner with no life other than the work. I made amazing money solving other people’s tech issues, but it wasn’t a satisfactory life. I wasn’t happy.”
“We’re lucky to have found you.” Sanquinetta leaned forward to caress Evaleigh’s fingers. “These magic hands came to us at the right time.”
The drinks served, the women settled into conversation about the last purge, avoiding Dani’s abduction, well aware it was too sensitive for casual conversation.
Dani stood up. “Before our meals get here, I think I’d better hit the loo. The Trios are working already. Don’t either of you steal my chox if it arrives before it get back.”
Rolling her eyes, Sanquinetta made a gagging sound.
“Your food is safe, darling. Everyone else here eats real food.”
“Ha. See that you do.”
Slowly wandering through the filled tables, Dani felt more like herself tonight. Things would be normal now that they were getting back to routine. This mission was exactly what she needed.
While finishing up in the ladies room, Dani glanced in the mirror. She looked better, her eyes brighter tonight. Good. After a nice meal, another healing night of rest, no dreams please, she could put the abduction behind her, keeping only the lesson not to trust anyone in a dark hallway.
Glancing around after she opened the door to a hallway only partially lit with an amber glow, she almost laughed before her stomach rolled a little. It was fine, she was safe here. Still, Dani’s hand dropped to her gun as she neared the end of the hallway before it led out into the dining room.
Footfalls behind her caused an unwelcome spike of fear. Heavy, male, too close. Vampire. On guard instantly, Dani spun to confront whoever advanced on her.
“What do you…”
Her words died when she saw the man’s face clearly in the soft glow of orange light. Saul.
“Whoa, Dani, it’s me.”
He’d moved his hands to her shoulders, to reassure her, she imagined, but it just further rattled her.
Every timbre of that deep voice was etched in her mind, as well as the feel of his touch.
Dani pushed his hands off her shoulders and backed up. “What are you doing here?”
He looked confused for a moment. “Jack asked if I would join you guys for dinner. Would you feel more comfortable if I leave?”
Jack had invited him. Of course he had; they were friends. Dani was well aware her behavior bordered on that of a petty child.
“No, of course not.” Gods, this was going to get awkward. Awful. Right now, she didn’t want to deal with the abduction and his presence brought every second to mind, not to mention the matter of this weird attraction to him she couldn’t shake. Even now, her eyes slid over his body, well displayed in a tight beige tee shirt and jeans. The only way to defray the situation and deal with it was to tell him the truth. Most of it.
“No, you shouldn’t leave. Look, honestly, I’m grateful to you for the rescue. I know very well what would have happened to me if you hadn’t helped the team find me so quickly. At the same time, seeing you, well, it reminds me of how close I came to being tortured, raped, and killed. So, please forgive me for my crappy attitude. It will improve with time, I promise.”
When she paused, neither spoke as their eyes locked, then she looked away nervously, awkward seconds stretching between them.
Dani didn’t know what was going through his mind, but that fucking dream came to hers, and she had to force herself not to look beneath his zipper. Finally, Dani cleared her throat.
“Um, why don’t you go to the table? I’ll be right there, I just need to…” Another pause. “Uh, do something in the ladies room.”
Saul, only inches in front of her, didn’t move.
“You just came from there.”
“Yeah, I know, but…”
Lightning fast, Saul’s hands were wrapped around her face, his thumbs moving just below her lips. Dani tried to make herself push them away, but she couldn’t. Instead, she wanted him to slide them inside her mouth. Why did his touch excite her so much?
Her breath quickened, her heart beat too fast, and just as she prepared to shove him back, an extraordinary sense of calm and peace overcame her. Her eyes shot to Saul’s.
“What…” She wanted to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but she couldn’t. His fingertips continued to score her lips in the most sensual of touches.
“I used a method we call impression to help you. It isn’t compulsion, Dani.”
“I know what it is, I’ve just never experienced it. Compulsion doesn’t work on earth warriors, I’m surprised that does, but oh, lord, I feel amazing. Um, thank you.”
“You’ve been through a lot. You deserve some peace and solace.”
“It really does work.” Dani’s eyes stayed on Saul’s, fascinated by the golden flecks sparkling amidst the amber striations, his eye color so beautiful, she didn’t want to look away. She realized that not only were his thumbs caressing her lips now, but her own hands were wrapped around Saul’s thick wrists, her fingers moving along his.
It shocked her how intimate this felt, and as soon as she recognized it, she lowered her hands and stepped back slowly. “I should get back to the others. Are you coming?”
Saul nodded.
