Dangerous Games (Riley Jenson Guardian 4)

"I can." And I had a somewhat legitimate excuse for being there if caught - Jin. "We can use our telepathic link. I'll describe what I'm seeing, and you can tell me how to destroy it."

He glanced at the house, then at me. "The minute we destroy the circle, she'll feel it."

"So?"

"She might get a tad angry."

I grinned. "I handle 'tad angry' with ease, vamp boy."

He didn't say anything, just looked at me, and my grin slowly faded. "Look, let's just do this, before someone else dies."

He took a moment to nod, then glanced at the house again. "Rhoan has this house tapped?"

"Yes." I didn't mention he couldn't actually hear a whole lot. I had a feeling if I did, Quinn wouldn't be going anywhere.

"Has he infrared of the rooms?"

"Not yet," Rhoan said into my ear. "Maybe in an hour or so, once lack's team finishes hacking their security."

I repeated his words, and Quinn nodded. "Somewhere in that house, probably at a subterranean level, there will be some sort of tunnel leading into a deep chamber. We need to find it."

"Why?"

"Because that is where his power rests. That is where he sacrifices and feeds. To destroy him, we must first destroy the altar."

"I'd imagine that would piss him off more than a little bit."

"Yes, it will." There was something in his eyes - a darkness that was part memory, part ferocity - that sent a shiver down my spine. "And that is when you will understand the true meaning of the god of darkness."

"A lesson I have no desire to undertake."

"A wise decision."

That was me - wise all the way. Not.

"You got a car nearby?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll follow you to Jin's, if you like."

He nodded and pressed a hand to my back, gently guiding me toward the rear of the yard. Warmth shivered across my skin, and moon-spun desires sprung to fierce life. "I don't suppose - "

"No," he said, "Not here. Not now."

I scowled at him. "You're just no fun."

"If the moon heat is so bad, you should not be here."

Yeah, well, there was that. "It's just an itch that needs to be scratched. Nothing urgent." Not yet.

He didn't say anything, but then, he didn't need to. He might not be able to actually smell my desire, but he was a vampire and an empath. He'd feel the heat of it in my emotions. Would hear the elevated rate of my heart.

I headed back to my car then followed his - a divine black Porsche Coupe - across to Jin's. I couldn't get parking anywhere close and was forced to park in the next street then lope back. Quinn, lucky bastard that he was, somehow managed to grab a prime parking spot five doors down from Jin's.

My gaze went to his house, and a tremor ran clown my spine. There was something almost watchful about its facade.

Something sinister.