Bound to Shadows (Riley Jenson Guardian #8)

"It revolved around sex."

He laughed. "That explains why you were so wet and ready when I climbed into bed."

I grinned. "I'm a werewolf. We're always wet and ready."

"So who was your dream lover? Or is that a question that's likely to make me jealous?"

"He didn't have a face or a smell. He could have been anyone." I wrinkled my nose. "It was weird, really."

If only because I felt as if I had spent the entire night making love rather than just dreaming it. My body felt drained and lethargic - although that could have been a result of Quinn feeding so soon after I'd lost so much blood from the attack.

"Is there any reason why you should be dreaming about sex?" He shifted upright, his shoulder lightly pressing against mine. I could feel the sudden tension in him. It was almost as if he knew something vital had happened.

Which he probably did.

He was linked to me in much the same ways as Kye, and while the connection mightn't be as strong as the werewolf bond, it was still there. It probably gave him insights I couldn't even begin to guess at.

And there was no easy well to tell him about Kye, so I just up and said it. "Kye's back in town."

He was silent for a moment, then asked, his voice softer, "And you've seen him?"

"Seen him, yes. Had sex with him, no."

He glanced at me, his dark gaze exploring my features, as if searching for a lie. "But you will."

It wasn't a question. "I'm trying not to, but denying my nature is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I can't promise it won't happen, Quinn. I really can't."

He looked away. His chest moved as he breathed deep, though a vampire didn't really need air to survive. He released it slowly, a silent sigh that somehow conveyed so much tension and anguish. "I'm asking too much, aren't I?"

I reached out and clasped my hand through his. His fingers curled around mine, warm and steady. "It's the same as me asking you to restrain your urge to take blood after sex. "

"Restrain, not stop. There is a difference."

He was wrong, but I didn't bother saying it. It wasn't a point worth arguing.

"We both knew this moment would arrive eventually," he continued. "I will fight for us, but at the same time, you can't continue fight what you are. I shouldn't have ever have asked you to."

Relief swirled through me, the force of it so strong tears stung my eyes. Yet there was also frustration. Kye was going to force a relationship, I had no doubt about that. Just as I had no doubt that whenever we made love, the ties that bound us would get deeper and stronger. How could that not affect my relationship with Quinn? I had no idea if the bond I had with him was deep enough to withstand the onslaught of binding with my wolf soul mate.

It was an answer I would probably uncover sooner rather than later, and it was one that filled me with fear. "Quinn - "

I wasn't entirely sure what I intended to say, and it didn't matter, because he raised a hand and pressed it against my lips. "When it happens, I don't want to know about it. And if I see him, I will beat him to a pulp."

"As long as you promise to give him a whack or two from me, I'm fine with that."

He laughed softly, then looked around at a knock at the door.

"Sorry to interrupt," Rhoan said, opening the door and peeking around it, "but Jack's on the phone. He's pissed off again. Apparently you have your phone off."

I swore softly. I'd meant to switch it back on once I'd gotten home, but I'd been so shaken by Rhoan's injury and my close encounter with Kye that it had totally slipped my mind. I kissed Quinn softly, then scrambled out of bed, grabbed the phone, and made a mad dash for the bathroom.

"I'm on my way, boss," I said, flicking on the shower taps and waiting impatiently for the hot water to appear.

"I swear, Riley, one of these days you'll push me too fucking far."

I raised my eyebrows at the curt tension in his voice. "What's happened?"

"If you'd keep up with local news, you'd fucking know."

"Boss, I did work late - "

"And turned off your phone and comlink in the process. How many times do I have to tell you about that?"

The water finally got hot. I flicked the phone to speaker, shoved it on the basin, and stepped into the shower. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

He snorted. Obviously he believed it about as much as he believed in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. "We've got another woman dead for no apparent reason. I want you to meet Kade over there ASAP."

"I'll be out the door in five minutes." I hesitated, wondering if it was wise to poke the bear, but decided I needed an answer. "Something other than this new death has gotten up your nose, hasn't it?"

"Some damn fool reporter has gotten wind of the vampire beheadings, and now it's all over the news. The headlines reads 'vigilante gang hunts down vampires.'"

"Which it may well be."

"Yeah, but we don't need the vampires thinking that, and we certainly don't need the humans thinking they need to arm themselves against retaliatory attacks. Trust me, there's already been some talk about that."

"I gather Director Hunter is keeping the vampire council well informed on the situation?" And surely the council would be able to keep a lid on the reactions of the general vampire population? At least for a little bit longer.

"Of course, but with the tension already in the ranks over our handling of the blood whore situation, this is going to add more fuel to the fire."

"And won't that make the streets a fun place to be."

"Yeah. Be careful out there, Riley."

If Jack was adding a warning like that, then he was really worried. Which meant me and my gun were going to become very close companions. I might never have wanted to use the damn things once, but I'd learned the hard way that sometimes strength and speed just weren't enough.

"I've got a possible lead one the beheading case," I said, and quickly updated him about Luke Johnson and the information I'd gathered from the security tape - although I didn't tell him the other man seen talking to our so-called witness was Kye. He wasn't likely to ever trace the image back to Kye, and the fewer people who knew he was back in town, the better for my sanity. "I'll send through the pictures now so someone can chase up some information on them."

"I'll get Benson on to it the minute he gets here."

Benson was one of the newer liaisons, and while he was every bit as efficient as Sal, he was far less fun to goad.

"Thanks, Jack," I said, and hung up.

