Midnight Awakening (Midnight Breed 3)

He razed the place, Tess said. It's all that Nikolai, Kade, and Brock have been talking about since they got back. Evidently Tegan went in by himself and single-handedly shut the operation down before the others had even arrived on scene. Then he burned the building to the ground.

Tegan did that? Elise was astonished. And she was fairly certain he'd implied the Order was responsible for shutting the lab down, not him personally. Why would he let her believe that if he had been the one responsible?

Niko said Tegan came out of that burning warehouse like something out of a nightmare, Tess went on. Then he walked off into the night without any explanation.

And from there he went to her apartment to look in on her, Elise realized now.

Come on, let's talk some more while you eat. Gabrielle's waiting for us in the dining room upstairs.

The three women left the infirmary, Tess's little dog trotting after them, and walked a confusing maze of corridors into the heart of the Order's subterranean compound. They were nearly to an elevator when a glass door whisked open somewhere nearby and deep male voices filled the area. Elise recognized Sterling's voice among them, but he sounded rougher than normal, talking about night patrols and racking up his tally of Rogue kills like it was some kind of sport for him.

The other male's voice rolled with an exotic accent, making Elise picture turquoise ocean waves and golden sunsets. It was Dante, she realized, as the two armed warriors rounded the corner and the one walking with Sterling moved in to sweep Tess into a tight embrace.

Hello, angel, he drawled and nuzzled his mouth against her neck while she laughed at the sudden amorous assault. His eyes flashed amber with the spark of his desire for his woman, emotion he didn't even attempt to hide.

I missed you, she whispered, stroking his dark hair. I always miss you.

Well, I'm home now. The words were a deep rasp as he reached down and twined his fingers through hers. Elise could see the tips of his fangs when he gave his Breedmate a slow, crooked smile. And I'm thirsty for you, Tess.

The female's smile was full of longing. I was just on my way to have a bite with my friends.

Savannah laughed. I think you found something better. We'll save you a sandwich. Lord knows, you're probably going to need it.

Tess beamed over her shoulder as Dante led her away. The couple strode off together, leaving no one in the room in doubt of what would soon transpire privately between them.

When Tess's little terrier started barking as Dante led her away, Savannah bent down to pick up the dog. Come on, you darling beast. I'll find something for you too. She glanced over at Elise. I'm just going to go see what Gideon's up to in the lab. I'll be right back, okay?

Elise nodded. And when she turned her head away from Dante and Tess's retreat, it was to find Sterling staring at her from across the corridor. His eyes scathed her, taking in her appearance-- from the top of her shorn hair to her bloodstained shirt, pants, and damp winter boots. There was disapproval in his eyes, even worse than Tegan's initial reaction to her. She saw Sterling's gaze drift down to her hands, to her fingers, which were twisting anxiously at the hem of her shirt. He stared at her wedding band, a muscle ticking in his beard- shadowed jaw.

Aren't you going to even say hello to me? she asked him in the unbearable silence. We have to talk to each other sometime, don't we?

But Sterling didn't say a word.

With a vague shake of his head, he simply turned and strode away, leaving her alone in the long corridor. Tegan tensed up as the lights flicked on over the estate's indoor pool. He'd gone there after making his call to the Berlin Darkhaven, looking for solitude and means of working off some excess steam. He was pissed but not surprised that Gideon hadn't been able to get a legitimate origin for Marek's FedEx shipment. The vampire's network of Minions had to be extensive. That journal had probably been handed off like a relay baton at half a dozen stops before arriving in Boston, just to muddy its trail.

As for the book itself, not even Savannah's impressive psychic ability to read the emotional history of an object had proved helpful there. All Gideon's Breedmate could cull from the journal was the deep madness--the mind-eating Bloodlust--of the one who had written on its pages.

Frustrated by it all, Tegan had swum a few laps, and now sat in the corner of the vaulted space, bare legs straddling a teakwood chaise, his hair and the brief black trunks clinging to his groin still damp from the water. He'd been enjoying the alone time and the darkness--or had been, until the rows of domed lights above the pool blinked on like interrogation room high beams.

He stood up, expecting to see Rio limp in with Tess for a round of therapy. But it wasn't either of them who came out of the shower room into the pool area.

It was Elise.

She didn't see him as she padded in barefoot, wearing a snow-white swimsuit that was sliced up the sides and held together by delicate bronze rings. The front of it plunged low, another ring centered between the perfect swell of her breasts. The daring suit was almost as big of a surprise as seeing her here; Tegan would never have guessed the reserved Darkhaven widow to look so right in such immodest clothing.

And goddamn, did she ever look right.

A deep, primal awareness stirred in him as he watched her draw away the spa towel she had slung around her neck. She let it fall to the tiles at the water's edge, then stepped down onto the first submerged step at the shallow end of the pool.

Soundlessly, Tegan inched his way back into the corner, hardly breathing in the thin shadows that concealed him. Even though it was clear that her body was leaner than it should be from want of fortifying Breed blood, Elise was lovely. She was beautifully formed, from the grace of her long legs and the gentle flare of her hips, to the slender curves of her waist, breasts, and delicate shoulders.

He had seen hints of her figure when she'd come out of the shower in her apartment last night, and when she'd lain unconscious on the futon, but the thick robe had hidden more than it revealed. The scrap of elastic white material she wore now only accentuated her assets. In a big way.

She strode down into the water, then began a slow swim toward the center of the pool. Abruptly, she dove under, disappearing from his view until she reemerged at the far end to come up for air. As her face broke the surface of the water, she opened her eyes and spotted him. Her little gasp echoed in the cavernous room.

Tegan. She brought her arm up to hold on to the edge of the pool, but kept her body submerged as if the water could shield her from his intrusive gaze. I thought I was alone in here.

So did I. He walked out under the lights, and didn't miss the flush of color in her cheeks as she quickly averted her eyes from his near nakedness. He drew closer to the edge and smirked a bit as she moved away, going toward the center of the pool. Your arm looks better.