warning.
“ Oh, you brought your own.” Pearly white teeth appeared between full lips. “How accommodating. Would you care to share?”
“ I don’t share. Ever.” For once, Emily welcomed Jared’s possessive tendencies. She wouldn’t care to be at the mercy of this man.
“ This is not a social visit. I need some answers. And I need them now.”
“ Of course.” A long hand indicated the red velvet sofa in front of a marble fireplace. “Have a seat.” He sat smoothly on the chair opposite them.
Emily jumped as the fireplace came to life. “How did that happen?”
“ A press of a button, my dear.” He held up a remote and grinned. “Propane. Now, tell me what I can do for you.”
“ One of my pack is missing.” Jared’s lean hands rested on his knees. “A young woman.”
“ I’m sorry to hear that, but what does that have to do with me? Surely you don’t believe I was involved?” Vladimir looked from one to the other. “I have no need to kidnap women to be my lovers. That’s more your style, I’d image.” He laughed and relaxed against the chair as Jared snarled.
“ I know you didn’t kidnap her,” Jared snapped. “But I think you know who is responsible. And I think you’re protecting him. I’ve been after him for days. He wouldn’t have escaped unless he had help from someone else. Someone like you.”
“ Thank you for the compliment friend, but unfortunately, you are mistaken. I know nothing about this kidnapping.” He rose to his feet to pace the length of the room.
Jared planted himself in the other man’s path. “Let’s get one thing straight. We are not friends.”
A sadness floated across the man’s features. “We could have been.”
Emily saw Jared’s hands clench into fists. “Cut the crap, Val. Tell me what you know about the missing women.”
Dark brows rose in surprise. “Women? I thought you said only a wolf was missing?”
“ One is mine. The others are human.”
“ I see. That does present a problem. Are you sure it’s one of us?”
Jared shrugged. He knew the other man meant supernaturals. “As sure as I can be.”
“ One of the women was my friend, Rachel.” Emily jumped into the conversation. She was tired of being treated like the dim-witted female. She could feel the male energy crackling in the air. They were here to find Rachel, not have a testosterone standoff. “Look, I don’t have time for a pissing contest. I need to find Rachel.”
“ She is right. What can I do to help?” Val’s face showed no emotion whatsoever.
“ I have a list of names and properties. I need to know if the men are yours. I also have a list of the women who are missing.” Jared handed Val a print off of the names and properties he had cross-referenced.
“ These are not of my clan, however they are vamps,” the man said after studying the list. “The first thing I need to do is check out this house you spoke of.”
“ I thought Shawn already went back and checked out that house?” Emily asked, moving to stand with the two men. She didn’t have to ask how he’d told the vamp about the house they’d been at this morning. She knew Jared had projected to the man the same way he did with her.
“ He did,” he answered. “But he found nothing. Val can, umm, track better.”
“ Better than a wolf?” she quirked one eyebrow.
He grinned. “At least better than Shawn.”
He took her hand and kissed the center of her palm, acknowledging her acceptance of what he was and promising her….
Well, promising her all sorts of things. She flushed as the x-rated pictures filled her mind.
“ Please, please, I am too young to see such things.” The vampire covered his eyes. “Why don’t you take your lady back to that cave, uh, cabin, you call a home and finish this?” The vampire made his suggestion with a deadpan tone.
Emily took great delight when a slight twinge of red colored Jared’s cheeks. Her delight faded and she felt the same heat flood
“ Oh, you brought your own.” Pearly white teeth appeared between full lips. “How accommodating. Would you care to share?”
“ I don’t share. Ever.” For once, Emily welcomed Jared’s possessive tendencies. She wouldn’t care to be at the mercy of this man.
“ This is not a social visit. I need some answers. And I need them now.”
“ Of course.” A long hand indicated the red velvet sofa in front of a marble fireplace. “Have a seat.” He sat smoothly on the chair opposite them.
Emily jumped as the fireplace came to life. “How did that happen?”
“ A press of a button, my dear.” He held up a remote and grinned. “Propane. Now, tell me what I can do for you.”
“ One of my pack is missing.” Jared’s lean hands rested on his knees. “A young woman.”
“ I’m sorry to hear that, but what does that have to do with me? Surely you don’t believe I was involved?” Vladimir looked from one to the other. “I have no need to kidnap women to be my lovers. That’s more your style, I’d image.” He laughed and relaxed against the chair as Jared snarled.
“ I know you didn’t kidnap her,” Jared snapped. “But I think you know who is responsible. And I think you’re protecting him. I’ve been after him for days. He wouldn’t have escaped unless he had help from someone else. Someone like you.”
“ Thank you for the compliment friend, but unfortunately, you are mistaken. I know nothing about this kidnapping.” He rose to his feet to pace the length of the room.
Jared planted himself in the other man’s path. “Let’s get one thing straight. We are not friends.”
A sadness floated across the man’s features. “We could have been.”
Emily saw Jared’s hands clench into fists. “Cut the crap, Val. Tell me what you know about the missing women.”
Dark brows rose in surprise. “Women? I thought you said only a wolf was missing?”
“ One is mine. The others are human.”
“ I see. That does present a problem. Are you sure it’s one of us?”
Jared shrugged. He knew the other man meant supernaturals. “As sure as I can be.”
“ One of the women was my friend, Rachel.” Emily jumped into the conversation. She was tired of being treated like the dim-witted female. She could feel the male energy crackling in the air. They were here to find Rachel, not have a testosterone standoff. “Look, I don’t have time for a pissing contest. I need to find Rachel.”
“ She is right. What can I do to help?” Val’s face showed no emotion whatsoever.
“ I have a list of names and properties. I need to know if the men are yours. I also have a list of the women who are missing.” Jared handed Val a print off of the names and properties he had cross-referenced.
“ These are not of my clan, however they are vamps,” the man said after studying the list. “The first thing I need to do is check out this house you spoke of.”
“ I thought Shawn already went back and checked out that house?” Emily asked, moving to stand with the two men. She didn’t have to ask how he’d told the vamp about the house they’d been at this morning. She knew Jared had projected to the man the same way he did with her.
“ He did,” he answered. “But he found nothing. Val can, umm, track better.”
“ Better than a wolf?” she quirked one eyebrow.
He grinned. “At least better than Shawn.”
He took her hand and kissed the center of her palm, acknowledging her acceptance of what he was and promising her….
Well, promising her all sorts of things. She flushed as the x-rated pictures filled her mind.
“ Please, please, I am too young to see such things.” The vampire covered his eyes. “Why don’t you take your lady back to that cave, uh, cabin, you call a home and finish this?” The vampire made his suggestion with a deadpan tone.
Emily took great delight when a slight twinge of red colored Jared’s cheeks. Her delight faded and she felt the same heat flood
Similar Books
