Blood's Fury (Deadly Beauties 1)

"This I know. Now, the kiss?" he muses, playfully feigning impatience.

I walk over to him, and then I almost put my lips to his before shoving him over the couch, making him fall in a toppling motion. He starts laughing again as his back slaps the floor, and then he shakes his head while propping up.

"That's not a good way to ask for information."

"Perhaps I should call my dad and tell him you're trying to exploit me for sex."

He narrows his eyes, his smile lighter now. "Firstly, don't call your dad. He's fucking crazy. Secondly, it's a kiss… not sex… not yet, anyway."

I accidentally laugh, and he stands up to walk back around to where I am before he starts his explanation.

"The council sent you to Washington, where the dark users hold the root of their power. I found it suspicious to begin with, and then on top of that, they didn't tell you your mom had been receiving threats."

"Threats?" I prompt, expecting him to elaborate.

"Nothing deadly, they just kept saying she would get what was coming to her if she didn't return what was theirs."

That sounds deadly enough to me.

"What did she have?"

He shrugs, plopping down on the arm of my chair, and then he pulls out a bottle of red liquid I dare not watch him drink.

Blood.

"I don't know. I haven't found out that much. One thing is for certain though, your council is holding out." I hear the swishing of the liquid going from the bottle to his mouth, and I shiver in response.

"Not a fan of blood, love?" he teases.

"Not a fan of blood meals."

"Well, I need less blood than night stalkers if it makes you feel any better." Not really. "So I take it you have no idea what your mother was holding either?" he asks almost rhetorically.

"No. She didn't tell me anything about the politics or even the reality of our world. She always tried to bring out the sunny side of my fate, since I'm constantly at odds with magic. What about Frankie? Does he know anything?"

I just talked to him. Why didn't he tell me any of this?

"I haven't spoken with him yet. He's not exactly very honest with me, given the fact I'm a changer. I wanted to speak with you before he could coach you up. It's hard to help someone when they're holding back."

True, but I don't blame Frankie for not trusting any of them.

"Well, I'm not holding back. Apparently I know very little about my mother's life."

He sighs, frowning slightly, and then he stands up to walk to the door.

"If you think of anything, let me know. Also, watch your back. If anything goes wrong, head to your next safe house. No more hotels."

I glance at the heavy book of procedures he has drawn up. It's resting on my dresser, making me smile.

"Thanks for the long list of places to go, by the way. How the hell do you have so many houses?"

He lets a laugh free, and then he shrugs.

"I've been around a while. One tends to accumulate. So, where's loverboy?"

"Out. I'm sure he's tired of changing places all the time."

"Then tell him to go home," he says with a devious grin. "If you don't like being alone, I can swing by and keep you company."