Chapter Six
Lana pursed her lips together and drummed her fingers on the bar inside the Luxor. The Foundation had had enough insight to give Espe a fake ID so she could patrol the casino floors. Unfortunately, she had decided to squeeze in a little flirtation when she finished her rounds. At least she wasn’t knocking back shots or something stupid like that while on the job.
When Espe didn’t notice her, Lana cleared her throat. Loudly.
The younger woman spun around and a flush crept into her cheeks. “Lana, I didn’t see you there.”
“Obviously,” she said and glared at the five men clamoring for Espe’s attention.
Nervous laughter spilled from her mentee’s lips. “Well, it’s been a slow night. I’ve been walking and walking and nothing. Zero. Nada. Zip. So, I decided to take a break and grab something to drink…” She shrugged as if to say the male attention came with the territory.
“Who’s your friend, Espe?” A wannabe frat boy threw his arm over Lana’s shoulders. “She’s hot. Let’s invite her upstairs to our little party, too.”
Lana’s skin crawled from his touch. She threw off his arm and resisted the urge to break it. Causing a scene would only draw attention to them, and with an elder vampire setting traps for hunters, they didn’t need any more trouble than they already had. “Time to get back to work, Espe,” she said in a tone that left no room for argument.
“Aw, don’t be such a bitch,” another guy slurred. “We just wanna have a little fun.”
“You have no idea how bitchy I can truly be.” Lana tightened her jaw and grabbed Espe by the wrist, yanking her away from her horde of half-drunk admirers.
When they’d retreated about twenty feet away from the bar, Espe jerked free. “Why did you have to do that? I was just taking a little break and trying to have some fun.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah, like you were having last night with your guy.”
Lana fought to keep her cheeks from turning red as her body remembered how well it fit against Byron’s. She crossed her arms, hoping her anger would keep her raging hormones in check. “That was a fluke.”
Espe mirrored her stance. “A fluke, huh? It looked pretty serious to me.”
“It was a one-time thing, and I shouldn’t have let it get that far.”
“But you did, and I saw it.”
“And I’m sorry you caught me in a moment of weakness.”
“Come on, you can’t tell me you’ve been a hunter this long and not indulged in a few one-night stands along the way. I mean, you seem to be all dedicated to your work, but you’re also a woman.”
Espe’s accusation hit her like a slap in the face. If she told the truth, she risked being seen as a withered old prune. If she played along, then she just encouraged her mentee’s flirtatious behavior. “You’re here to learn how to be a hunter, not interview me about my personal life.”
“But being a hunter bleeds into your personal life. I know the Foundation forbids you from telling outsiders about your work and discourages personal relationships, but, I mean, we’re only human, and even a good double-D vibrator has its limitations.”
Tell me about it. She would’ve given anything last night to feel Byron inside her, his hard cock stroking the sensitive spot inside her pussy and sending her over the edge. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. “You have to ask yourself how dedicated you are to your work. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too. The hunter’s life is a lonely one because you can’t afford distractions. While you’re busy humping frat boys, innocent people could be getting killed.”
God, it sounded like a lecture for her, as well. No more humping sexy rogue hunters in the hallway.
Espe cocked a brow, obviously not buying Lana’s speech for one moment. Then she sighed and threw her hands up. “Fine. Let’s get back to work.”
“Stay with me for the rest of the night. I don’t want you falling into a trap.”
“No, you don’t want me having any fun.”
“Whoever said work was fun?”
***
Byron stood outside the Bellagio and stared at the taxi line. He checked his watch. Four A.M. and no sign of her all night. Maybe she’d stayed in her condo because of her ankle. Maybe he should’ve started there instead of hanging out here and at Caesars, waiting for Lana to show up. And while he was wasting time looking for her, he hadn’t come across a single vampire in the process. All and all, a total disappointment of an evening so far.
When he reached for the taxi door, a familiar scent wafted on the breeze. He froze. It seemed weaker than before, but he knew it in an instant. Her. The wolf inside growled in anticipation. He turned upwind and followed it to the Paris.
Eddie always warned him against thinking with his dick, but as soon as he caught her scent, something completely primitive seized control of him, and nothing else mattered. A vampire could’ve walked in front of him and he wouldn’t have noticed. He needed to touch her supple flesh, to taste the sweet salt of her skin, to bury himself in…
Byron halted and leaned against the wall. His pulse pounded through his body and intensified the throbbing in his cock. He needed to have her soon or the beast inside would overwhelm him. It knew what it wanted and it grew more impatient with each passing second. Soon, it would take what it wanted, regardless of her reaction.
God, please don’t let it get to that point.
Repeating the mantra “I’m a man, not a monster” over and over again in his mind, he continued his search. By the time he found her, he’d almost reined in his baser instincts.
