Chapter Four
Lana’s face burned as Byron released her and yanked her dress down. She checked the number beside the door. No, this was her condo.
A mischievous grin spread across the stranger’s face. “Am I interrupting something, Lana?”
The picture from the dossier Lana reviewed that morning flashed in front of her. “Espe, what the hell are you doing here? You’re not supposed to arrive until tomorrow.”
Her new mentee shrugged. “I got an earlier flight, and Wade gave me a key to the condo.” She looked Byron over from head to toe. “I take it you had plans for the evening?”
Plans wouldn’t be the right word. More like spontaneous fucking. And now that had flown out the window. Nothing cooled raging lust like getting caught by someone who supposedly looked up to her as a role model.
Byron seemed to regain his composure sooner. “The taxi’s still waiting downstairs. I’d better get going.” He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear, “I’ll see you later.”
The husky tone of the last sentence sent a shiver down her spine. He considered this unfinished business just like she did, and she could hardly wait for next time. If there will be a next time, she thought with a grimace when she saw Espe out of the corner of her eye.
“I mean it, Byron—be careful.”
“Take your own advice,” he replied with a cocky grin as the elevator doors closed in front of him.
A sigh of exasperation escaped her lips. The damn man was so infuriating at times. She hoped he wouldn’t try hunting alone when he left. “Can you give me a hand?”
Espe studied her. Lana could only imagine how she looked. Swollen ankle, torn dress, hair probably tousled from her little escapade with Byron. Great first impression to make on a hunter fresh out of training. “What happened? Other than him, I mean.”
She leaned against the younger woman and hobbled into the condo. “I twisted my ankle during a hunt.”
“And where did he come into play in all this?” Espe helped Lana to the couch.
“He’s a rogue hunter.”
“Uh-oh.” The playful grin fell from her face.
Thank goodness she knew enough to realize that spelled trouble.
“Yeah, but tonight he came in handy. I doubt I’d be standing here if he hadn’t shown up.”
“And you decided to thank him properly, huh?”
Lana placed her best scowl on her face. “That’s none of your business. Go get me something to put on my ankle.”
Espe got the hint and scampered over to the freezer. “One bag of frozen peas, coming up.” She tossed them across the room and sat on the edge of the leather footstool when she came back. “So, tell me what happened during the hunt.”
“What has the Foundation told you so far?”
“Just that you’ve noticed an increase in newborns lately. They figured it would be a good training ground for me to get some kills under my belt since they’re easier to handle.” Her dark eyes lit up with excitement.
Lana suppressed a groan. Rookies. They had such an oversimplified view of the job. “Yeah, the newborns are easy to kill, but what about the vampire who’s creating them?”
Her face fell. “Oh, I didn’t think about that.”
“That’s why they apprentice you rookies with more experienced hunters.”
The smile reappeared on her lips. “And you’re one of the best. You’re practically a legend at the Academy.”
“I’m scared to ask why.”
“You’re one of the oldest living hunters. You’ve gotten more kills than anyone in the Foundation.”
“I seriously doubt that. I can think of one witch in particular who’s been active longer than I have.” An involuntary shiver raced down her spine as she remembered the strange glow in that woman’s eyes during their one and only meeting. If she could finish out her career without running into Morwen again, she’d die a happy woman.
Espe bounced on the cushion of the footstool. “Back to tonight.”
“I followed three newborns into a trap.”
“Oh my God! Really? How’d you escape?”
She shifted on the couch, carefully choosing her words. “I killed two of them, and Byron got the other two. One escaped, but he’s the one who worries me. Does the name ‘Klaus’ ring a bell?”
The younger woman grew statue still and dug her fingers into the leather. “Klaus, the two hundred and sixty-three-year-old German vampire created by Sergei?”
Shit! One of Sergei’s creations. Just the headache she didn’t need. “Sounds like he fits the description. By the way, do you always sound like a walking textbook?”
Espe giggled. “Sorry, but I loved vampire history at school. I fancy myself something of an expert at it.”
“Better you than me.” She reached for her laptop. “I need to file my report for the evening.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
Lana eyed her over the screen. Way too eager for my tastes. Either that, or I’m becoming a big grouch. Hunting was no longer fun. It hung around her neck like an albatross, keeping her from living a normal life.
“You can have that room.” She nodded toward the spare bedroom and then pointed to a binder on her desk. “Unpack, get settled in, and memorize this map of the Strip. If you get bored, that binder has the layout of every major casino in town. It’s important that you’re always aware of your surroundings.”
“Will do.” She jumped to her feet and pulled her luggage into the guest room.
At last, a few minutes of peace.
Lana leaned her head back against the pillows and stared at the ceiling, mentally composing her report before her fingers typed it out. Her mind kept wandering back to Byron, reminding her how empty and unfulfilled she felt now.
