His eyes narrowed and the muscles in his jaw flexed as he ground his teeth together. She wasn’t surprised to see the tips of his fangs. With the exception of that night in the cabin when he’d left, she’d never seen him so angry, but she was determined to stand against him this time.
“I told you to stay put and I meant it.” His words sounded different with that mouthful of teeth.
They probably weren’t conducive to speaking.Well, screw that.
She jumped to her feet on the bed, empowered by the vantage point of looking down on him. Seeing his teeth should’ve frightened her, but all she felt was pissed off and frustrated at being forced into his room against her will. Fangs or no fangs—no one ordered her around like this. She poked her forefinger solidly into his chest.
“How dare you tell me what I can and cannot do? Martin is a dear friend, and something has happened to him because of me. You sure as hell can’t do a fucking thing about it at this time of day, but I can. So, get out of my goddamned way.”
“You don’t go anywhere without me or my approval.” He spun on his heel and strode out the door before she could jump from the bed. When she heard the sound of a lock sliding into place, she grabbed the lamp off the nightstand and swung it at the door like a baseball bat. It shattered into a million pieces, and she sank to the floor.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Athick, oppressive blanket of clouds covered the sun, reducing the UV output dramatically. With a baseball cap, long sleeves and his collar pulled up, Dom hoped he’d be able to withstand the daylight for a short while before noticing an energy drain.
He arrived at the art school just as his buddy from the Seattle Police Department, Johnny Sinclair, pulled up in an unmarked vehicle. They’d first met when Johnny was in Special Forces and Dom was an expert they’d brought in to teach knife-fighting skills. The two men had stayed in touch over the years. When Johnny joined the SPD and Dom was transferred here by the Agency, they occasionally helped each other out. Johnny was one of a few select humans who knew about his world.
“Anything?”
“A man named Paul Cook called in a missing person’s report this morning on a Martin Johanovich. They were supposed to meet last night for dinner but the guy never showed. He was also a no-show at work. He owns this art school, too?”
“Yes. He was teaching a class that my...that someone special to me was supposed to teach. He left a message on her voice mail at 9:43 p.m. saying two men were after her. He sounded scaredand out of breath, like he had been running. We believe this is connected to something that happened to her two nights ago. She was chased by a couple of Darkbloods, but she got away.”
“And you think it’s the same guys?”
“Uh, no,” Dom replied. “We took care of the first two assholes. These two must be their replacements.”
“Wow, someone wants her in a bad way. Any idea why?”
Dom took a deep breath to center himself. “Because she’s a sweetblood.”
“Shit, man.” Johnny let out a low whistle. “And she’s your woman?”
My woman.Mine.
Dom nodded grimly, and Johnny continued. “Let’s go in and see if we can find out what happened to Mr. Johanovich.”
Johnny barely had the door open when an undeniable stench filled Dom’s nostrils.
“Fuck,” he said. “It’s Darkbloods.”
“And look,” Johnny said, pointing. “Blood over there. We got us a crime scene. Gotta step outside and call this one in.”
Dom rubbed his forehead, not sure how to tell Mackenzie about all this.
Back on the sidewalk, Johnny pulled a cigarette from behind his ear, closed his eyes and sniffed it.
“I thought you quit that,” Dom said as he stepped under an awning, attempting to shield himself further from the light.
“I did. I just like the smell of ’em from time to time. Makes me feel more in control that way. Like I could light it but I choose not to. Stupid, I know.” He rubbed a hand over his short-cropped dark hair. “So, tell me about your woman. Must be serious if you’re going out during the daytime for her. Can’t remember if I’ve ever even seen you before sundown. Thought you didn’t have time for anyone if it lasted past breakfast.”
Dom shrugged. This wasn’t the time or the place to discuss his love life. “I’m going to check around back in the alley.”
Johnny chuckled at the brush-off. “Let me know if you find anything.”
Dom rounded the corner to the alley, and there it was again. Although the smell had faded, he was positive the Darkbloods had come out this way. He detected the same blood scent from inside, but it was much more potent out here. With every step, it got stronger until he followed it to a nearby rusted-out green Dumpster.
“Ah, hell.”
