Tempting Evil

Wasn't fast enough.

Even as the ladder came into sight, there was an odd click and suddenly cameras were moving, tracking us.

A heartbeat later another alarm sounded, closer and harsher than the other, a strident sound that was deafening in the tu

The child didn't make a sound. Didn't move. She breathed—I could feel it, see the bright heat of her body—but her stillness was eerie. Hell, I jumped when that alarm started, but not the kid. It was almost as if she understood that she couldn't cry, that to do so would put us all in even greater danger.

Of course, she could also be doped out of her tiny mind, but somehow, that just didn't ring true.

Maybe it was me who was out of my tiny mind.

As we neared the ladder, Qui

I reached for the rungs and began to climb. It didn't matter if it was clear or not up top—I'd rather face six men with guns that two extremely pissed chameleons.

No matter how awkward it might have been to climb a ladder while holding a kid, let me tell you that no ladder had ever been climbed quite so fast. Qui

I leapt over the bodies of two security guards who'd obviously been patrolling nearby, and ran like hell into the thick darkness of the forest.

The thump of many footsteps against concrete suggested security were answering the alarm. I hoped my brother wasn't amongst them or, at least, wasn't the first in line to open that door.

Unease rolled through me again, and this time, I knew for sure it centered on Rhoan. I just wasn't entirely sure why. Was it simply sibling concern? Or the growing certainty that something had gone seriously wrong for him? Maybe the next thing I needed to do once I'd delivered Dia's child to safety was hunt him out—if only to see him and ensure he was okay.

Because the last time I'd felt anything like this, he'd been kidnapped and milked for his seed.

And then something else hit me—the realization that Starr was likely to check the whereabouts of all his people. Including the whores and us fighters. I stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Qui

"I need to get back to my room, which means I need you to do me a favor." I swiped at the sweat trickling down the side of my face. "Will you take the child to the forest and wait for the shifter to come in and collect her?"

He frowned, and gave the silent little girl a dark look. "I am not overly fond of children."

"I'm not asking you to be fond of her. I'm just asking if you'd take her to safety."

He didn't answer immediately, so I offered up the child. Somewhat reluctantly, he took her. "When and where?"

Rather than respond, I flicked the com-link, and said, "Jack?"

"Regular reports, Riley. That was in the very first lesson on proper guardian behavior."

"I think that was the one I slept through."

He swore. "Damnit, just report."

I smiled. It might not be wise to bait my boss, but damn if it didn't feel good when he bit. "We've got the kid and blown the lab but the shit has temporarily hit the fan. Qui

"Everyone's cover still intact?"

"That very much depends whether the cameras in the tu

"Maybe one named Libraska, you mean?"

"Well, it does make sense for Starr to have his most valuable asset close to hand." And it would also explain the existence of the elevator entrance to his rooms—the one no one seemed to know about.

"We've no records of any installation, military or not, being built in this area, but I'll get Alex to check with her Government source. Hopefully, we'll have an answer soon as to what Starr is sitting on."

Alex was Alex Hunter, the woman responsible for the birth of the Directorate, and who'd been in charge of it since its inception. Not only was she a very old vampire—far older than even Qui

Though how Jack could be several hundred years younger than Qui

"Where do you want Qui

"There's an old pine leaning over the fence near the south corner. We'll have people there in five." He hesitated. "Be careful. And keep in contact, Riley. I mean it."

I'm sure he meant it the first time he said it, too. It still didn't mean I'd remember. I flicked off the com-link and glanced at Qui

He nodded and shifted his grip on the child, then wrapped his free hand around the back of my neck and pulled me close. His lips, when they met mine, were warm and demanding, the kiss itself unlike any other kiss from any other man. It was both a promise of intent and a declaration of feeling, and so damn right—so damn hot—it had me melting.

A sigh escaped when his lips left mine. He chuckled softly. "Keep that thought for when all this is over."

I opened my eyes and stared into the obsidian depths of his for several heartbeats. "Only if you accept what I am, Qui

His smile was tinged with bitterness, though that bitterness didn't seem aimed at me but rather himself. "It has occurred to me that to win the race, I must first be in the race. I may not like a werewolf's propensity for many mates, but if sharing means I get the chance to prove that we are meant to be, then I have little other choice but to accept it."

My hormones did a happy little jig. "Meaning no more demands that I see you, and you alone? No more jibes at the werewolf culture?"

"Yes to the first, and I will try to the second."

Well, that was better than nothing. I leaned forward and kissed him gently. "Thank you."

"Even the very old can try to change if we see something worth changing for." He briefly touched my cheek with his fingertips, then stepped back. "Be very careful in that house."

I nodded. He turned and disappeared into the night, though I watched the flame of his body heat until the trees took it from sight. After which, I turned and headed back to my room.

Only Berna was there when I entered, but she wasn't asleep. Far from it. Her expression was dark, angry, like she was ready to hit someone. And her eyes, when her gaze met mine, suggested that someone was me.

I stopped cold, wondering what the hell I'd done. Other than whip their asses earlier, that is.

But before I could ask, pain hit. Deep, deep pain that struck like a hammer, smashing through my body, driving me to my knees and snatching the air from my lungs.

It wasn't my pain.

It was Rhoan's.