Lana stood in the back corner of the casino with her roommate, pointing out something on the casino floor. She turned and from across the room their eyes locked. The beast inside howled in frustration at being restrained, but Byron crossed his arms and tried to look nonchalant as the two women approached him.
She licked her lips and almost seemed flustered when she asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing. How’s the ankle?” He glanced at it and noticed no bruising, no Ace bandage, no signs of injury. She’d even had the audacity to wear three-inch platform sandals tonight. If he hadn’t seen the swelling last night, he would’ve assumed she’d faked it.
She shifted on her feet. “Better, thanks.”
Her roommate watched the interplay between them with a snarky grin. She stuck out her hand. “I’m Espe.”
“Byron.”
A strange expression crossed her face when he shook her hand, and her brows knitted together. Did she know what he was? He broke the contact as soon as he could without appearing to be freaked out by her reaction.
“Nice to meet you.” She took a step back, still studying him. “Well, I’m about to call it a night. What do you say?”
Lana looked around the room as if someone had just roused her from a dream. A cool expression settled over her features when she addressed her roommate. “I think we have time for one more casino before dawn.”
“Why? It’s been a quiet night and I’m bored to exhaustion.” She yawned. “Why don’t you and Byron check out any other leads you have without me?”
“You’re supposed to be learning.”
“And it’s my first night. Cut me some slack, will ya?” Espe pulled her aside and whispered something in her ear, causing Lana’s cheeks to turn a delicious shade of pink. He could only imagine what she’d said, but he had a general idea based on the way they both looked at him.
“See ya around, Byron,” Espe said with a wave, leaving a slightly embarrassed Lana behind.
His fingers itched to touch her, but he shoved them into his pockets. “No ambushes tonight?”
She shook her head and her shoulders relaxed. “No sign of trouble anywhere, and that has me nervous.”
“For what it’s worth, I haven’t seen any of them at Caesars or Bellagio. Care to check out the Venetian with me?”
“How does someone completely untrained know what to look for?”
“Some things are instinctual.” He closed the space between them and bathed in her scent. Right now, his instincts told him to get her up to his suite at the Venetian and remove every article of clothing that clung in all the right places to her lean body.
Her pupils enlarged, and her grip tightened over the straps of her purse until her knuckles turned white. Her breath quickened. “Instinctual?”
A grin raised the corners of his mouth. She seemed just as aroused as he was, and they hadn’t even touched each other yet. So far, so good. “Yeah, sort of like that gut feeling you have when you cross someone who isn’t quite right. Or maybe when you bump into someone who seems a little too right.”
There. He’d laid his cards on the table for her, letting her know he wanted her without sounding like some horny pervert. He realized he was holding his breath while he waited for her response.
“I think I know what you’re talking about.” She lowered her eyes and took a step toward the main entrance. “I suppose checking out the Venetian before heading home wouldn’t hurt, so long as you stay out of my way if we find anything there.”
“Trying to steal my thunder?”
“Trying to keep you from getting killed.”
He chuckled at her overprotectiveness. If she only knew that he was really a wolf in human clothing, not some helpless little lamb. “If I remember correctly, I saved your life last night.”
She bristled at his comment. “No need to get cocky.”
“I meant what I said about joining forces. I think we’d make a great team.” He trailed after her as she meandered through the crowd, his strides easily matching hers.
“I’m not authorized to work with outsiders.”
“Who says Big Brother needs to find out? I want to catch my uncle’s killer. You want to kill any bloodsucker that moves. It’s a win-win situation from where I’m standing.”
She stopped and rubbed her forehead once they reached the sidewalk. “Is that the only reason you’re following me around, Byron? To get your revenge?”
“No,” he blurted out.
“Then why?”
A lump expanded in his throat, cutting off the air and causing spit to pool under his tongue. He swallowed hard to push it down into his stomach, where it sat like a lead brick. How much should he tell her now? “The truth?”
“That would be a good place to start.”
He glanced around at the scant traffic on the sidewalk, but still felt uncomfortable telling her with an audience. He wouldn’t be surprised if Alan had spies positioned within earshot, and with a werewolf, that could mean a block away at this time of night. “Can we please go someplace where we can’t be overheard?”
“Where do you suggest?”
“I have a room at the Venetian.”
Her head snapped up, and her lips parted. A new facet to her scent emerged. He’d smelled it last night in the hallway, but now he knew what it was. Her arousal. His cock strained against his zipper as he inhaled it. “No funny business?” she asked softly.
“You call the shots, remember?”
“Good.” She pulled herself together, appearing to be all professional for the moment. “Maybe I can talk some sense into you.”
“I doubt it, but you can try.”
Despite the raging hard-on, he brushed past her and led the way to the Venetian with a smile on his face. If he could get her into his bed, then maybe tonight wouldn’t be a total failure. The wolf inside wagged its tail in delight.