Page 27 of Exes, Hexes, and Strategy
She told him about the man, adding, “I mean, he was practically wearing the official Hunter uniform.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Morgan said that Fletcher was working on bringing in some vampires as volunteers for the training.”
Nina nodded, picking up a chocolate bar and tearing off a corner of the wrapper. “Or maybe he’s like a guest speaker or something.” She took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. “This guy felt like he was an old one.”
“Turned or Born?” Rafe asked, grabbing a bag of chips.
“No clue. That’s more your area of expertise than mine.”
Throwing aside the bag of chips without opening it, he shot her a wolfish grin, snaked an arm around her waist, and pulled her on top of him. “I have much more interesting areas of expertise I think we should be exploring instead.”
The Hunter forgotten, she smiled flirtatiously and stroked her fingertips over his grinning mouth, purring, “How fascinating. I think you should tell me all about them.”
Rafe playfully nipped her fingers. “I think I should show you,” he returned, expertly rolling them so she was pinned beneath him.
Glancing down her body, he shook his head and tsked. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”
Nina wrapped her arms around his neck and informed him, “Then I guess you better do something about that.”
And he did.
∞∞∞
The bed was a mess, the covers hanging off the end and crumpled junk food wrappers were strewn about the floor. They’d managed to nap for a few hours, cuddled together, and it was the best sleep she’d had in a long time. Once they woke up, Rafe had left for a bit to get a proper breakfast for them. As they ate, they talked – well, mostly Nina talked, sharing stories of her family’s antics, and both of them laughed. It was perfect, just the two of them, enclosed in their little bubble of contentment. It was reminiscent of how they used to be before Vincent DeMarco had torn her world apart in a single night.
She would have loved to stay here forever, but all too soon, reality intruded. “I don’t want to go back,” Nina admitted with a grimace.
“To the school?” Rafe asked with a concerned frown. “I thought you were enjoying it.”
“I was – I am,” she shook her head. “I just hate to go back to sneaking around. I know we have to, but…” she left the sentence hanging and he took her hand, giving it a little squeeze of reassurance.
“I’m going to get this straightened out,” he promised. “Soon. I’ll put it right.”
Straightened out, like this was a tiny wrinkle that could be easily fixed. Nina honestly didn’t see how that was possible. “You say that like it’s going to be simple. We’re talking about going up against a territory-holding Born of immense power.”
“I’ve been devising a strategy.”
Nina’s brows shot up practically to her hairline. “Care to share?”
He eyed her for a moment, and she had a distinct feeling that, whatever he was planning, he was hesitant to tell her because he didn’t think she’d approve. Moving closer, she cupped his face in her hands. “I willneverjudge you,” she told him adamantly. “I may not always agree with your decisions, but I’ll never judge you for them. Especially when it comes to your father.”
“God, I love you,” he breathed, pulling her into a tight hug.
“I love you, too.”
He’d once shared with her some of the things his father had done to him. Neglect, abuse, and the worst part was, she had known he’d toned down the telling so as not to upset her. His father was a monster. She’d hated the man even before she’d met him. After? Well, if she’d had it within her power to destroy Vincent DeMarco, she would have.
“My father is predictable,” Rafe carefully stated. “He likes things orderly, scheduled down to the last minute.”
Nina nodded, waiting for him to continue, though her mind was spinning with the possibilities. When he didn’t elaborate further, she guessed, “You’re planning an assassination.” She purposely kept her tone mild, as if they were merely discussing the weather rather than talking about murder. It wasn’t easy.
Suddenly feeling chilled to the bone, she pressed herself even tighter into the warmth of Rafe’s body and took comfort in the strength of his arms around her. There had to be another way…
“What about blackmail?” she suggested hopefully.
Pulling back slightly so she could look into Rafe’s eyes, she added, “I mean, the man is older than dirt. He had to have done something during that time that you could hold over his head.”
“That would imply that my father actually cares about something enough to worry if someone else finds out,” he uttered dryly. “I assure you, he’s not capable of that level of emotion, and it’s not like the Born have many rules governing their actions where he might have broken one at some point.”
