Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

"Okay."

A smile tugged his lush lips. "You are the most surprising woman I have ever met."

I raised an eyebrow. "Because I do what is sensible?"

"Because you do so without arguing first."

"I do not have a death wish, and this is not a situation I'm enjoying." Besides, though there were no windows and clocks to be seen in this place, I knew night was falling. The full moon was close to rising, and the force of it had my whole body tingling. Soon I would be wolf, and while teeth were a good weapon against one, against many they would be useless

I lightly touched his cheek. "Please be careful."

He caught my hand and kissed my palm. "I'm a very old vampire, and I didn't get this way by being careless. And one crazy young werewolf with Hitler delusions will not take me out."

Maybe. But that crazy young werewolf had an army of dysfunctional clones at his back, and they very well might

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. Quinn released me and peered out. I retrieved a couple of knives from my boots and put them in the coat's pockets

"Clear." He tugged me out. "Go left and take the first corridor on the right. The exit is at the very end."

I didn't move, etching his face in my mind, just in case something happened and I never saw him again

"Go," he said softly and released my hand

I stepped forward, brushed a quick kiss across his lips, then turned and walked away. But I'd barely gone ten steps when a strident ringing cut through the silence. I froze, my heart sitting somewhere in my throat and beating ten to the dozen

Run, Quinn said

I ran. The ringing was deafening, echoing through my ears, but hopefully overwhelming the loud tattoo of my footsteps. The corridor was long, curving around to the left, affording no vision of what was coming the other way. I hadn't seen many people walking the halls, and hoped like hell it stayed that way until I got out

Should have known my luck was never likely to hold

Somewhere behind me a door opened, and the sound of heavy footsteps seemed to boom in time with the alarm. They were running toward me, not away

From ahead, there were more footsteps. I swore softly and checked the laser. Half-charged. I could mow down a few more people before I was reduced to fighting with knife and fist

The curve of the corridor came to an end, and so, too, did freedom. Talon stood under the exit sign, as naked as when he'd left me earlier, his brawny arms crossed and an arrogant expression on his face. Six clones were at his back

I slid to a stop and clenched my right hand, my finger against the laser's trigger, ready to fire it should any of them make the slightest move

"Planning to go somewhere?" he drawled

My other hand was around a knife. "I've decided I'm not keen on this resort. Don't suppose you'd be kind enough to move so I can get to the exit?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose you'd be kind enough to tell me where your vampire lover is?"

"What makes you think I'd know or care?"

"The fact you helped him escape."

"If I helped him escape, he'd be with me, wouldn't he?"

His smile made my skin crawl. "He will never find his friend, you know. This place is a maze, and the corridors bright. No shadows for a vampire to hide in, I'm afraid."

Quinn didn't need shadows and he didn't need to hide. All he had to do was touch the minds of all those he passed and make them see nothing. Far better than shadows

"So all this racket is because a wolf and a vampire escaped your net? A bit over the top, don't you think?"

He shrugged. "The alarm is automatic when a door is breached."