Page 40 of Wolf Queen Ruin
Throughout the journey, Luna kept her gaze on me and my wounds, as though cataloging the visible evidence of supernatural abilities she’d witnessed.
“Super strength, enhanced speed, bulletproof,” she said.“Any other abilities I should know about before our jungle adventure tomorrow?”
“Enhanced senses.I can hear your heartbeat, smell your blood beneath your skin.”I omitted the fact that her particular blood called to me more powerfully than any I’d encountered in decades.“Regeneration, as you’ve noticed.Resistance to most toxins and diseases.”
“And weaknesses?”She leaned forward to examine the already-healed laceration on my temple, her fingers hovering close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from her skin.
“Sustained sunlight weakens me, though I can withstand it for longer than most.Sacred wood, like certain species grown on consecrated ground, can cause permanent damage.”I found my gaze drawn to the pulse point at her throat, where her blood moved with a hypnotic rhythm, before forcing my attention elsewhere.“Like most vampires my age, I require blood weekly to maintain full strength.”
Her heartbeat accelerated at the mention of blood, though she only nodded.The scent of her increased with her elevated pulse, testing the limits of my control in the confined space.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”she asked.
“Nothing that won’t heal.”Though the slightest movement sent an uncomfortable reminder of the glass shards still embedded in my back from when I’d shielded her from the window’s explosion.
“Let me see.”Before I could object, she moved closer, her hand applying gentle pressure to turn me sideways.
She gasped.“You have glass in your back, you dummy.You should have said so.”
She removed a large fragment, the sensation more uncomfortable than painful.My muscles tensed involuntarily at her touch.
“It would have been worse for you,” I said simply.
“Yeah, but then I would’ve been bleeding, and you could’ve stuck your straw in me like a Capri Sun.”
I turned to look at her, disarmed by the unexpected comment.A flush crept up her neck to her ears, a physiological response I found compelling.
“Um, never mind.That was… I…Anyway.“ She removed the final fragment and patted my back awkwardly.
When she began to withdraw, I captured her hand.“Luna.”
Her pulse jumped at the sound of her name, the reaction stirring something primal in me.Something dangerous, yet I couldn’t bring myself to release her.
“Tomorrow will be risky.”The imminent perils we faced, from the Darién Gap’s natural and supernatural hazards, to Marcel, to whoever had hired Atlas Security to watch Luna, and to whoever had orchestrated tonight’s attack, seemed secondary to an entirely different concern: her safety.“All of it will be.”
“Then let’s not fail.”She extended her hand with deliberate formality, the gesture touchingly human in its simplicity.“Deal?”
I hesitated, recognizing the significance in this moment that transcended the fake part of our arrangement.This part was very real, especially because one of us was sans underwear and the other couldn’t stop thinking about that fact.
I took her hand.“Deal.”
Chapter twelve
Damien
“Youdon’tneedtowalk me in,” Luna said for the third time as our car pulled up to the Repository.“I’m a big girl.I’ve been putting myself to bed for years now.”
“Indulge me,” I replied, stepping out and then offering my hand.“Recent events have made me on edge.”
We’d driven through the French Quarter for about an hour to be sure we’d lost our tail, using a technique I’d perfected during the Prohibition era when evading federal agents had been something of a sport among certain vampire circles.
Luna rolled her eyes but accepted my hand, the warmth of her skin sending that shocking jolt through my system.How a simple touch from this woman could generate more sensation than entire decades of my life, I had no idea.
“Fine,” she sighed, exhaustion slumping her shoulders some.“But only to the door.At this hour, Felix will have security measures active, and they might, I don’t know, spray holy water sprinklers that’ll make you sizzle like bacon.Ohhh.Bacon sounds really good right now.”
“It’s a bit odd that the thought of my sizzling flesh makes you hungry,” I said dryly, “but I can guarantee some bacon for you on the flight tomorrow.”
That perked Luna right up as we approached the entrance.“Thanks.I’ll need to pack.The Darién Gap isn’t exactly a resort destination.If I forget my toothbrush, I’m fucked.”
