He blew out a breath, resisting. He needed time to think about next steps. He still had a job to do. Everything else had to come later.
“Charity, get up,” he barked.
She stirred with a small feminine mew. Her arms stretched upward and she yawned. The sheets fell to her waist.
He gritted his teeth. It took everything in his power not to take two quick steps and taste…
“We have a ton of stuff to do today.” Taking a deep breath, he tried to soften the hardness in his voice. “I need to speak to Roger, too. I’d like to move you into the Realm today.”
She blinked into the sunlight and her face relaxed slightly. After wiping her eyes, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and paused for a moment. “Is this the part where we become acquaintances?”
It sounded like a rhetorical question.
“Just… Let’s get moving,” he said, turning to the door. “I have a lot I need to do before we get you out of here.”
“No sweat, daddy-o. I need to take a shower. Oh wow. I am sore. I feel like I lost my virginity all over again.”
Devon glanced back in time to see her slowly run her hands over the soft curve of her hips. His desire throbbed. He wanted to follow her hands with his mouth.
Why did she sound so nonchalant? Usually girls were all over him the next morning, trying to cuddle and get close. He half wished she’d follow that pattern. But the other half was annoyed that last night had clearly affected him ten times more than it had her. Another first. And probably the most horrifying.
His uncertainty finally morphed into anger, the emotion he had the most experience handling. “Hurry up.”Two hours later, Devon shifted from side to side in impatience as they stood in front of an ATM. His pack had taken out the newbies without him, and he’d called in someone to clean up the dead vamp and pick up Sarge’s body. Sarge had been practically ripped apart. He hadn’t stood a chance against that old vamp.
A sheen of sweat broke out on Devon’s face, his body’s immediate response to the lingering threat. He would step up and fight that elder to protect Charity. One on one, if need be. Unfortunately, he didn’t have high hopes he’d emerge victorious—or at all.
“What’s the hold-up?” Devon asked, going over his to-do list. He still had to get supplies to board up the window by the door, not to mention call a body shop about the trashed SUV. Filling out the insurance forms would be interesting. He wasn’t sure how he’d explain the claw marks.
“Something’s not right.”
Devon checked his phone. Still no call from Roger.
Thanks to the efforts of his pack and Charity, all the newbie vamps had been extinguished. That part of his duty had been finished. The other part, protecting Charity, was looking direr. Something bad was brewing, and Vlad was building up to another all-out assault, one that would have a lot more bite. Rod had heard rumors of more demons filtering into the Brink. According to Roger, the closest passageways to the Realm had been blocked off. They had to get Charity out, but he didn’t know how.
“Didn’t you get paid?” Devon glanced over her shoulder, but he couldn’t make out the numbers.
“I mean. I don’t know. I think something went screwy.” Charity jabbed a button.
“Can I see?” Devon leaned toward her, getting a whiff of her delicious scent. Clenching his jaw, he saw $10,011.53.
“I had eleven fifty-three.” She threw a hard look at him, as if he might laugh.
“So?”
“What do you mean, so?” She thrust her hand at the monitor. “Unless you guys get ten grand biweekly, something is amiss, genius.”
Her irrational anger scraped against his.
Devon pinched the bridge of his nose. “Didn’t you read the emails? That’s the sign-on bonus. Obviously he gave it to you even though you’re on a trial. He probably wants to talk to you about ongoing pay and working full-time or whatever. You’ll get back pay, too. Why are you shaking your head?”
“Just…stop babbling for a second.” Charity shoved her palm in his face in a stop gesture. “I can’t hear myself swear.”
He ripped her hand away. “What’s the problem?”
“What am I going to do with all that money, Devon?” She almost shouted it. Magic oozed from her, something that usually happened when they fought, but more potent.
His wolf soaked it up, loving her unspoken challenge. His desire to subdue her almost had him stepping forward.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Buy things?”
“Like what? This is way too much money. I can’t accept this.”
Devon rolled his eyes. “Can you hear yourself? Just get some cash. I’m not in the mood.”
“You’re not in the mood? For what, me talking to you?”
Her magic prickled his skin. Fire burned in her eyes.