Tempting Evil (Riley Jenson Guardian 3)

"But once he discovers Jack's not at the Directorate, Genoveve is the first place he'll check." He glanced at his watch. "I'll ring Jack. You ready to go?"

I nodded. There was nothing to pack, nothing to take, because from here on in, I was going to become someone else.

"Then let's get out of here, just in case he decides to come back for a little more raiding."

I nodded, then suddenly remembered Liander. "I just have to get one thing."

I dashed into my bedroom to get Liander's birthday present, then we left. Once we'd gotten into Liander's van and had merged into the flow of Saturday morning traffic, Rhoan called Jack. I leaned over the front passenger seat and plonked the present onto it.

"Hey, happy birthday, old man."

"Forty-nine is hardly old for a werewolf. And kindly remember that you're going out with someone more than twelve hundred years old."

"Yeah well, that situation might have changed." Though I'd forced a cheerful note into my voice, Liander didn't appear any more fooled than my brother had been.

He gave me a concerned glance. "Are you okay?"

"Floating on happiness," I said dryly. Then waved at the present. "You can open it when we get to Genoveve."

"Or you could tell me now and save me the suspense."

"I don't think so."

He studied it for a second, then said, "It almost looks like a book."

It was - on the history of cinema effects. But I'd added a box of chocolates to fudge the shape a little. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Bitch."

I grinned.

"Do a U-turn," Rhoan said, his hand momentarily over his cell phone. "Head for Chapel Street."

"Chapel Street?" I said, surprised. "What the hell is there, beside upmarket shops and trendy snobs?"

He waved a hand for me to shut up, so I returned my attention to Liander. In the sharp morning light, he was an almost icy silver. The only thing that lent him some warmth was the blue of his clothes and the matching streaks in his hair.

"Going for the winter look this week, are we?"

He gave me a smile that had all sorts of warning signals flashing. "Winter is very 'in' at the moment. But just wait until you see what I have planned for you."

"I think I should be afraid."

"Very. You are going to be extremely foxy."

My eyebrows rose. "Meaning I'm not now?"

"Darling, you're pretty but very underdone. A little time, care, and makeup certainly wouldn't go astray."

"That's a very backhanded compliment."

He grinned. "Sometimes the truth hurts."

"So can a smack in the head."

His grin widened and he shook his head. "You are so like your brother sometimes, it's scary."

I raised my eyebrows. "Rhoan's threatened to smack you?"