Page 22 of A Touch of Crimson
“Where is the surviving guard?”
“I put him down.”
“I didn’t authorize that.”
“It was him or me, Captain.” Damien straightened his shoulders. “He charged me. I was forced to defend myself.”
“He assaulted you?”
“He tried. In my opinion, it was a deliberate suicide.”
Elijah had been correct in saying that no lycan would be able to watch their mate die on purpose—they couldn’t live without each other. But if the surviving lycan planned on dying shortly after…? “Phineas’s wound—you said his throat had been gnawed on. Is it possible the bite wasn’t inflicted by a vampire?”
Damien’s head tilted to one side. “Are you asking if it could’ve been a lycan mauling? Yes, it’s possible, although I would wonder about the lack of blood at the scene. There was some initial arterial spray, but otherwise, he was drained.”
It was concerning that Phineas had walked into a snare. Sentinels weren’t susceptible to hunger, so it was the lycans’ prompting that led him to pull over where danger awaited him. If Jason’s speculation about a lycan uprising had merit, Adrian was facing a battle certain to spill over into mortal lives. He couldn’t afford to rule anything out. “Report to Jason now, then see me in the morning. I want to go over this again after you two put your heads together. That will be all for tonight.”
The Sentinel bowed slightly and left the kitchen. Lindsay stifled a yawn behind her hand, reminding Adrian that she was mortal and her body was still running on Eastern time.
“Let me escort you to your room,” he said.
Nodding, she rounded the island, her movements fluid and graceful, despite her exhaustion. “You and I need to talk tomorrow, too.”
“Yes.”
She came to a halt in front of him and crossed her arms. “You said you wanted me.”
“I do.” The urge to pull her close, to take her lush mouth and discover the taste of her, was riding him hard. A purely human reaction he couldn’t control.
They’d never worked together before, in any of Shadoe’s previous incarnations. Shadoe herself had remained neutral, preferring not to choose between her father and Adrian. This would be the first time they’d work in alignment, pursuing similar goals. The thought of sharing his true purpose with Lindsay, of being known in all ways for who and what he was, affected him in ways he couldn’t have foreseen. “Want” seemed too tame a word for the power of his attraction to Lindsay Gibson.
Her lashes lowered, veiling her eyes. “How bad a sin is it to lust after an angel?”
“The sin is mine, for lusting after you.”
Her throat worked on a swallow. “And if it goes beyond just lusting? Am I going to get struck by lightning? Or worse?”
“Would that deter you?”
“I would hope I’ve earned some brownie points by ridding the world of things like the dragon.”
“I’ll help you earn more.” He couldn’t wait to get started.
Already, she’d proven herself to be remarkably resilient and adaptable. In a matter of hours, she had learned that the vampires and humans she’d thought she knew were only a small piece of a much larger underworld. And she had taken it all in stride, because she was a survivor, a fighter, a woman he anticipated having by his side in the days ahead.
“Will I need them?” Lindsay fell into step beside him. “You didn’t answer my question, so I’m thinking I will.”
“The sin is mine,” he repeated, leading her down the hallway to the room set aside especially for her. He always made room for her in his homes, as a reminder to himself of both his fallibility and his capacity for humanity. For him, the two were joined. He couldn’t have one without the other, and he had neither without Shadoe.
They reached Lindsay’s bedroom door. He opened it for her but didn’t move inside. As unavoidable as his transgression was, it was resistible—for now. It wouldn’t be for long. Not after going without her for as long as he had. And Shadoe’s innately assertive sexuality only upped the stakes. Whether she reincarnated during bawdy, adventuresome epochs or in eras of inhibition and repression, she was always quick to seduce him. And he was always quick to fall.
Lindsay stepped into her room, but hesitated just beyond the threshold. She spoke over her shoulder. “It probably wouldn’t.”
Adrian arched a brow in silent query.
“Deter me,” she clarified.
He was smiling when she closed the door.
