I waited until Luc was out of sight, then whispered, “We have to go.”
“What were you doing back here?” he asked, his voice low, too. “Skulking and plotting, no doubt.”
“Claude,” I said, barely able to stop myself from stomping at him. I could hardly voice my worries aloud, when Nicolas could be lurking around the next corner, so I glared at him with my heart still racing and fear making me ready to jump out of my skin.
My look seemed to do the trick. The amusement faded from his expression and a very un-Claude-like seriousness took its place. Without another word, he took my elbow with his right hand and led me down the hallway; his eyes darted quickly across the space as we walked, alert for danger.
Obviously familiar with the layout of the house, Claude led me through the maze of hallways until we hit a door. Freezing wind hit me and I blinked against it. A near full moon lit a courtyard area around us, revealing trees, benches, and plants, all washed of color by the snow and moonlight. Claude’s coat came around my shoulders. Before I could thank him, we were moving again.
Relief had hit me when I saw Claude, but that relief faded as we walked. I knew he could protect me better than just about anyone else, but he was cautious and silent.
We weren’t home free yet.
The stone path was well kept and had only a brush of snow on it. Claude held my elbow again, and I had no doubt that if I slipped he’d catch me before I could touch the ground. So I moved with confidence, keeping up with the vampire’s quick pace.
We reached a gate and Claude flipped a latch. The gate opened, revealing a very well lit parking lot. Lamps like you’d see in a commercial lot lined the area, though they were a bit short and more stylishly done than most I’d seen.
Claude’s car started before we reached it, and he helped me into the passenger’s side before taking his place in the driver’s seat. I almost bit his head off for it. I didn’t appreciate chivalry when it came to things I was more than capable of doing for myself, but I held my tongue.
Now was not the time to bitch.
“What happened?” he asked once we were on the road.
“Why did you already have your keys?”
“I carry a spare set. I’ll have to go back for the other set later.”
I glanced out at the naked trees flying by. Long shadows lurked, ready to jump out at us at any second, flashing fang and steel.
“Beatrice?”
“I saw Nicolas Chevalier at the party.”
“And?”
“And I…I followed him when he went down a hallway.”
“You what?”
“He looked like he was up to no good.” Not a great defense, but true.
I risked a glance at the vampire. Unhappy didn’t begin to cover the tension in his frame and the thin line formed by his mouth.
“What? I’m an investigator. I was following a lead.”
“You’re an investigator who isn’t on a case. You’re an investigator who is currently on leave. You’re an investigator without even a sidearm following a known killer—who also happens to be a vampire—down a secluded hallway.”
“I didn’t say it was secluded,” I huffed and crossed my arms. What did he know anyway? Just because I wasn’t technically on a case didn’t mean the investigative part of my brain turned off. Besides, this was the most important case I’d ever worked on, whether he knew it or not.
“Was it?”
“Look, do you want to talk about how stupid you think it was, or do you want to listen to what I found out?”
He grinned and my body clenched in response. “Lady’s choice.”
Whatever. I was not going to fall before his charm. “I overheard Nicolas talking to your giant friend.”
“That’s impossible. He hates the Chevaliers, especially Nic.”
“He lied. Or he doesn’t like you more. Or, hell, maybe he just likes money more than he hates the lot of you.” I shivered and pulled Claude’s coat tighter. “They were talking about you. And they called me a fucking lapdog.” I tried to keep the outrage from my voice, but failed.
Claude laughed loudly, body shaking. I burned with anger, tugging on my hair and too pissed off to speak. I wasn’t entirely sure if I was mad at Claude or just the man who’d called me a lapdog, but Claude was closer and the way I was feeling I was more than willing to use him as a punching bag.
He laughed long enough I almost told him to pull over, lest he run us off the road, but finally his amusement faded enough that he could talk again.
“What else did they say?”
I just glared at him.
“You’re not a lapdog, sweet. That’s why it’s so damn hilarious.” He shot me a sexy smile and his voice lowered. “If anything, you’re a tiger.”
The scenery outside suddenly became very interesting to me.
“So, did you get anything else?”
