Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

He stopped behind me, a heat I could feel more than hear. "I scared you."

"Yes."

"Why? You work with guardians. They do far worse than what I did in there."

"I know. But I expect it from them. I didn't expect it from you."

"I'm a vampire. That's what we are."

"Yeah, but for some reason I'd been hoping you were different." That the exterior gloss was fact, not merely a show. But that was my problem, not his. Hell, it wasn't as if he hadn't warned me that he could kill as easily as he drank blood. And, truth be told, the demonstration hadn't really killed my desire for him. "Did you uncover anything useful?"

He was silent for a moment, then said, "He was partially blocked. I caught images. Moneisha's not where these things are coming from."

I glanced over my shoulder. He wasn't even looking at me, but staring up at the cloudy sky, his expression thoughtful

"What images?"

"It's underground. Lots of concrete, bright lights, white walls, that sort of stuff."

"Nothing recognizable in the way of scenery?"

He shook his head and finally looked at me. His eyes were shuttered. "It could have been anywhere. Any country."

Great. "Then let's go get Rhoan out."

"Disguises first."

"Where? It's midnight and there's not a lot open." Not a lot beyond restaurants, clubs, and the Casino, that is

"As I said before, that doesn't mean a lot when you have money."

A point he proceeded to prove by having the largest retailer in the city open its doors so we could shop. "Can you do tarty?" he said, as we headed up in the elevator to the women's floor

I grinned. "I'm a wolf. We do tart better than the tarts."

A smile warmed his dark eyes. "I've noticed that about wolves. I shall leave you to your own devices, then, and go get the supplies I need." He glanced at the assistant. "Anything she wants. Charge it to my account." His gaze came back to me. "I'll meet you downstairs in half an hour."

Half an hour wasn't long when you'd just been given full use of unlimited credit, but hey, I wasn't about to bitch. I wasted ten minutes simply walking around looking, and eventually went for the thigh-length silver snakeskin boots, simply because I'd always wanted a pair. But I settled for the four-inch heels rather than the six-inch, just in case I had to run. I combined those with a barely decent blue net skirt that was way too short to be described as micro, and a silver crop top that had peekaboo holes for my nipples. To complete the effect, I went for a bright blue wig and blue-toned skin makeup. Then I headed into the change room to make the transformation

As I studied my reflection in the mirror, I decided I did slut superbly well. The blue wig and skin toning made my smoke-colored eyes glow a bright blue, and the skirt and shirt flirted with indecency but left enough covered to stop the cops hauling me off to charge me. I shoved my jacket on, put my other clothes in my bag, and walked downstairs to meet Quinn

He was waiting, several bags at his feet. His gaze went to my hair, then slid down to my face, and a mix of surprise and hunger flitted through his eyes. The surge of his desire nearly scorched my skin

"Rather keen on the blue, are we?" I teased

He didn't deny it. Couldn't, when I could so easily smell it. "I don't get a preview of the rest of it?"

I grinned. "And spoil the surprise?"

His gaze slid down, lingering on my leather-clad ankles. "I've got a feeling the surprise could be heart attack material."

"Isn't that the effect you want?"

"Yes." He bent to pick up the two bags, affording me a glimpse of laser guns and some sort of electronic sensor. I didn't even know they sold that sort of stuff here, and I shopped here frequently. But maybe they had a special section set aside for billionaires

He gave the manager a huge tip, then escorted me outside. "Did you come in a car?"

I nodded. "It's in the Casino parking lot."