AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kaien shot a look over his shoulder and found that Remmus’ words were true. The punching bag was objectively destroyed; sand leaked from multiple rips through the dual layers and steadily pooled on the ground below it. Blood crusted the middle portion that’d borne the brunt of his unmitigated fury, dripping toward the bottom.
“What’s up with you?”
The undercurrent of concern in Remmus’ voice was starkly apparent, but Kaien didn’t feel like sharing. Muttering an excuse, he shrugged out of his best friend’s grip and stalked off, leaving the other man standing abandoned in the middle of the gym.
Unwilling to interact with anyone else, he teleported directly to his home only a few blocks away. Navy blue and black swam in his vision, but the comforting dark tones of familiarity did nothing to assuage the turmoil churning in his gut.
Kaien collapsed on the couch and drew his head into his hands. Closing his eyes, he tried to reestablish the calm that’d defined him throughout the centuries, the level head that normally presided over his thoughts.
He failed.
Chapter Sixteen
Kaien’sabsencewasableeding hollow in her soul. Blair had noticed his exit immediately, the resulting void gauging out what’d previously been filled in his company. After spending the last few days with him, it was an odd sense of loss that she couldn’t qualify.
Even as she’d spoken with Celeste and Nina, dishing on what’d happened at the newspaper and with Torrin, a part of her was missing.
Unexplainable. Unrelenting. Unfathomable only weeks ago.
Murmuring an apology to the two people who raised their eyebrows at her departure, she stepped into the heat and closed the door behind her. Inhaling deeply, she found a trace of Kaien’s blood on the wind.
Instantly, her eyes sharpened, and her senses prevailed, the predator under her skin piqued its interest. It took her less than three minutes to pinpoint the source of the blood: the gym.
Stepping inside the unfamiliar arena, she zeroed in on Remmus, Nina’s third in command. The Raeth was dutifully cleaning up a sorely damaged punching bag, destroyed beyond all repair. A quick glance around confirmed her suspicions: Kaien had already left.
“Was Kaien here?”
Remmus didn’t turn. “Just missed him. After assassinating this bag, he stalked off.”
Disappointment bloomed within her. Her skin stretched painfully tight in Kaien’s absence, a deep-seated need to find him making her agitated. The scent of his potent blood lingered in the air, invigorating her senses, and fueling the burning desire in her gut.
The hunger was so intense, she had to wonder whether it was just Kaien’s blood that piqued her predator, or Raeths in general.
With the exception of her sire, it’d been centuries since she’d drank from the other immortal breed. Could it be simply circumstance? She’d been starving, and he had been the only sustenance available. It made sense for immortals to have more heady and potent blood than mortals.
Remmus, by all accounts, was an attractive man. In the white tank top he wore, every inch of his exposed skin was a captivating, tanned gold. Sun-kissed dirty blond hair had spilled from the hasty knot at the back of his head, several strands fanning to frame his handsome features. Unlike Kaien, however, nothing about Remmus drew her in. Nothing caused heat to ignite in her veins.
But she had to know for certain. Eyes narrowing at the man who still was throwing pieces of tattered bag into the nearby trash, Blair closed the distance between them.
“Are you attached, Remmus?”
His hands stilled over the pile of trash. Throwing her a casual glance over his shoulder, he smirked. “Not at the moment. Why would the lady care to know?”
“Call it research.”
Sinfully full lips tightened into a smile, but Remmus remained crouched below her. “Research, you say?” A chuckle. “I could be persuaded to participate.”
“You’re an easy sell.”
The trash long forgotten, he stood, rising to his feet with a gracefulness that belied his muscular frame. “What did you have in mind, Blair?”
Knowing she should be intimidated by his daunting form—or even the least bit attracted to the perfect specimen that stood toe to toe with her—Blair cocked her head and examined him.
“May I take your vein? Just a sip.”
A myriad of expressions crossed his features ranging from curiosity to excitement to quizzical. “You want to taste me?”
“Are you opposed?” Blair let out a little laugh, knowing she was crossing a line in the sand Remmus had never yet considered.
