Page 56 of Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind
Chapter Twenty-Four
His mate was finallycoming around.
She had seen another side of him today, a side he had hoped to keep hidden from her until she had a chance to accept who and what he was, until she could no longer imagine her life without him in it.
Now that she had witnessed some of his preternatural abilities, some cracks had appeared in those mental walls crafted from human denial. The timing was unfortunate. Ideally, he would have had hours, or better yet, days to introduce her to his reality, to invite her to explore and question, preferably between bouts of love making. Now that would have to wait until Quintus was safe and the dark bird vanquished. In the meantime, he would hope that she continued to be open to the possibilities, and to continue to handle things as well as she was now.
Tiberius braced himself against the door panel as she took a turn at a high rate of speed. They shared the same sense of urgency and determination. The energy hummed between them, filling the small, enclosed space and growing stronger as their bond deepened.
The gods had chosen his mate well. As much as he wanted to keep her out of harm’s way, he also recognized she was strong and capable. Ryan Winslet was a woman who would stand by his side. He would have to be a fool to want to change that.
At that particular moment, she was also their best hope of finding his brother. She knew the area and possessed valuable knowledge of those involved.
“How is your arm?” she asked, taking her eyes away from the road to glance worriedly at him. “Do I need to take you to a hospital?”
“No.”
Her genuine concern wrapped around his heart. “You’re bleeding.”
“Get us to the docks, and all will be well.”
“Yeah? How is that going to work? Shit!”
He was thrown forward as she slammed on the brakes and jerked the wheel, raising her middle finger to the large truck that had cut them off before rocketing forward once again. Thankfully, his quick reflexes had prevented him from making contact with the windshield, though her dash now sported a palm-sized impression of considerable depth.
“It is complicated. I ask that, for now, you simply trust me.”
“I do, which is the only reason you’re here. I mean it, Tiberius. No more getting hurt on my watch, hear me?”
Despite the grimness of the situation, he grinned. “You care for my well-being.”
She scowled. “Yeah, well, you and I are going to have a long talk once all this is over.”
“Indeed, we shall. Assuming I manage to survive the trip, that is.”
“You did not just go there.”
He grinned then grew sober once again. “Ryan Winslet, know that I will do whatever I must to recover my brother and exact vengeance for those who have fallen.”
Her beautiful features set in grim determination. “In that, we are in total agreement.”
When they arrived at the docks, Ryan navigated the vehicle as far as she dared. Then she got out of the car and opened the trunk, revealing a dizzying assortment of personal weapons. She began to strap them on.
“Okay, so listen. Chances are Nez is holing up on one of the freighters on the southeast side. He has a penchant for holding court in dark, cramped spaces, just like the cockroach he is.”
“The dark bird is actually an insect?”
“No, that’s just an expression,” she explained.
“Ah. How will we ascertain which one?”
“We’ll start on one end and work our way through. If we get lucky, we’ll spot some of his minions and narrow the possibilities. Do you know how to use any of these?” she asked, indicating the array of weaponry.
“I am familiar with the basic concepts, but I shall not need them.”
“No?” she asked doubtfully. “What are you going to do, intimidate Nez and his guys into giving themselves up?”
“Something like that.”
