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“So, one question, Trib officer. How the hell can you look so beautiful first thing at night?”
She laughed. “I’m sure I don’t. You need glasses, my friend.”
“We’re alters. We don’t do glasses.”
She chuckled again. “Now I have a question for you. I’m thinking about fixing an omelet with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. Maybe some toast and coffee. How does that sound?”
He rubbed his growling stomach. “Sold.”
She laughed again as she left the bed and headed into the bathroom. “Shower, first.”
He could have joined her, and even thought about it for a good long minute. But that would have led to other things and his instincts told him he needed to turn his attention to the night.
He and Emma had gotten lucky so far. They’d lived through last night and today, yet nothing had substantially changed. Loghry would still be after them. Better to face the madman right away than waste some serious hunting time by bringing Emma back to bed.
And there was the heart of the difficulty. He’d want to stay put for hours, not just enjoy a quickie.
He rolled from bed and crossed to the French doors. Pushing them open, he looked up into the graying sky. He could see a few stars already. Full dark was only a half hour away.
He had to avoid looking directly at the distant western horizon. The vampire alter serum had followed mythical protocol to the letter; vampires were seriously sun allergic. He’d blistered up once or twice in the early days when, without thinking, he’d stepped into direct sunlight. The pain had been unbearable, the light not just burning the surface skin, but somehow sinking deep and cutting into the bones.
But the arrival of dusk created another reason he stayed the course and left Emma alone. As a Crescent Border Patrol officer, his senses lit up the moment the sun dropped beyond the horizon. The criminal insanity of Five Bridges at night called to his need for order and justice. Maybe it was his training and years of service, but right now his attention was fixed on Loghry and devising a reasonable strategy for attacking the man where he lived.
~ ~ ~
Emma was grateful Vaughn didn’t follow her to the shower, though she would have welcomed him all the same. She had a job to do and felt its critical nature deep in her witchy bones.
She needed her coffee and her omelet, then some time in meditation to try to figure out what she and Vaughn should do
next.
As she dried her hair, what weighed on her mind was how Loghry had known she and Vaughn would be at the storage facility. She recalled how the series of snapshot images had become scrambled suddenly. Was it possible Loghry had interfered with her meditation?
Movement caught her eye. Vaughn appeared at the bathroom entrance, then strolled in. For a moment, all her resolution faltered since he was buck naked. He looked as gorgeous as ever, though his straight black brows were pulled together in a tight line of concentration. “Don’t worry, I’m just here for a shower.”
He came up behind her, however, and slid his arms around her in a gentle embrace. He met her gaze in the mirror. “But I almost ran after you when you left the bed. Thought you should know.”
She sighed. “Wish we could just go back there.”
“I know. I’ve been torn as well, but getting Loghry before he gets us has consumed my thoughts.” He leaned down, pushed her hair away and kissed her neck. “I love you, Emma.”
She gasped softly. “You do?”
“I didn’t say it last night, but I should have, so I’m saying it now. I fell hard for you the night we saved those girls. I can admit it now. Just wish everything was different.”
“Me, too.”
He didn’t look at her again as he moved in the direction of the shower.
She let him go, though she was overcome that he’d said he loved her. She had a strong suspicion that if he didn’t believe their nights were numbered, he would never have said the words out loud. She knew Vaughn. She knew what the loss of his sister had done to him, and that even if they somehow survived an encounter with Loghry, he wouldn’t be able to handle a long-term relationship with her.
She wasn’t much different. Max’s death had ruined something inside her as well. She doubted she would have said anything either, if their situation hadn’t been so dire.
But it was and in the same way Vaughn was focused on Loghry, her thoughts were fixed on her spellroom. She also knew the triplets were inside waiting for her. Time to get on with things, and they both needed a good meal.
A few minutes later, she had the front half of her hair in a top knot, then crossed to the dressing room to get ready. She wore her jeans and sturdy leather belt, socks and running shoes, and the short-sleeved t-shirt all the female Trib officers wore, lavender this time.
She picked up her holster, then left the bedroom.
