Midnight Awakening (Midnight Breed 3)

What happened to Reichen finding you some dinner downstairs?

He did. That was almost an hour ago. I...waited for a while to see if you might come out of your room, but when you didn't, I decided to come to you.

He stared at her for a minute, then mentally cut the shower off and turned to grab his shirt and weapons holster. I was just on my way out.>Kuhn's mouth went tight, but he inclined his head in compliance. As you wish, madam.

Although Tegan was quiet, she felt his eyes on her the entire time as they left the treatment center and were escorted back out to where Reichen's car and driver waited. Whatever had passed between them last night in the boathouse, and the heavy awareness that had remained in the hours since, was still present now. Just being near him, her body thrummed with a disquieting heat.

She knew part of it was the link she shared with him through his blood, but there was another part of her that responded to him as well. It was that latter part--the elemental, feminine stirring-- that troubled her the most, because after the way he'd left her last night, it seemed that she was alone in her desire.

Tegan was stoic and silent with her, stepping aside as Reichen's driver opened the back door of the Rolls-Royce to her as they approached the car. She glanced into the vehicle as she began to climb inside and was surprised to find it empty.

Where is Andreas?

The driver gave a polite little bow of his bald head. With regrets, madam, he was called away briefly to attend a personal matter in the city. He asked that I contact him once you and the gentleman had completed your meeting here. We'll go retrieve him now.

Oh. All right, Klaus. Thank you.

Elise slid into the private passenger area of the luxurious sedan limousine. Tegan followed, seating himself across from her, one muscled arm slung over the back of the sumptuous leather bench seat. His thighs were spread indecently wide as he slouched back and stared at her under a hank of his thick tawny hair. He was considering her in that maddening silence of his, those bright green eyes fixed on her for so long she could hardly bear the weight of his unreadable scrutiny.

The few minutes it took to reach the center of Berlin felt like an hour. And even worse, the farther they drove into the heart of all that humanity, Elise's temples began to pound with the incoming chatter of hundreds of dark thoughts and ugly voices hissing their corrupt impulses into her ears. She turned her face toward the tinted glass of the car window, feeling the crush of her psychic gift squeezing all the air out of the vehicle.

Lord, just let the drive be over soon. All she wanted was to crawl into bed and put the past few nights behind her.

...handled it well.

Tegan's deep voice roused her out of her mounting panic. She'd been so distracted, she hadn't realized he'd finally started speaking to her. I'm sorry?

Back there at the containment facility. You were good, the way you handled Kuhn...and all the rest of it. I'm impressed.

The praise warmed her, mostly because she knew how rare it was, coming from Tegan. He wasn't the type to coddle, or to dole out kind words unless he meant them. I wish we'd had better luck with Odolf.

We'll get what we need from him tomorrow.

I hope so.

Idly, she rubbed at her throbbing temple, a move Tegan followed with his eyes. Are you all right?

Fine, she said, wincing a bit as the car stopped at a traffic light in the center of a crowded intersection downtown. Pedestrians crossed in front of them, a thick knot of people whose thoughts rattled Elise's head like a long roll of thunder. I'll be fine once we're out of the city.

Tegan stared at her.

You need more blood, he said, not sounding very happy about the idea. After so long without, feeding just one time isn't going to hold you. I'm okay, she insisted, wishing it were true. I'm not going to take anything more from you, Tegan.

I wasn't offering.

Humiliation flooded her at his grim statement of fact. You weren't offering that first time either, were you? I forced your hand that night at the compound, Tegan. I'm sorry.

Forget it. I'll live.

Well, he certainly closed the door on that subject. Actually, he seemed preoccupied and edgy, even more than usual. Elise had seen how appalled Tegan had been by the containment facility's practices.

She'd also seen the way he'd looked at Petrov Odolf, restrained and feverish from the Bloodlust that had robbed him of his sanity and, probably, his soul. Tegan, who was normally so detached and unmovable, had felt a degree of sympathy for the Rogue being held in that cell. Incredibly, it had seemed as though Tegan might even relate to the vampire's pitiful condition.

Elise could hardly imagine that, seeing how rigidly the warrior clung to his self-control. Or maybe he held on so tightly because he knew what it was like to lose his grasp...

She might have pondered that in more depth, but a fresh wave of nausea assailed her as another large group of people filed past the car while it waited for the light.

In a fluid move, Tegan came over onto the seat next to her. Come here. I'll trance you.