Page 197 of Darling Wildfire
He tilted his head slightly and studied me for a long moment before nodding and the sly twinkle was back in his eyes as he shrugged.
“I suppose there’s truth in that.”
I turned and started walking again.
“Remember—she’s not yours, Kraven,” Cooper said.
I didn’t turn back, but those words made something dark twist inside me. Something that I pushed away because in less than five days I shouldn’t be feeling anywhere near as possessive as I felt about her.
“And no more killing!” He called louder before I rounded a corner of the hall.
Cooper was lucky I didn’t string Roger up and play with him like he’d played with Kaelin. A slit throat and a quick death was me being merciful.
The brutality against the innocent I witnessed here was a kind of darkness you didn’t come back from. But it was not in me to play savior—it never crossed my mind to save any of these women—that is until I saw a pair of livid green eyes storm onto the auction block.
The dragon inside me had taken one look at Kaelin and said:Mine.
I hadn’t expected to get in this deep and I certainly hadn’t come here for pussy, but now I found myself distracted—intrigued even. I wasn’t a good man. I would always take what I want—and Kaelin was no exception.
“Heard Roger won’t be joining us,” Mahoney said.
We were standing at the bar in the cocktail lounge. It was our last night in the Warren and anxiety crawled through me at the prospect of leaving Kaelin here. I grunted in answer as I picked up my whiskey and took a sip. I watched Mahoney over the rim of my glass but he was smirking at me knowingly.
“He won’t be missed,” Mahoney continued.
I shrugged. “He touched my property without permission.”
Mahoney’s gaze sharpened on me and after a moment he inclined his head and regarded me thoughtfully.
“You and I are a lot alike,” he said. “I think you would benefit from attending one of my auctions.”
“Oh?” I tilted my head in amusement. “I thought you didn’t take kindly to strangers?”
A rumble of a laugh escaped Mahoney. “This week has been very illuminating. I admire a man who can use his mind as a weapon, just as powerfully as he can use his hands.”
We sipped in silence for a moment before Mahoney spoke again.
“We should get together for a drink soon,” he said. “I’ll be in Europe for a few months sourcing for my next auction. You should join me for some of it.”
“Sure,” I nodded. “Send me the details.”
We talked for a few more minutes before I excused myself and headed back to Kaelin. I’d accomplished my goal—get close to Mahoney. I now had an invitation to not only the Red Auction but also to see more of his inner circle.
Mission accomplished.
Now, all I wanted to do was spend these last moments with Kaelin. I wish I could just walk out of here with her, but it wasn’t going to be that easy. Cooper would protest—and my groundwork with Mahoney would go out the window. I would have her—it would just take a little more planning and I was nothing if not patient.
99
THERON
When Vetticus returned some time later, he came and stood in front of me. I’d been in and out of consciousness for hours. If he kept this up, I wouldn’t be in any shape to fight my way out.
“You always did bleed so pretty for me,” he said hungrily. “And I will never forget the night you truly submitted to me. You know—the night you hurt your daughter.”
I glared at him with as much hate as I could muster. I spit blood onto the ground at his feet.
“You looked at me and that defiance was gone—snuffed out—” He sighed wistfully. “It was what I should have been doing since the beginning but silly old me seems to enjoy getting burned. Plus, I love a good fight.”