At the table, Dani noticed that Jack and Kwano were already seated.
“Hey, there they are. What took you two so long?”
Dani wanted to smack Jack for what he knew was an inflammatory remark.
“I met Dani coming from the hallway as I came into the diner.” Saul answered for them.
Lowering her head, her eyes burning towards Jack, Dani took her seat. Lucky for Jack, and thanks to Saul, she felt like a halo of serenity circled her head.
Sanquinetta leaned close. “You okay?”
“I’m really good, San. Food isn’t here yet?”
“Shortly. The guys have already ordered.”
“Ah. Soon, I hope, I’m suddenly really famished.”
Dinner proceeded much as it usually did, the hunters laughing and enjoying good food and drinks, teasing each other, discussing the upcoming mission.
On the opposite side of the table and at the other end of it, Saul was far enough from Dani that they didn’t have to pretend polite conversation. At one point, Sanquinetta stole a piece of chox off Dani’s plate and grinned at her. “It’s all going to be all right, you know.”
“Thanks. Yeah, I know. Right now, though, I think I’ll head home.”
Pushing up, Dani smiled at the group. “I’m taking off. I’ll see you at sunset tomorrow. Sleep well, guys.”
She glanced around the rectangle of hunters, her eyes stopping briefly on Saul’s, then walked slowly out the door. At this moment, still infused with the results of Saul’s impression, all she wanted was to crawl into her big bed, pull a lightweight blanket over her, and fade away into dreamless sleep. Damn, that impression skill was impressive.
He waited a few seconds after Dani left before he gave in to impulse, excused himself from the table, and hurried through the doorway. Saul saw her just as she opened the door to her lift-car. While it was probably not the smartest thing he’d ever done, he wanted to at least open the dialogue with her that they needed to get comfortable with each other since they would have to work together.
Also, he wanted to touch her again, and while he admitted it was a shit idea, he couldn’t stop that desire either.
“Dani.”
She whirled, and he watched her eyes when she saw him. Yeah, she was in the same place he was. This attraction born of a terrible event was true, and whether either understood it or not, she was pleased to see him. Not that her next words showed that.
“What do you want, Saul?”
Dani was still trying to remain defensive with him, which is why he wanted to talk with her before they left the next night. “Can I have a few moments to discuss our relationship?”
Leaning against her car, her head tilted, she smiled unexpectedly. “Relationship? We don’t have a relationship, Saul, we just met.”
“Which is true, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a quickly built relationship. You’re empathic, you know feelings can build quickly. You know we have.”
“We had a forced intimate moment that just makes things awkward. We’ll both be fine after a while. I mean, for God’s sake, that was hardly the first time I’ve been practically naked in front of men I don’t know. A bikini is next to nothing. We’re adults, vampire, this kind of thing is just silly.”
Dani laughed. “I’m prattling on, sorry. Wow, what you just did for me, the impression, not only created this bubble of passivity and calmness, but it seems like it’s made me more reasonable. Thanks for that.”
“It was already inside you, I just helped you relax enough to see it. We have to work together for the next several days, I just thought…”
Dani placed her finger on his lips. “Not necessary. We’re professionals, we’ve got this. You are certainly not the first sexy vampire I’ve ever met. So we’re both horny for each other. We’ll get past it.”
She hadn’t moved her finger from his lips. Knowing full well he shouldn’t, Saul gently grabbed it and pulled it into his mouth. “What if I don’t want to get past it?”
He didn’t.
Eyes lingering on her finger as he nipped at it, Dani finally lifted her gaze to his. “Well, uh, it’s never a good idea to work and fuck together, so no, Saul. No. Uh…”
Tugging her finger back, Dani pulled the driver’s side door wide. “Get some sleep, buddy.”
“All right. If that is how you would like to leave this.”
“It is.”
“Goodnight, then. I hope you sleep well. I hope I don’t have that same dream about you that I did yesterday. Or do I?”
“Dream?”
“Yeah. I dreamed I came to you at Jack’s house. The sun was just dropping, but of course, in dreams vampires don’t immolate. Let’s just say that we got comfortable on your bed.”
Surprised that Dani looked so stunned, Saul shook his head. “It’s okay, it faded before we did anything. Damn it. All right, Dani, we are nothing more than associates. If you ever want to discuss other possibilities, let me know. Good night. Sleep well.”
He didn’t see Dani still standing in her open car door as he went back into The Northern Sun.
So he remembered the dream too; he just didn’t realize that he really had dream-walked into her sleeping mind, and that what they’d done together, for any real purpose, had been true.
Too much to deal with. Time to sleep.