“Sounded like your friend was the one who made that brand. And Nic said something about not being worried about you, that his father wouldn’t act without proof. Like, doubt-free proof.”
“That much I know.” He pulled into the parking garage of his building.
“The giant also mentioned that they were locked into a schedule. Things couldn’t be moved now. Something like that.”
His face was grave when he looked at me, and I hoped some of the paleness was due to the ugly fluorescent lighting of the parking garage. “My sources and evidence were right. Something big is going down soon.”
“Seems like it.”
“I need to call Natalie.”
“The witch? Why?” I asked.
“She’s Covenant. The giant falls under her purview.”
“Seriously? You’re going to let someone else bring this guy in?”
His smile turned dark. “The Covenant doesn’t bring dark witches in, mon chou. And I’m not concerned with him. Nicolas is my problem. I’ll let the witches deal with their own garbage.”
The shower made me feel better, as if fear was washable and I could scrub it off to swirl down the drain. Not likely. But at least I could wash away the sweat. I felt safe in Claude’s condo though, which struck me as especially stupid and further proof that my body couldn’t be trusted.
Not that I thought Claude couldn’t handle himself. For all of his humor and playful attitude, the vampire was not a man to be trifled with. But if Nicolas came, he wouldn’t come alone.
However, the Magister’s son struck me as subtler than that. As a man who worked in the shadows. I didn’t think he’d strike so openly even if he did suspect we knew something.
“Hey,” I said when I emerged into the living room. Claude had the fireplace going. A gas fireplace, but pretty nonetheless. Calming. He handed me a glass of dark red wine, and watched me over the rim of his glass.
I didn’t guzzle the wine, but I certainly sipped a bit faster than normal. Not that I’d get drunk—talk about a stupid idea when a vampire might want you dead for hearing too much—but a little bit would calm my nerves.
“Are you well?”
No, I wasn’t well. There was little doubt that Nicolas had heard me when I ran from his room, and likely even before that when I tripped like a clumsy oaf. Damn heels, anyway.
“I’m fine. Just—” Freaked out. Scared shitless. Angry as hell. “—tired.”
“Tired?” He gave me a lazy smile. “How tired?”
I took another drink of my wine. I wasn’t ready to deal with the “us question,” but I also wasn’t sure that I could continue sleeping with him with the question still in the air. Not that there was even a question. I was done with him. Shit.
“Did you call Natalie?” I asked instead.
“Yes. She’s been working with the selkie, Coates. She’s made some headway there.”
“I’m surprised that he’s allowing it. She must be more charming than you were.”
“He’s freaked out enough to allow her to try to help. For now.”
“We should go to the police. It’s time to call in backup, Claude.”
“We can talk about that in the morning,” he said. But there was a finality in his tone. He was humoring me. This was his personal vendetta, not something he wanted police involvement in. No witnesses. No arrests.
Did I feel differently about my need to bring in Luc Chevalier and question him about my brother? I wasn’t sure.
There were still so many things I didn’t know. Like what exactly Natalie hoped to gain by examining the selkie—information, or freedom for him from the spell conditioning? Or, what was our next step, if not going to the police? But the look in Claude’s eyes halted my questions. And brought my thoughts back to him. Back to us.
But mostly back to him.
He approached me slowly, as if giving me time to run away if that’s what I wanted. And logically I knew that was the right thing to do. Because he was unattainable, and he got to me on a level that no man ever had. Because he’d hurt me before. Because he could so easily hurt me again.
But every instinct in my body urged me to stay.
My body was a damn traitor.
“Claude—”
“He could have hurt you, you know. Done things that you can’t imagine. Things he’s been tied to in the past. Death would have been a blessing.”
“First, I’m an OWEA agent. I can imagine a lot. Second—”
He touched my lips with his fingertip, silencing me. I wondered what he would do if I slipped the tip into my mouth and bit it. I knew he wanted me—he’d proven that. But did he want me with the same intensity—the same fire—that drove me back to him when I should have run away?
“Do you know what would have happened to me if I’d lost you?”
Hope surged within me, unbidden and most unwelcome. Maybe he did feel something for me. Something powerful and real. Something like what I dared not admit—even to myself—I felt for him.