Page 68 of Sinner's Secret

“You’re not as funny as you think you are,” Nika said to Yvgeny. “Now can we get moving or do you need to resharpen your fangs first?”

Chapter Twelve

Baz could not imagine a worse series of events than those of the last twenty-four hours. He’d had to kill with his bare hands several times, something he hadn’t done in centuries. He’d drank blood containing no alcohol for the first time in decades, and he’d had to stop his stupid, idiot cousin from attacking Nika. A woman who by rights should have been running for her life. Yet she hadn’t left him.

A woman he wanted more than air.

More than was safe for either of them.

But Yvgeny was right, he needed to explain all the strange stuff that surrounded him. She’d already seen too much, and she hadn’t run away, screaming, and crying for help, so maybe she’d handle it. Maybe.

Yvgeny whispered an address in Baz’s ear and pressed a key into his hand. “It’s an old firehall. I bought it last year, but I haven’t started renovating the interior yet. Utilities are on, I never shut them off, so you can clean up there and your Valkyrie can rest. I don’t know about food, but you could go around the corner to the pizza place that’s there.”

“Where are you going to go?”

“Find out who betrayed me and have them as a snack.” His grin was vicious. “Get yourself a throw away phone and call me later.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Yvgeny climbed up the metal rungs, poked his head out the hole, looked around, then went up to street level.

He stuck his hand down in the hole with his thumb up a moment later.

“That guy is...” Nika seemed to run out of words.

“Yeah, he’s always been like that. He thinks he’s funny.”

Nika slanted a look at him, then started up the rungs. Baz followed her and noticed that her new shoes had blood on them. Damn it.

She paused as she reached the hole, cautiously looking around before climbing all the way out. Baz followed quickly and discovered that the manhole was situated a few feet off a street in a narrow alley. Nika had tucked herself against the wall of a building that followed the contour of the manhole like a divot. It was shadowed on this side of the street, so she was hard to see.

Baz put the manhole cover back in place, rubbed his hands on his pants, then shifted over to hold his hand out to Nika.

For a moment he thought she was going to refuse to touch him. That was her right, the decision to trust him was hers, but it would hurt if...It would hurt.

He hadn’t given anyone else the power to hurt him like this, in a place where his wounds didn’t heal, in a very long time.

She reached out slowly and took his hand, threading her fingers through his. She shifted closer and lifted her chin. “Are we going far?”

God damn, she had more guts than anyone he’d ever met.

“Just a couple of blocks,” he said, then gave her hand a squeeze, and pulled her into a comfortable walk.

After a minute or so, he asked in a casual tone, “How’s your head?”

“Feels like it’s going to explode,” she said pleasantly.

“Do we need to go to a hospital?”

“No. I need water, and some over the counter medication.”

“Something to eat as well.”

“Sleep would be so nice,” she added in a moan.

“Yvgeny said there’s a pizza place not far.”

“Are we sure we should trust his food recommendations? The guy does eat people.”

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