Page 20 of Kiss of Light

Lemar frowned.

“I won’t change my mind.”

“Fine. But you still need to sleep, don’t you? Let’s find somewhere before the sun rises.”

“I’m vulnerable when I sleep. I rarely wake, except in cases of extreme danger.”

“Sounds like me after a deep-pan pizza.”

“It’s no joke, shaitun. I don’t like the idea of being at your mercy.”

“You either trust me or you don’t. And I just saved your butt back there, in case you’ve forgotten.”

A smile tugged at his lips.

“So you’re saying I owe you?”

“Damn right you do.” In the distance, the howl of a police siren pierced the night. “I’m guessing someone’s alerted the cops. Time to go.”

Reluctantly, Lemar slid into the passenger seat. Tala peeled away from the curb, keeping her speed steady. Three police cars raced past them as they got to the intersection.

“Where are we going?”

“Motel. We can rest, get cleaned up. And eat. I’m starving.” Lemar didn’t reply and she glanced over at him. “When’s the last time you fed?”

“I only need to ingest iron once a week.”

“That’s not what I asked. Do you have any blood bags stashed somewhere?”

“No. I left them in New York. I intended to return there in a couple of days.”

“You’ve been here three days. So you’re good for at least that long again, yes?”

He grunted noncommittally. Conversations about food were clearly uncomfortable for him. She made a note to try and get him some O-positive. The last thing she needed was a hungry vamp on her hands.

She found a motel ten kilometres out of the city. Dawn was a good hour away but she still hustled as she paid the clerk in cash. Fat lot of good if she saved Lemar only to have him disintegrate in daylight.

She asked for a room on the ground floor near the parking lot. It was small but clean. Lemar eyed the two single beds.

“Is it your idea of a joke to select a room where the beds are smaller than coffins?”

“Sorry. The penthouse suite was taken.”

“You could have at least bookedtworooms.”

“I can protect you better while you sleep.”

Sighing, Lemar began unbuttoning his shirt.

“I’m taking a shower. I think I have bits of Cillian in my hair.” He turned his back as he dropped his shirt to the ground and she tried not to gawk at his deltoids. “If you bring the clerk to me, I can trance him into buying fresh clothing for us.”

“Um, no need.” She dragged her gaze away. “I have clothes for us in the car.”

She pretended to concentrate on the TV while he showered. When he came out, he had nothing but a towel wrapped round him.

For the first time she saw the mark on his torso, the one mentioned in the bounty contract. A burn in the shape of an X stamped into his ribs just below his right pec. She wondered how he’d got it, and why his vamp blood hadn’t healed it.

Her eyes tracked lower, to his sculpted abs, and the perfect V cut disappearing under the edge of his towel.

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