Eternal Flame (Night Watch 3)

See me. See us. His voice.

And she saw them. With her eyes closed, she saw the fast thrust of his c**k into her sex. The withdrawal. The thrust.

He sent the images into her mind, and the pleasure seemed to intensify. More. More.

From him? Her?

More. She’d take it. Take everything. Take him.

The second climax had her breath catching and her heart racing. She held on to him as tightly as she could. Hard enough to bruise.

He drove into her once more, then stiffened. The hot splash of his release filled her and she heard him gasp her name.

Jana’s eyes opened. In pleasure, his face was so beautiful. So perfect. A lump rose in her throat.

And they’d done it. We beat you, Agent Thomas. Zane hadn’t turned on her. Hadn’t attacked. A smile began to curl her lips.

Then his hand rose and wrapped around her neck.

Chapter 17

Catalina threw another fast glance over her shoulder. No one was back there. She’d ditched Jude. How the hell did I do that? Her stomach clenched. You didn’t lose a tiger shifter unless he let you lose him.

“Where are you going, Catalina?” At the sound of that soft, feminine voice, Catalina’s blood froze. She’d known when she came back to Baton Rouge with Logan in tow that this meeting would be coming, only a matter of time.

Slowly, carefully, she turned to face the woman she’d once considered a friend.

Sandra “Dee” Daniels stood in the shadows, her small body almost completely hidden. There was a slight shuffle of footsteps, then Dee stepped forward. Her blond hair was cut haphazardly around her face.

Normally, Dee would have flashed her a wide smile. They would have gone out for drinks. Talked smack about men. Maybe exchanged some secrets. But that was all in the past. “Jude sent you after me,” Catalina said with certainty. But Dee shook her head. “No, Tony did.” Ah, Tony. Figured. He and Dee had a … pretty intimate past. Of course, that was back in the days before Dee had changed.

Dee smiled now. Only it wasn’t the one Catalina had wanted to see. It was a new, harder smile, one that revealed Dee’s fangs.

From vampire hunter to vampire all in a few short days … yes, Dee’s life had changed. That change had been one of the things that sent Catalina running from the city.

Dee offered her hand, palm up. “I’m going to need you to come with me.”

Catalina shook her head. No, no, she had to go and see about Logan. He was weak, and he’d need her help to get out of Baton Rouge. Especially with someone from Perseus still hunting them.

“I can see the bite marks on your neck,” Dee told her. “And I can almost feel the guy in the air around you.”

Dee wasn’t your average vampire. She hadn’t been Taken, the term for the humans who were transformed by a blood exchange with a vampire. No, Dee was so much more. Born, not made. A vampire who hadn’t even realized her true power until death came calling.

And she sent the ass**le packing.

“W-we’re being hunted, Dee,” Catalina said. “We have to get out!”

“Running?” Again? The unspoken word hung between them.

Catalina kept her chin up. Dee didn’t understand. She didn’t know what it was like to be weak. To see the fire and know it was going to burn your skin away while you screamed.

Catalina spun away-and slammed into Dee. She’d never seen the woman move. Wouldn’t have, not with Dee’s power. “You’re coming with me,” Dee told her and grabbed her wrist.

Catalina blinked back tears. “I don’t—”

“One spell is all I need, Cat. One spell, then you … and your vampire … can get out of town.”

She licked her lips. “Y-you’ll… let him go?”

Dee held her gaze. “Unless he goes after humans, he’s off my radar.”

But he’d gone after the Ignitor. He’d been desperate, starving. Did Dee know what he’d done? Catalina would need to keep Logan away from Zane so the demon wouldn’t come for his revenge.

Only a matter of time.

Catalina forced herself to nod. “Okay.” It was the only deal she’d be getting. Better take it, grab it with both hands, and hold as tight as she could. “I don’t have much power.” Painful to admit, but her binding marks weren’t fading yet. And why not? They should have vanished when Beth died. Beth had been the one in charge at Perseus. The one to trap her and to use her. Why haven’t they faded?

“It’ll have to be enough.” Dee pushed her toward a car idling near the curb. Catalina sucked in a breath when she saw the driver. Simon. Dee’s vampire lover.

The two were a perfect killing team.

“Who needs my spell?” she asked, suddenly very worried as she climbed inside the vehicle.

Dee jumped in behind her and the car door slammed.

“Zane.”

The last thing she’d expected. “Zane? Why?” Simon floored the gas.

“Because someone pumped the poor bastard full of drugs.” Dee sighed. “And we both know what can happen to him when the drugs get into his system.”

Goose bumps rose on Catalina’s arms. Yes, she knew. And, once, long ago, she’d seen. Scrying. He’d always asked her not to do it. But the future teased and taunted, and she’d had to know.

Zane … eyes black as the night. Face bloody. The earth bucking beneath him. Death … a shroud he carried. One look, one touch, the prey fell before him.

“Hurry,” she whispered to Simon and, when he looked up into the rearview mirror, she saw his jaw clench. ”Hurry.”

Jana’s breath caught as she stared up at Zane. His face could have been carved from fire and fury. Such hard, fierce lines. And his hand, as it wrapped around her neck …

“I… hurt… you.” Gravel rough. Like the man was struggling to speak. Maybe he was.

She realized his fingers were feathering over the bite mark on her neck. He was worried about that? Jana couldn’t help it. She laughed. A quick, light gurgle of sound.

He blinked at her.

“Zane, trust me, you’ve got worse marks on you.” Because she hadn’t been gentle at the end. Her nails had dug into him and held tight.

“ Should … have … run.”

“Maybe.” She curled her fingers around the steely muscles of his arms. “But you know I don’t ever do what I should do.”

The bees began to buzz in the back of her mind. “Go …” She glanced down at the cuffs. “Can’t, remember?” His gaze followed hers. Those bees got louder. Louder … The cuffs broke apart. “Go.”