Page 74 of Don't Tempt Me (Nora Jacobs 4)

I laugh. I like the firecracker of a woman. “I’m not sure I know.” I walk to her and hold out my hand. She gives it a hearty shake. The brief thought I get from her makes me smile. So this is the woman who’s got Gorgeous’sknickers in a bunch. I like her already.“Katherine Clayton,” she says. “Kat to my friends.”

“Nora Jacobs.”

She shucks her head in Nick’s direction. “So how’d you wrangle the old grump into being your partner? I tried that once. It didn’t work.”

Nick, arms folded over his chest, snorts. “I like her better than you. She’s not an annoying pain in my ass.”

Kat winks at me before sighing dramatically. “Dragons. So touchy.”

“I’d love to banter all day,” Nick says dryly, “but we sort of have important things to do.”

“Yeah, yeah, big showdown O.K. Corral style.” She rubs her hands together with excitement, then reaches down to her hips to rest her hands on a pair of shiny pistols. “Hell yeah. Can’t wait.”

Nick sighs again.

I want to smile, but the reminder of the battle has my mood plummeting again. “Thank you for agreeing to do this. I’m sorry we had to ask you to put your life in danger.”

Kat sobers up to match my seriousness. I’m a little surprised she can manage it. “You’re all putting your lives in danger.”

“We have no choice; you can still back out.”

Fire flashes in Kat’s eyes. “I’m glad you called. That bastard is collecting mythics. He stole a child. My people are in hiding. I wouldn’t miss this fight for the world.”

Well, I really can’t argue with that. I’ll stop worrying about her and just be glad she’s on our side. The way she ducked Illren’s dagger and threw it back at him, there’s no doubt she’s got a lot of skill.

While I take her around and introduce her to each of my men, we gain a few more visitors. Director West, Ren, and Cecile, I’m not surprised to see. But Henry and about a dozen of his vampires are the last people I would expect to show up.

Several growls come from my guys, and they all gather around me protectively.

Director West sighs. “Gentlemen, please, Henry is only here to help.”

“We don’t need your help,” Rook snarls.

“Actually, you do,” Henry says smugly. He waves one of his vampires forward. The man steps up to Henry’s side with eerie grace and bows his head to me. “Beg your pardon, Miss Jacobs, but I have several informants around the state, and I’ve been told that this collector of yours sent out a call after receiving your message. The bounty said one million dollars apiece to every man who fights for him and lives through it. Mercenaries from out of town have been entering the city all day. With all due respect, your clan is powerful, but this is a fight you won’t win alone.”

My heart squeezes in my chest. This is going to be bad. My eyes prick with tears at the real danger I’m putting my men in. An arm comes around me, and I fold myself into Oliver’s chest. He squeezes me in a tight hug. “We’ll be okay,” he murmurs.

“Outnumbered or not, we don’t need you or your men here,” Terrance growls.

I wish that were true, but in my heart I know we need them. We have to set aside our pride and our hatred for Henry and his clan. I pull myself out of Oliver’s chest and meet Henry’s gaze. “How do we know we can trust you?”

“Nora.” His voice sounds pained, and his expression matches it. “You must know that I would do anything for you. Even fight alongside your men if it means keeping you safe.”

He’s got a point. Henry, for all his faults, has an obsession with me that would never allow any harm to come to me. Yes. He would fight alongside us to keep me safe. My guys must all realize this, too, because they relax a little. “And what of them?” Illren points to the group of vampires behind Henry. “How do we know they will not turn on us for the money?”

Henry stands up straight and puffs out his chest. “These are my strongest, most loyal men. I hold a sire bond over all of them. They will not betray me.”

“A sire bond is a powerful thing,” Parker says. “And Henry will not harm Nora, nor will he let his men hurt her. I trust them.”

“I don’t like it,” Wulf grumbles, eyeing the vamps warily. “But Parker’s right.”

“We need them,” I agree with a sigh. I glare at Henry. “Fine. You can fight with us, but you and your men stay away from me.Mymen will protect me. Do you understand?”

Henry clenches his jaw, but he nods, and he and his men start combing over the place the way my guys did when we first got here.

With the drama out of the way, Director West, Ren, and Cecile come over. Cecile gathers me in a light hug. I squeeze her back. “You didn’t have to come.”

“Of course I did, darling.”

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