lightly pressing his lips in the same spot. He felt the heat of her skin as bad dreams and fear infected her body.
Anna’s eyes slowly opened. The dark orbs brightened as she recognized him, and she tried to sit up while talking rapidly in their language.
“ He wishes to destroy us all. We must stop him! ” She clutched at his arms.
“ You are safe, little one. I will never let anyone hurt you,” he soothed, wishing he had the knack for providing comfort, but consoling someone wasn’t something he was familiar with.
“Last night she talked about blood and danger,” Sybil said, while she stood nearby.
Anna gasped and gripped Declan tighter.
He stood up and gathered Anna into his arms. “This is over. I’m taking her home.”
“That isn’t possible.” Maggie stood in the doorway.
Declan knew she wouldn’t harm him as long as he had Anna in his arms. No matter what, he considered his charge an innocent.
“We are leaving. There will be no interrogations.” He glared at Sybil, who continued to look serene. “There will be no cells.”
Anna whimpered as the tiny room’s temperature increased. He took a deep breath, and the heat dissipated.
Maggie stepped back and to one side.
Declan left the room with Anna still cradled in his arms.
“We need to talk about this,” Maggie told his departing back and then yelped as flames flared up from her toes. “Hey! These are my favorite boots!”
Declan fervently wished someone would try to stop them as he left the compound with Anna holding on to him. He knew it wouldn’t happen when he heard the elf tell someone they were cleared to leave.
As if that would make a difference. He was getting them out of there no matter what.
“I am sorry,” Anna whispered to him.
“You did nothing wrong.” In a short amount of time, he was outside the compound and tucking Anna into the passenger seat of his BMW. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“But I’m not.” She curled up into a tiny ball, her bronze-colored hair falling over her face. “You’re not, and I’m so afraid.”
He slipped into the driver’s seat and reached over to cover her hand with his. “Believe me, Anna, you are safe. You are under my care. No one will ever hurt you.” He started up the car, soothed by the sound of the powerful engine.
Anna pulled in a deep breath and exhaled. “She likes you.” Her words were hesitant and shy.
“Who?” He knew even before she replied.
“Maggie, the Guard. She’s very pretty.”
Surprised laughter escaped his lips.
“I think she’d also like to fry me.”
“But you forget that with our kind, that’s an act of love.” Anna arranged herself in the seat to look out the window.
“Perhaps we’d be better off just sending candy and flowers like humans do.”
Chapter 4
“I am so stoked.” Sybil fairly bounced out of Maggie’s venom-red Viper and walked around the hood.
“Sybil, hon. Please don’t say ‘stoked,’” Maggie begged. “It doesn’t suit you.”
She fixed the back strap on one of her plum leather sky-high heels and then shimmied to smooth down her going-out uniform of a black leather skirt barely long enough to cover the essentials and a plum-silk tank top. She was sporting her club look with sparkly gel in her hair to slick it back.
Sybil had chosen a hot-pink strapless dress and had pulled her lavender hair up into an artful twist secured with black lacquered chopsticks that Maggie knew would turn into weapons, if need be. Sybil slung the chain to her tiny black bag over her shoulder.
“I’m not allowing you to spoil my mood. I never get to go to the edgy clubs,” she complained.
“You might not even like Damnation Alley. Edgy clubs are usually dangerous, and most only like Dark ones coming in.” Maggie passed her hand over the Viper’s hood. “Protect yourself. Allow no one to cross your boundaries, and if so, sic ’em,” she ended with her usual relish for danger.
The car’s response was a throaty
Anna’s eyes slowly opened. The dark orbs brightened as she recognized him, and she tried to sit up while talking rapidly in their language.
“ He wishes to destroy us all. We must stop him! ” She clutched at his arms.
“ You are safe, little one. I will never let anyone hurt you,” he soothed, wishing he had the knack for providing comfort, but consoling someone wasn’t something he was familiar with.
“Last night she talked about blood and danger,” Sybil said, while she stood nearby.
Anna gasped and gripped Declan tighter.
He stood up and gathered Anna into his arms. “This is over. I’m taking her home.”
“That isn’t possible.” Maggie stood in the doorway.
Declan knew she wouldn’t harm him as long as he had Anna in his arms. No matter what, he considered his charge an innocent.
“We are leaving. There will be no interrogations.” He glared at Sybil, who continued to look serene. “There will be no cells.”
Anna whimpered as the tiny room’s temperature increased. He took a deep breath, and the heat dissipated.
Maggie stepped back and to one side.
Declan left the room with Anna still cradled in his arms.
“We need to talk about this,” Maggie told his departing back and then yelped as flames flared up from her toes. “Hey! These are my favorite boots!”
Declan fervently wished someone would try to stop them as he left the compound with Anna holding on to him. He knew it wouldn’t happen when he heard the elf tell someone they were cleared to leave.
As if that would make a difference. He was getting them out of there no matter what.
“I am sorry,” Anna whispered to him.
“You did nothing wrong.” In a short amount of time, he was outside the compound and tucking Anna into the passenger seat of his BMW. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“But I’m not.” She curled up into a tiny ball, her bronze-colored hair falling over her face. “You’re not, and I’m so afraid.”
He slipped into the driver’s seat and reached over to cover her hand with his. “Believe me, Anna, you are safe. You are under my care. No one will ever hurt you.” He started up the car, soothed by the sound of the powerful engine.
Anna pulled in a deep breath and exhaled. “She likes you.” Her words were hesitant and shy.
“Who?” He knew even before she replied.
“Maggie, the Guard. She’s very pretty.”
Surprised laughter escaped his lips.
“I think she’d also like to fry me.”
“But you forget that with our kind, that’s an act of love.” Anna arranged herself in the seat to look out the window.
“Perhaps we’d be better off just sending candy and flowers like humans do.”
Chapter 4
“I am so stoked.” Sybil fairly bounced out of Maggie’s venom-red Viper and walked around the hood.
“Sybil, hon. Please don’t say ‘stoked,’” Maggie begged. “It doesn’t suit you.”
She fixed the back strap on one of her plum leather sky-high heels and then shimmied to smooth down her going-out uniform of a black leather skirt barely long enough to cover the essentials and a plum-silk tank top. She was sporting her club look with sparkly gel in her hair to slick it back.
Sybil had chosen a hot-pink strapless dress and had pulled her lavender hair up into an artful twist secured with black lacquered chopsticks that Maggie knew would turn into weapons, if need be. Sybil slung the chain to her tiny black bag over her shoulder.
“I’m not allowing you to spoil my mood. I never get to go to the edgy clubs,” she complained.
“You might not even like Damnation Alley. Edgy clubs are usually dangerous, and most only like Dark ones coming in.” Maggie passed her hand over the Viper’s hood. “Protect yourself. Allow no one to cross your boundaries, and if so, sic ’em,” she ended with her usual relish for danger.
The car’s response was a throaty
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