Page 89 of The Way You Bite
Her gaze zoomed around to meet the wide-eyed terror of Hsu- Li. The anger was back, pushing her to shift again.
Trace pulled off his T-shirt and thrust it at her. He held her arm when she took a step toward Hsu-Li. “Vee. Stop.”
The door burst open with the arrival of Lexan and Blay. Both were drenched from their hair to their soaked jackets.
“What happened?” Lexan demanded. “You’re bleeding.”
She pulled the T-shirt on, which covered her down to her knees. “I’ll heal.”
Lexan glanced at the dead Dominic. A hint of a smile ghosted on his lips. He stepped close to her and touched her face gently, tracing the line of her cheek. The touch was feather light, but it felt as if lightning had ripped through her body. His hands settled on the sides of her face, framing it as he gazed at her with tenderness. Desire and hunger burned in his gaze, but above that shone approval. “You sure you’re all right?”
She nodded. “Death seems almost too good for him, but it just happened.” Her heart ached for how much she wanted everything with Lexan.
“Did you find out anything about your mother before you killed him?” Blay asked, staring solemnly at the dead Dominic.
“You knew I’d…ask Dominic? Tell me you didn’t plant it as an order in my brain. That you didn’twantme to go with Trace.”
“You’re too strong for that. I didn’t want you anywhere near Dominic because he’d do something insane like this.” He waved at the room in disgust.
“Why did you leave?”Lexan asked telepathically, his face dark as he glanced between she and Trace.
“Later,”she communicated to him. He deserved a return of his blow-off from earlier. She wasn’t sure how much Trace wanted Hsu-Li to know, if he was going to leave the vamp alive.
Lexan’s eyes narrowed. Him being pissed off she could handle, just not right now.
“About Arie?” Blay asked again as if he knew of their mental chitchat.
“Ambrose, most likely.” She returned her gaze to Lexan.
“What?” echoed from several people at the same time. “Ambrose?”
She spoke to Lexan. “Dominic knew he probably killed my mother and, yet, he betrothed me to the bastard.” She’d kill him again if she could. “He threatened Trace’s life to keep his secret.”
“We must go,” Blay announced.
“What’d he say about Carol?” asked Trace.
“She’s in one of the interrogation rooms. Ask him which one.” She nodded to Hsu-Li. “I think she’s okay, but you were right. He used her as bait and planned to kill her.”
Eric entered holding his cell phone up. He was also soaking wet. “It’s important, sir.”
“A moment.” Lexan said to Eric. He faced Trace. “We’re about to be on opposite sides of a global conflict.”
“I understand.” Trace glanced to Dominic’s body and then over to Hsu-Li. He met Lexan’s gaze again. Something passed between them but Vee couldn’t decipher it.
Eric freed TC. “What of this one?” He hauled Hsu-Li to his feet and put the vamp’s hands in the same cuffs that had bound TC. “He’s killed many of our kind.”
Trace moved in front of Lexan. “You can’t have him. He’s mine to deal with.”
Lexan gazed at Trace in silence for several long, tense seconds. He nodded. “If he hunts our kind again, we won’t show mercy twice.”
“Vee…” Trace’s voice tapered off. “I wish you weren’t…”
“Good-bye.” She longed to hug her big brother, who she might never see again, but glanced at Hsu-Li, reluctant to hurt Trace’s future. She whispered. “Take care of Carol. Tell her I love her.”
Trace’s eyes flickered with sadness. It’d been fleeting, but it communicated a hugeI’ll miss you.He cleared his throat. “You need to go with them.”
“Are all vampires here dead?” asked Trace.