She sighed and started describing the trap in her report. “It’s probably for the best,” she muttered. “I don’t need to be encouraging a rogue hunter to get involved in these things.”
Or with me.
But he still ambushed her thoughts. The memory of his lips, of his hands, of his rock-hard erection against her body flared her simmering desire. She gritted her teeth and rushed through the rest of her report, glossing over the inclusion of the rogue hunter and focusing on the possible involvement of Klaus in the latest happenings. She ended by mentioning her injured ankle. Maybe they’d send Yuan over to heal her in the morning.
She snapped the laptop closed and limped back to her room. For the second night in a row, her last thoughts revolved around the sexy man who made her wish she lived another life.
***
The first streaks of dawn had appeared in the sky when Byron turned his Jeep Wrangler onto the dirt road that led to the ranch. The hour-long drive had been one of pure hell, and it all centered around one person. Lana. If he had any doubts about her being his true-mate earlier, they’d vanished the moment her lips touched his. No question about it—she was meant for him. And that was the part that stung the most. How would she react once she found out what he really was?
He tried not to think about that as he pulled into the driveway. Instead, he focused on how hot and heavy things had quickly gotten between them. Her arousal had matched his, maybe even surpassed it. Yet another sign he couldn’t ignore. If her roommate hadn’t interrupted him, he’d probably be lying next to her right now instead of coming to the end of a bumpy ride with blue balls.
Greg met him at the door. The porch light reflected off his glasses, concealing his eyes. “Any luck tonight?”
“You could say that.”
His closest friend sniffed him as he passed. “In what way? You smell like a woman.”
“I killed two vampires tonight, so we now know the wooden-tipped bullets work. I’m gonna need more of them.”
Greg nodded and crossed his arms. “You’re not going to tell me about her, are you?”
“Not yet.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “I’m sure it will come out soon. In the meantime, I’ll get busy making more of those bullets.”
“Thanks.” He collapsed on the couch, grateful Greg didn’t press the matter. Two nights of sexual frustration had left him drained. Maybe tomorrow he’d get a room at one of the casinos and stay in Vegas for the rest of the week.
“The little nephew’s returned, eh?” Alan strutted into the room like the Alpha wolf he wanted to be. Out of the entire pack, only he challenged Byron’s inheritance. Of course, being the biggest wolf in the pack meant Alan didn’t lack his share of followers. And frankly, if Byron trusted Alan to lead the pack, he’d let him have the headache of being the Alpha.
“Just for a while.”
“Catch Eddie’s killer yet?”
The image of his uncle lying on the floor of the ranch house filled his memory, causing his gut to roll. Whoever killed Eddie had to be an older vampire, someone stronger and more experienced than the ones he killed tonight. The only clue he had was a few seconds of a voice message on Eddie’s phone when a man with a German accent stated it was time to renegotiate the treaty.
“Not yet, but I got a few leads. I’m planning on staying in Vegas for a few nights so I can catch the son of a bitch before the full moon.” He forced a cocky grin on his face. If catching Eddie’s killer wouldn’t win him pack leadership, he didn’t know what would.
Alan’s face hardened and he cracked his knuckles. “We’ll see about that.”
Byron refused to let Alan coerce him into a fight now. Sometimes, brains meant more than brawn, and he didn’t need to be a batch of bruises if he wanted to hunt tomorrow night.
Or score with Lana.
He stood and stretched. “Well, I’m beat. Goodnight, boys.”
“That’s right. Run with your tail between your legs. Drown your guilt in a bottle, right, Byron?”
Greg lunged at Alan, and Byron threw his arm over his chest, restraining him before the larger werewolf beat him to a pulp. “Shut the fuck up! If anyone could have saved Eddie, it was you. You were the only one here, not any of us.”
“Watch your mouth, runt.”
“Ah, fuck you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you sat back and watched the vamps kill him.”
Byron shoved Greg onto the couch so Alan’s beefy fist wouldn’t connect with his friend’s face. “Stop it, both of you. Fighting among ourselves won’t change the past. In seven nights, we’ll determine a new Alpha, but until then, Eddie left the ranch to me. I’m in charge, and I say anyone who wants to cause trouble will be shown the door. Got it?”
Alan smirked. “Of course, little nephew.”
“I guess so,” Greg muttered when Byron turned to him. “I’ll be in the shop.”
Byron caught his arm before he stomped out of the house. “Be careful,” he whispered. “Alan’s just trying to bully you into submission, so don’t give him any reason to break your face.”
“Whatever.” Greg shrugged free. “All I’m saying is that if he becomes Alpha, I’m looking for a new pack.”
Byron watched his competition out of the corner of his eye. “You and me both.”