Page 8 of A Touch of Crimson
“You sound like a romantic.”
“Does that surprise you?”
Her lips curved gently. “Nothing surprises me.”
His heart ached at that smile. He’d gone too long without her, and his wait was hardly over. While she couldn’t fail to feel the pull between them, she didn’t love him. He’d have only her body for a time, which would soothe the sharpest edge of his need but still leave him wanting.
His attention diverted to Elijah, who’d pushed to his feet and moved off the carpeted waiting area to the main concourse. The lycans were uncomfortable in enclosed, crowded spaces. Adrian could have chartered a flight or waited for one of his own planes—either action would have spared his guards their discomfort—but he’d needed to send a message to any vampire stupid enough to think he might have been weakened by the aerial ambush or the loss of his second: Come and try me again.
“You love surprises,” she guessed.
Adrian looked at her. “Hate them. Except when they’re you.”
Lindsay laughed softly. A forgotten warmth stirred in his chest.
A young woman pushing a stroller and carrying a fussy infant headed toward the gate counter via the carpeted pathway directly in front of them. As she argued with a toddler dragging a small carry-on, Adrian’s phone rang. He excused himself from Lindsay and stepped a short distance away. The caller ID showed a number, but no name.
“Mitchell,” he answered.
“Adrian.” The icy voice was instantly recognizable.
Primal aggression spurred Adrian’s pulse. Lightning split the sky in tandem, followed by the roar of thunder. “Syre.”
“You have something that belongs to me.”
4
Turning his head with feigned nonchalance, Adrian searched for surveillance. Was it possible Syre had found his daughter first and was tracking her? “What might that be?”
“Don’t be coy, Adrian. It doesn’t suit you. Lovely brunette. Female. Petite. You will give her back—unharmed.”
Adrian relaxed. “If you’re referring to the rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth bitch who attacked me today, I broke her heart. Crushed it in my fist, to be precise.”
There was a long, terrible stretch of silence. Then, “Nikki was the kindest woman I’ve ever met.”
“If that’s your definition of ‘kind,’ I’ve been too lenient. Try a stunt like that again,” he warned smoothly, “and I’ll put you all down.”
“You haven’t the authority or the right. Watch that God complex of yours, Adrian, or you’ll end up like me.”
Turning away from Lindsay’s vigilant gaze, Adrian breathed carefully through his seething wrath. He was a seraph, a Sentinel. He was expected to stand above the vagaries of human emotions. Betraying otherwise—through his tone of voice or actions—exposed an unconscionable vulnerability.
What was done could not be undone; his mortal love tethered him to the earth, holding him away from the serenity of the heavens.
“You have no idea what I’m authorized to do,” he said evenly. “She attacked in broad daylight, proving that one of your Fallen ranks—maybe you—fed her in the last forty-eight hours. That opens the door for me to defend myself and my Sentinels in whatever manner I see fit. Think harder before sending another suicidal minion my way. I’m not Phineas; you and I have already established that a fight with me is one you can’t win.”
It was the truth… albeit oversimplified. Syre lacked the formal combat training that honed the Sentinels, but he’d had centuries to perfect guerrilla tactics. He was also older and wiser for his mistakes, and growing as restless as the lycans. His vampires would follow him into Hell if he asked them to. All of which made him exceedingly dangerous. While Adrian knew he could best Syre again, it would not be as easily accomplished the next time.
And Lindsay Gibson would be caught in the middle.
“Maybe winning isn’t the goal,” Syre taunted.
Casting a possessive glance at Lindsay, Adrian was acutely aware of the misery he was destined to bring into her life. But he couldn’t walk away. Between himself and Syre, he was the lesser of two evils.
“If you’ve got a death wish,” Adrian said, as thunder rumbled across the sky, “pay me a visit. I’m happy to assist.”
Lindsay frowned at something, and he followed her gaze. The woman with the antsy kids was still fighting with the elder. The boy’s voice rose to a volume that drew attention from everyone in the immediate area.
The vampire leader laughed. “Not until I’m certain my daughter is free of you.”
