Eat Prey Love (Love at Stake #9)

He feigned a look of horror. "And it's sheer torture. How will we survive the night?"

She shook her head, smiling. "I'm afraid my sister is just using you to keep me away from someone else."

"Keep you away? That's odd. My mother's instructions were entirely different." He cocked his head toward the stairs, then whispered, "I can hear him. He's coming."

She glanced at the staircase but couldn't see Carlos. Or hear him. She gasped when Gregori suddenly pulled her into his arms. "What are you doing?"

"Following instructions," he whispered in her ear. "Carlos has reached the landing. I'm supposed to make him terribly jealous."

"What?" Caitlyn turned her head, accidentally brushing her forehead against Gregori's jaw. Radinka wanted Carlos to be jealous?

"It's working," Gregori murmured against her temple. "He's about to rip the banister in two." He grabbed her chin. "Don't look. He's glaring at us with laser-strength eyeballs. The heat alone would melt your skin off."

She laughed and gave Gregori a shove.

He stepped back, glancing toward the stairs. "Oh, Carlos. What a surprise. How's it going, bro?"

Caitlyn flipped her hair over her shoulder and shot a nonchalant look in Carlos's direction. Her heart stuttered at the intensity of his eyes and the barely contained tension in his body. Good Lord, if he just crooked a finger at her, she would run to him. Gregori was fun, but Carlos was fire and passion. A wildcat, dark and forbidding.

Her breath hitched when she saw his hand on the banister. Sharp, lethal claws had extended from his fingertips to dig into the wood. A shiver shimmered down her arms, prickling her skin.

He didn't scare her. God help her, he ought to, but he didn't. She wanted those claws to peel her clothes off. She wanted his mouth on her bare skin again.

She glanced at his face, and his jaw ticked.

"Well." Gregori watched them, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "It's been swell chatting with you. See you later, Carlos."

He inclined his head, his amber eyes gleaming.

Gregori opened the door and ushered Caitlyn out. "Sheesh, you two have got it bad." He shut the door.

"Is it that obvious?"

Gregori escorted her down the stairs to the sidewalk. "You took one look at him and your heartbeat shot off like a rocket. Vamps can hear heartbeats, you know."

"So I've been told."

"And Carlos looked like he wanted to perform open heart surgery on me with his claws."

Caitlyn grinned. "Your mother told you to make him jealous?"

"She thinks you two are meant to be together." Gregori pressed a hand to his chest. "I'm heartbroken, naturally, that I can't have you for myself."

"Right." He didn't appear to be suffering in the least. "There's no one special for you, Gregori?"

"Nope. And that's the way I like it." He strutted toward a black Lexus sedan. "I'm too sexy for my fangs, too sexy for my cape." He opened the car door for her. "Let's go dancing, Toots!"

Chapter Fifteen

"Time to get up, Caitlyn." Carlos knocked on her door early the next morning.

He heard a low moan. No doubt she didn't realize his sense of hearing was just as good as a Vamp's. Gregori must not be aware of that fact, either. Carlos had heard their conversation the night before as he'd descended the stairs, so he knew their date had been arranged. He also knew Gregori's alleged affection for her had been staged. But that didn't made it any easier to watch. Jealousy had surged inside him like an imprisoned wildcat snarling and slashing at the bars of his cage.

He'd had enough. He refused to play games with Gregori or anyone else who found his predicament entertaining. And he didn't want to endure any more from Caitlyn. Just being in her presence was painful. Her turquoise eyes, her luscious body, her intoxicating scent, her brave spirit, and her sassy attitude - it all added up to sheer torture. He'd never craved a woman like this before.

The only way to find relief and keep her safe was to leave. As soon as possible.

"Caitlyn, wake up." He knocked on her door again. This time he heard a muffled response. "Toni will be here soon."

"Okay!" she yelled.

He headed down the stairs, then paused on the landing to check the banister. Last night while Caitlyn was on her date, he'd gone to the nearest hardware store. Then he'd filled the gouges in the banister with wood putty. It had dried overnight, but needed to be sanded. With any luck, no one would ever know how much damage he'd caused.

"Something wrong?" Angus asked at the foot of the stairs.

Carlos straightened with a jerk. "No. You're back early." He noted the bottle of Bubbly Blood and two champagne flutes in Angus's hands. "Special occasion?"

"Aye. 'Tis the anniversary of Emma's first night as a vampire."

"Oh. Congratulations."

Angus snorted. "I wasna with her that night. I felt too guilty for what I had done to her."

Carlos swallowed hard. At least Emma had survived the transformation. He feared Caitlyn wouldn't. The guilt would be too much to bear.

As Angus climbed the stairs, his eyes glimmered with emotion. "I'll always be there for her now."

Carlos lowered his voice. "I need to talk to you about Caitlyn. I asked Toni to take over her training."

Angus paused on the landing, frowning. "We only asked for a week, and ye canna do it?"

"It's...complicated."

"Only if ye make it that way." Angus glanced up the stairwell. "I fought my attraction for Emma, but in the end I had to learn to trust the power of our love."

"The best thing I can do for Caitlyn is to stay far away from her."

Angus didn't look convinced. "Emma's waiting for me. Can we discuss this tonight?"

"All right. But first, I have to go to Dragon Nest Academy. Fernando will arrive this evening, and I need to take him there so he can be with the children."

Angus nodded. "That'll be fine. Emma and I need to go there, too, to check on security before we go to Russia. We'll talk tonight. Cheerio." He bounded up the stairs, his blue and green plaid kilt swishing around his knees.

Carlos sighed. If only he could find a were-panther mate that inspired the sort of devotion Angus felt for his wife. What if he never found a woman he wanted as much as Caitlyn?

