Page 37 of Mortal Heart

“I’m assuming you don’t have a big flex that’ll get us out of here?”

“I do not.” He climbed up the ladder to reach her eye level. She hung onto the side to make room for him to join her. The ladder was wide to accommodate first responders carrying emergency equipment, but he was a mountain of a man and she wasn’t exactly petite. “Will your affiliation with Alice’s pack benefit us?”

“I’d rather not drag Alice and Sean into this if I can help it. They’ve got enough on their plate and Alicereallydoes not want to get tangled up with any vamps again.” She hummed under her breath. “You know, vampires love making deals. We might be able to buy our way out.”

“With what?” He raised his eyebrows. “I know you are a woman of many talents, and I have some of my own, but what can we offer the vamps that might entice them to grant us passage after we witnessed the death of the club’s owner by a demon horde? Money doesn’t interest them unless it’s inverylarge sums, which neither of us have, unless you have vast resources at your disposal.”

“I don’t have vast resources, but I do have something of great value.” She gave him a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. “We’re in a vamp club full of customers thirsting for danger and blood. How about an act they’ve never seen before? Live on their center stage, tonight only. Something so twisted it’ll be legendary.”

“Miss Woodall, I’m fairly certain whatever you’re about to propose, I’m not going to like it.”

“And I’m fairly certain we don’t have a lot of choices.” She took an uncharacteristically shaky breath as a wave of pain rolled through her entire body. “I have a spelled blade magicked by the same witch who made theExitspells. I got the idea for what it does from Alice.”

His eyes narrowed. “I know Alice well enough to not find that reassuring in the least.”

“Well, you should. If anyone knows how to survive, it’s Alice. Last year, she had to save Sean from an ancient shifter artifact. It was a cuff that latched itself onto him and would have killed him if she hadn’t intervened and broken the spell.”

“Intervened how?”

“She put on the matching cuff and died, and then was resurrected by magic.”

“Given Alice’s headstrong and self-sacrificing nature, I have no trouble believing you.” Ronan shook his head. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“Absolutely yes. You’ll kill me in front of a whole crowd of people, and then I’ll come back to life backstage and we’ll get out of here.” She leaned close and inhaled, enjoying the smell of leather and man. She slipped a knife from her waistband and put its hilt into his hand. “You got us into this mess,” she murmured, her lips against his. “Now get us out.”

He kissed her hard and for long enough that she almost forgot how pissed off she was at him for staking Farrell. Almost forgot, but not quite.

To her surprise, he gave her the knife back and cupped her cheek. “I got us into this mess,” he agreed, his teeth grazing her lower lip in a way that made her think of other places she’d like him to do that. “So Iwillget us out, andwithoutkilling you.”

Aggravated, she returned the blade to its hidden sheath. “And just how do you plan to do that, sweet pea?”

“A big flex. You gave me an idea and now I plan to run with it. I simply ask that you play along.”

“I thought you didn’t have a big flex!” she protested.

“Technically, I don’t.” The more annoyed she became, the bigger he smiled. “But no one but us knows that, do they?”

“Fine.” She hung onto the ladder with a white-knuckled grip as another wave of pain ran through her. “Whatever you’re going to do, do it fast. I feel like refried shit over here.”

“Your wish is my command.” He removed his leather collar and handed it to her. “Hold this for me, Mistress, please, while I terrify some vampires.”

Vamps didn’t terrify easily, but he said it like he fully expected to scare them shitless. And damned if that didn’t turn her on. She owed him an ass-kicking and he owed her an explanation—not necessarily in that order—but for now she’d settle for seeing him fake a big flex.

“Get behind me,” he said. When she started to protest, he kissed her forehead. “Play along,” he reminded her. “I promise to make it worth your while.”

“You better.” Grudgingly, she moved a few rungs down the ladder and glared at his boots.

Above her, Ronan climbed up to the closed elevator doors and braced himself by hooking one leg through the rungs. He took two very deep breaths, rolled his shoulders, and muttered something under his breath.

Her skin prickled as sea-scented magic and power rose. She held on tighter.

Moving so fast that he almost blurred, Ronan punched the elevator doors with both fists. Silver light flared so brightly that she instinctively turned her head. With aboomand a crash that must have shook the building, the elevator doors blew out into the lobby.

When she looked up, Ronan was silhouetted in the now open doorway. He appeared suddenly much larger, though that might have been a trick of the light, and shrouded in unnatural shadows. Something rippled in the air behind him and around his shoulders with a sound like giant birds taking flight. What the hell?

No big flex, she thought.Riiiiiight.

She climbed up the ladder to the opening. This close to him, she could feel his aura as well as see it. The searing sensation reminded her of how Alice’s magic felt when she was furious. The smell was different, though. Alice’s big magic smelled like ozone. Ronan’s reminded her of the time she’d been stationed on the Gulf Coast and she’d gone outside during a hurricane when the eye of the storm passed over. If ever raw power and danger had a scent, Ronan’s aura did.

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