"What?" Macy asked, shifting uncomfortably. "You're staring." He forced a flirtatious chuckle. "You're pretty, is all.”
“Macy," a male voice called. Both of them turned. "Breean," she said with relief. "You made it."
The golden giant's pace increased. When he reached the agent, he pulled her away from Devyn's side and into his arms. Devyn sighed. Possessive, jealous men were a nuisance. He hadn't been that way over his shrew of a wife, and he wouldn't be that way over one of his many lovers. Ever.
To show possessiveness or jealousy was to stake a claim over a specific female. And to stake a claim was to give up the right to enjoy other females. He shuddered.
Macy twisted in her man's arms, facing Devyn. "Like I was saying about going in circles. No matter what route you take, we always end up here. I'm not stupid. There's a reason. Tell me."
Very well. He'd give her a reason. It wouldn't be the truth, but it would be a reason. "You caught me. I'm thinking of buying property on this side of town and was using company time to scout the area." Best lie he could come up with, but he delivered it smoothly. Lying was second nature to him, maybe because it was just another form of flirting.
The only thing he refused to lie about was what he would do to those who wronged him or his friends. When he made a threat, he saw it through. No hesitation. That, he'd learned from his father. A lesson he'd actually taken to heart. Better that people feared and respected him than underestimate and attempt to hurt him.
"Devyn!" Macy said. "I can't believe you. You've been wasting my time for your own gain."
That's it. Get angry. Maybe the stronger her emotions were, the stronger her scent would be. Bride would finally catch a whiff and start running, as desperate to reach the girl as she'd been when they'd first met. Maybe more so, now that she was so smug about capturing Nolan.
Devyn had been sleeping in the new apartment every night, waiting. Alone. Maybe tonight would be the night they were reunited.
"My bad." Dallas, his partner in this delicious crime, was due to—
Ring, ring.
Perfect timing. As if he didn't know who was calling, he glanced at his cell's ID and tried not to grin. "I have to take this," he told Macy. "You know how Dallas gets when I ignore him."
She nodded stiffly, her irritation with him clearly undiminished. "He's such a pouter." Macy's power of observation was greater than Devyn had assumed.
Doing his best to appear grave, Devyn flipped open his cell and placed it to his ear. "Devyn, king of the Targons and prince of pleasure, speaking. How may I help you?"
"Funny," Dallas said. "You're sounding chipper."
Of course he was. Macy—and now Breean by association—were his puppets. Which meant, Bride would soon be his puppet. Only, he would enjoy pulling her strings. And then wrapping those strings around her wrists and ankles and anchoring her to a bed. And then licking her entire body. And then slipping and sliding inside of her while she shouted his name.
"You couldn't have," he said for Macy's benefit. "Again? Seriously? And you're on her trail now? Tell me, is she wearing the same outfit as last time?"
"You mean skin?" Dallas barked out a chuckle. "Macy right beside you?”
“Affirmative."
"Ohhh, affirmative he says. You know I love it when you talk shop."
To Macy, Devyn said, "Dallas thinks he found the vampire. Again. I can't leave—did you see that skyscraper?— but he'd love some backup. You interested?"
"Yes," she rushed out. "Is he sure this time? Last two nights, we tailed humans. They looked like her, or rather, what you described, sure, but I'm tired of failure."
"You sure this time?" Devyn asked Dallas.
"Affirmative."
That did have a nice ring to it. "He's not, but he doesn't want to take a chance." Devyn allowed some leeway, just in case they needed to relive this scenario tomorrow."
"He's happy to go alone, though, if you—"
"No! No, we'll go. Find out where we should meet him and then tell him not to do anything until we get there. He does remember what happened -the last time the two of you acted alone, yes?"
Devyn relayed the message and rattled off their coordinates. Paused. "No worries, Mace," he told the agent. "He's nearby and is happy to pick you up again."
Breean was frowning. His eyes were narrowed, but he remained silent.
"I thought they'd see through you in a heartbeat," Dallas said in his ear. "I guess I have to choke down another of those Sweet Munchkins." There was disgust in his voice. Rather than use money, they wagered with pastries. Out-of-date, stale, not-fit-for-the-homeless pastries. Loser had to eat one in front of the winner. "Sometimes you're scary brilliant, have I told you that before?"
"I'd argue the word sometimes, but yeah. You're right."
Another laugh. "I'll be there in two." Click.
Sure, he could have let the couple walk away and not sent them with Dallas to track this latest "sighting," but he didn't want the girl's scent spread too far and wide. Hopefully, being inside a vehicle prevented such a thing.
Thinking about the spreading of Macy's scent had him wondering how long Bride had been searching for her. Weeks? Years? If so, why hadn't Bride smelled her until now? He'd tried to subtly question Macy about her own past, but the girl had been tight-lipped. She had to be, he supposed. With an ability like hers, she'd probably been hunted most of her life.
Devyn pocketed his phone. "Like I said, Dallas is nearby and will be pulling along any ... minute. Ah, there he is."
A black van with tinted windows eased to the curb. Because of the tint, Dallas couldn't be seen, but Devyn imagined his friend grinning from ear to ear. Made him want to grin himself, thinking of Dallas happy and amused. It was much better than imagining the agent wallowing in self-pity over that whole blood master issue.
Macy stepped toward the van, the sun stroking the brass of her necklace and glinting in his eye. The necklace. Oh, oh. Devyn jerked her into his body for a hug, stealthily removing and pocketing it. How could he have forgotten about his insurance policy? Well, hopefully it was an insurance policy. "Good luck, darling."
"Uh, thanks, Dev." Awkwardly, she patted his back.
Breean growled low in his throat, and for a moment Devyn feared he'd been found out. But the warrior merely rugged the female from Devyn's clasp and ushered her into the waiting van.