I quickly finished my shower then ran into the bedroom to get dressed. Quinn wasn't there, but the smell of man and coffee led me into the kitchen, where I found both. He handed me a steaming travel mug, then kissed me lightly on the lips. "Be careful out there. It could get nasty."

I raised my eyebrows. "You overheard my conversation with Jack?"

He shook his head. "I'm an advisor to the council, much the same as Jack is."

"Two facts I wasn't aware of until now." I studied him for a moment, wondering if I'd ever uncover all there was to know about him. "I can understand Jack being an advisor, given he's in charge of the guardian division and his sister is on the council, but why are you?"

"I was once a cazador, and I'm one of the few who survived the experience." He shrugged. "I'm the one they call for advice when things go bad."

Cazadors were basically vampire hitmen. From the little Quinn had said about them, they worked for the council and took out anyone who broke the council's rules or those who went really bad. As in, more than the Directorate could handle, and we handled some pretty nasty shit.

"So they haven't called you for advice yet?"

"No." His expression sobered. "And pray that they don't, because that would probably mean we are on the verge of war. "

"Do you think things will get that bad?"

He hesitated. "If the Directorate can quash the speculation in the press and catch whoever is behind these beheadings quickly enough, then the council will be able to control the situation, vampire wise."

"But what about the unrest over the Directorate's handling of blood whores?"

"The council is about to issue an edict regarding that, and it will basically back the law as it currently stands." He shrugged. "They have no other choice, really, though the decision was not unanimous."

If he knew how the voting was going on council decisions, then he was something more than a mere advisor. "So you agreed with the vote?"

He smiled and tapped a finger against my nose. "I didn't vote, if that's what you want to know. As an advisor, I can't."

"But you were there to witness it."

"Yes, but simply because I'm also fairly far up in the hierarchy. It is my right - and often my duty - to witness all council decisions."

"So how come you're not on the council itself? I gather you could be?"

"Yes, I could. I just have no wish to be."

"Why not?"

"Didn't Jack tell you to hurry to some murder scene?"

So much for him not listening to my conversation. "Yes, but if I leave now, I may never get an answer to my questions."

"The problem with you and questions is the fact that you never seem to run out of them."

I grinned. "You shouldn't be such a damn mystery then, and we wouldn't have that problem. And seeing that you avoided my last question, I'm owed one more. Then I'll leave."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay."

"How did you attend council meetings when you were living full time in Sydney? I was under the impression that the council met every day."

"Every state has it own council, and they handle the day-to-day governing of the vampire population. The highest ranking members from each of these make up the greater council, which presides in Melbourne. These are the meetings I attend, and they're generally once a month, unless problems arise."

"Is there some sort of worldwide ubercouncil?"

He smiled. "I can't say."

Meaning he wouldn't say, but that there was. "So the greater council would handle things like the discontent over the Directorate's handling of the blood whore killers and the beheadings."

"Yes. The man I went out with last night came to town specifically to attend the greater council meeting. We went for drinks afterward."

"Will I ever get to meet this friend?"

"That is a second question."

"You are such a pain in the ass, vampire." I leaned forward and kissed him. Lightly. Sweetly. "I have no idea what time I'm going to be home."

He smiled. "Nor do I. Julien has expressed a desire to visit some wolf clubs to see just what it that has me so engrossed with the culture."

Something inside me twinged. Jealously? God, I hoped not. And yet...

I couldn't deny that some small part of me didn't want him going to the clubs without me.

Which was totally stupid, given the odds of my date with Kye not ending in sex weren't great.

Still...

"But you hate the culture."

"True. So perhaps he hopes to capture his own luscious redhead." He leaned forward and kissed me again. "I don't have the heart to tell him my redhead is a rare and precious jewel that I'm never going to give up."

His words made my heart do a giddy little dance. I chuckled softly. "Just for that, I might let you bite me again tonight."

"I'll bite you now if you don't get your pretty ass in gear." He slapped said rear lightly. "Go, before Jack starts calling again."

I sighed dramatically, but spun around and walked out the door.

The new murder scene was in Craigieburn, which was on the northern outskirts of Melbourne. I was going against the main flow of traffic, so it didn't take me long to get there via the ring road and the freeway.

Kade was already there when I arrived. I pulled up behind his car and killed the engine, then grabbed the laser from its hidey hole under the seat and climbed out.

"A laser?" Amusement twitched his lips and his chocolate-colored eyes sparkled with mirth. "So you think a ghost might jump out and start hassling you?"

"I'm making a point not to go anywhere unarmed at the moment."

"Ah, the fuss the papers are making about the so-called gang responsible for the beheadings." He paused. "You don't think the vamp population is going to get antsy about it, do you?"

"I had two very old vampires warning me to be careful this morning. This is me being careful. I haven't got telekinesis as a weapon, like you." I shoved the weapon in my back pocket and waved him forward. "Has Jack filled you in on the details?"

He'd sent me the file, but the computer's metallic tones had annoyed the crap out of me, so I'd switched it off and concentrated instead on the road and drinking my coffee.

"Yeah, it appears to be the same MO as the last one," Kade said, opening the front gate and ushering me through. "The victim's name is Janette Crowley. A divorcee in her mid-forties - no kids, no family, no lovers. The women she shares the house with found her body last night."

"So an autopsy hasn't been performed yet?"

He shook his head. "But the police report said there were no obvious signs of a struggle in the room or on the body, and no sign of forced entry into the house. Because we were already handling the Renatta Bailey case, they threw this one straight to us."