Betrayed by D. B. Reynolds

voice still edged with laughter. Then he straightened, and, as if a switch had been thrown, he was once again a deadly serious and powerful vampire lord. “We need to talk, my lord. I haven’t much time.”
    Raphael tipped his head in assent and turned to Cyn. “ Lubimaya ,” he began, but Cyn interrupted him.
    “Yeah, yeah, I know. Super-secret vampire business. That’s okay.   I have business of my own.”
    “Cyn,” Raphael said, his forbidding tone making her name a warning.
    “Raphael,” she replied, matching his tone mockingly. “Don’t worry so much. I’m in the house, surrounded by security. I’m just going to make a few calls, do some research. Relax.”
    Cyn glanced over and noticed Lucas watching their interplay with avid attention, his expression positively gleeful. Cyn scowled at him and reached up to caress Raphael’s face, smoothing away the frown lines on his forehead, then cupping his cheek. “I’ll be good. I promise.”
    Raphael caught her hand and rubbed his thumb over the spot Lucas had kissed, as if to rub away the other vampire. But that apparently wasn’t enough, because he also brought her hand to his mouth and left his own lingering kiss in the exact same spot. “I won’t be long,” he murmured, then signaled Juro .
    All at once the vampires were moving, like a mini-tornado of security, sweeping up the stairs and into the depths of the big house, with Raphael and Lucas at the center of the storm. Cyn watched them go and shook her head. It was ridiculous to have that much security to walk down the corridor, especially inside the house. But vampires had an instinctive need to protect their master, and even though Lucas was a friend, he’d brought his own bodyguards with him, and they were decidedly outsiders. Which meant Raphael’s team had to respond in kind, and thus, the security overkill.
    Fortunately, the vamps didn’t feel that kind of loyalty to her. She made her way down the hall alone, going in the opposite direction the mob had gone. Her mind was on whom she could call, and more importantly, how she could get a few hours on her own tomorrow to do some investigating . . . when she ran flat into a mountain of flesh.
    “Cyn baby!” Robbie was grinning down at her, completely relaxed, hands on his hips.
    Cyn scowled up at him, wondering where he’d come from.
    “I hear we’re going on an adventure tomorrow,” Robbie said, giving her a knowing wink.
    “Where’d you hear that?” she asked grudgingly.
    “Steve Sipes , and he heard from Jared. You didn’t think you could keep that from Raphael, did you? He knows you better than that. Hell, we all do.”
    Cyn didn’t like being the topic of conversation in the barracks. Even though they didn’t actually have a barracks. But she especially didn’t like it that they were right. Damn them.
    “I’m just going to make a few phone calls,” she said grumpily, pushing past Robbie.
    “Great! I haven’t had my coffee yet.”
    “What makes you think you’re invited?”
    Robbie reached around and scooped her up like she weighed nothing, crushing her against him in a hug. He was the only one, other than Raphael, who showed her such easy affection. The only one who dared.
    “Because you love me, baby. Admit it.”
    Cyn grinned at last. “Fine. I’ll give you coffee.” She eyed the former Army Ranger speculatively. “And, come to think of it, you might be able to help me. I need to know about snipers.”
    “Yeah,” Robbie said glumly. “I kind of figured that.”
    * * * *
    Lucas strolled into the conference room ahead of Raphael, yanking his tie open before he’d gotten two feet inside the door.
    “I hate these things,” he said, stripping off the tie and shoving it into his pocket. “Don’t know how you manage to wear them all the time.”
    “It’s a matter of discipline,” Raphael responded, letting his tone say what his words didn’t. That Lucas was sorely lacking in that department.
    Lucas grinned