Midnight Awakening (Midnight Breed 3)

Not surprisingly, Chase was right on his heels. He gave Tegan's shoulder a hard shove as the two of them exited to the corridor outside the lab.

You son of a bitch. She didn't deserve that kind of treatment--least of all from someone like you.

No, she didn't. But it was necessary. There was no way in hell he was going to put himself in close quarters again with Elise, let alone make her his accomplice on this mission to Berlin. He'd needed to shut her down, and shut her down hard. So what if he'd made himself into a bigger asshole for doing it publicly. He'd only fortified what everyone already thought of him.

Tegan met Chase's furious look and affected a callous smile. You care so much about the female, Harvard? Why don't you go console her like you're burning to do. Just do us all a favor and keep her the fuck away from me.

Chase got up in his face, blue eyes flashing raw anger. You're a real dick, you know that?

Yeah? Tegan shrugged. Last time I checked, I wasn't campaigning for any Mr. Congeniality awards.

Arrogant motherf--

Parting his lips, Tegan hissed through his lengthening fangs as he bore down on Chase, cutting off the further round of insult. He half hoped the irate vampire would push him into a fight. Part of him craved to know Chase's feelings of torment and rage, and as torqued as he was right now, he wouldn't turn down a chance to bruise his knuckles in a little hand-to-hand.

But Dante smoothly intervened, coming out of the lab at that very second to grab Chase's arm and physically pull the warrior out of Tegan's path. Shit, Harvard. Don't go getting yourself killed now that I've almost got you trained. What a friggin' waste that would be, eh?

After a few seconds of interference, Chase simmered down, but his eyes were still hot on Tegan even as Dante tugged him up the corridor. In the lab, Gideon was back at his keyboard. Nikolai, Brock, and Kade got back to business too, all of them acting as though Tegan hadn't just come off like a heartless bastard in front of a defenseless female.>But only you would be coarse enough to speak it.

That pale purple gaze flashed with outrage and for a second he wondered if he was about to get slapped. He rather hoped he would. He wanted her angry. Wanted her hating him, especially now, when the scent of her warm, wet skin was drilling into his senses. Every curve of her petite body branding itself into his mind's eye.

He was close enough to take her in his hands. Too close, because at this intimate range, he could see the flutter of her pulse drumming frantically at her throat, and he was all too aware that there would be no one to stop him if he pulled her into his arms and took a forbidden taste of her. You hang your callousness on the excuse of truth, she said, a fierceness creeping into her voice. So maybe you can tell me why you found it necessary to lie to me about what happened with the Crimson lab.

Tegan narrowed a hard look on her, the question raising some kind of alarm within him. I didn't lie to you about anything.

She didn't flinch under his glare, only held his gaze steadier, challenging him. It was you who destroyed the lab, not the Order. You personally, Tegan. No one else. I heard all about it.

A low hiss leaked out of him. He drew back, knowing he was the one retreating now, but unable to stop his hedging backward momentum. Elise moved with him, her wet, nearly naked body too close. Too goddamn tempting.

Why would you do something like that, Tegan? I can't believe that you had any kind of personal stake in seeing the lab razed. So tell me. Why? Did you do it for me?

He said nothing, incapable of speech and edging dangerously close to an emotion he did not want to feel.

She stared up at him fiercely. The silence was heavy, immovable. Where's your truth now, warrior?

Tegan forced a scoff, hearing the humorless laugh scrape in his throat. I've warned you once, female. You're toying with fire. I won't be gentleman enough to warn you again.

Elise closed her eyes as Tegan snarled a curse and stalked away from her. She didn't dare move, hardly drew a breath in the moments Tegan's swift footsteps carried him to the pool's exit. She heard him leave. Only then did she allow herself to sag in relief. What on earth was she thinking? Had she completely lost her mind, provoking a warrior like him toward anger?

And it was anger she saw in his expression. An unmistakable, smoldering fury had lit his bright green eyes as he'd stared at her, probably no less than an instant away from lashing out at her. Was she suicidal, like he'd accused her last night? Because if his ruthless reputation was anything to go by, pushing him like she had was liable to get her killed.

Except it wasn't anger she'd been looking for just now. She had wanted to see some kind of feeling in him...

Feelings he might have toward her.

Which was utterly foolish.

Still, she wondered. Had been wondering, ever since that early November night when Tegan had taken her home from the compound. Elise didn't want to think there was anything between them. Lord knew, she didn't need a complication like that in her life right now.

But in the tense moments before Tegan left the room, something had indeed been there.

Despite his cool demeanor, color had risen in his Gen One dermaglyphs. The beautiful markings had swirled like elaborate, changeable tattoos across Tegan's muscular chest, arms, and torso...and down, beneath the tight black swimsuit that blatantly accentuated his profane sexuality.

And as she'd stood before him, close enough to feel his breath skate hotly across her skin, those incredible glyphs had begun to pulse in shades of burgundy, indigo, and gold--the colors of awakening desire.

Chapter Twelve

Hey, T. Looks like you're Berlin bound tomorrow night, Gideon said as Tegan entered the tech lab. He scrubbed a hand through his spiky blond hair, disheveling it even worse than it had been before and amping up his usual geeky-genius look. We just got FAA clearance for our private jet. The pilot will be waiting for you at Logan's corporate terminal at dusk. You'll have to stop to refuel in Paris, but you'll arrive in Berlin with about an hour to spare before dawn the following day.