He descended the stairs and found Phineas in the kitchen, sitting at the table.

"Yo, Catman." Phineas saluted him with a glass of synthetic blood. "What's up?"

"The usual." Carlos retrieved a new box of cereal from the pantry. "How was Romatech tonight?"

"Quiet. Emma and Angus took over for a few hours so I could visit my family."

"That's good." Carlos set a bowl and spoon on the table, then noticed Phineas was frowning at his glass of blood. "What's wrong?"

Phineas took a sip from his glass. "My little brother's graduating from high school this spring."

"That's great." Carlos fetched the milk from the fridge. "You must be very proud of him."

"I am. He's real smart. Smarter than I ever was. I want him to go to college, but he says I've been supporting them for too long and he needs to help out."

Carlos poured some cereal into his bowl. "Maybe he can work part-time while he goes to college."

"That's what I said. I gave him the speech about how important it is to get an education, but he says I'm making good money without a degree, so why should he bother to get one?" Phineas sighed. "I don't know what to do, man."

Carlos splashed milk on his cereal. "I finished my master's degree while I was working here."

Phineas's brown eyes lit up. "Maybe I could get my brother a job here, and he could go to night school like you did. And then I wouldn't have to keep the vampire stuff a secret from him anymore."

"Your family doesn't know you're a vampire?"

"No. I'm not supposed to tell them. My aunt's diabetic, and her eyes are so bad she hasn't realized that I'm not aging. But sooner or later my little brother and sister will notice."

Carlos nodded. "Eventually they'll start looking older than you."

"Yeah, I know." Phineas downed the last of his drink, then clunked the empty glass on the table. "Hell, maybe I should go to night school. You know, make a good example."

Carlos smiled. "Your family is fortunate to have you."

Phineas snorted. "I still haven't convinced LaToya that I'm a good guy." He took his glass to the sink. "I need to shower and get ready for bed."

Carlos ate some cereal. "You might consider wearing pajamas now that there's a female training in the basement."

"Snap!" Phineas whirled around. With a grin, he pointed a finger at Carlos. "You are busted, bro. You just failed the Love Doctor's test."

"What test?"

"I purposely wore those shorts to see if you would object to the lovely Caitlyn Whelan observing my abundantly sexy body. You are one jealous man, bro."

Carlos scoffed. "I don't care what you sleep in. If you want to offend Caitlyn, go ahead."

Phineas smirked. "Then you won't mind if I sleep on my back, stark naked."

"Then you won't mind if I let Caitlyn use your body for target practice. You know where her bullets and knives always end up."

Phineas grimaced. "Don't let that wild woman near me."

"Then wear some clothes," Carlos growled.

"Okay, I will. But you're still busted, bro. I know you have the hots for her. The Love Doctor is finely attuned to all matters of the heart."

Carlos sighed. Everyone seemed to know he was attracted to her.

Phineas went downstairs to the basement. A few minutes later Ian and Toni arrived. Ian grabbed a bottle of synthetic blood from the fridge, then headed upstairs to the fifth floor bedroom for his death-sleep.

Toni fixed herself a bowl of cereal and sat at the kitchen table across from Carlos. "So what's going on? Why can't you train Caitlyn?"

"I need to go on my trip. You're a damned good fighter, so you'll make a good teacher."

"I can't do this every day." Toni ate some cereal. "I need to be at the school. It's a full-time job."

"I'll talk to Angus tonight. We'll figure something out." Carlos rubbed his brow. This whole situation was so damned frustrating. Attracted to a woman he couldn't have. Forced to scour the jungles of the world, searching for a were-panther mate to help his species survive. Cursed with the need to continuously reject Caitlyn.

How could he risk her life? He already lived with the ghosts of his twin brother and parents. He already struggled with the memories of seeing two tribes of were-panthers slaughtered. Their deaths haunted him, but if Caitlyn died, it would be even worse. It would be unbearable, because it would be entirely his fault.

He turned his head as Caitlyn shuffled into the kitchen, barefoot, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. She looked tired, sleepy, and as adorably sexy as ever.

Frustration ripped through him like a physical pain. "You're late. Again. All the Vamps have gone to bed." He immediately felt bad for snapping at her, but the damage was done.

Anger glinted in her eyes and she scowled at him. "Good morning to you, too."

Toni chuckled and extended a hand. "It's good to meet you, Caitlyn."

She shook hands. "You must be Toni. I'm sorry Carlos forced you to be my trainer when he chickened out."

Carlos stiffened. "I didn't chicken out."

Toni's eyes widened.

Caitlyn heaved a tired sigh. "I'm afraid I won't do very well today. Carlos left me so sore." She gave him a pointed look. "Even my lips are worn-out."

"Enough," he growled.

Toni's gaze switched back and forth between the two of them. "What is going on here?"

"Nothing," he said. When Caitlyn snorted, he added, "She's just tired and cranky. She stayed out too late last night."

"I was home by midnight," Caitlyn protested.

"It was 12:23," he muttered.

She arched a brow at him. "Were you watching the clock? Maybe you're jealous."

"Of what?" he snapped. "A fake date that was arranged for the sole purpose of tormenting me?"

"Good grief," Toni whispered. "I feel like I've stepped into a war zone."

"We're not at war," he grumbled.

Caitlyn lifted her chin. "He's in denial about us."

"I deny nothing." He stood, pushing his chair back with a screech. "Half the vampire world knows we're attracted to each other."

Toni sucked in a breath. "Oh my gosh."

Carlos gritted his teeth. "But nothing will happen between us. I'm going on my trip to find a were-panther mate, and you're not coming with me."

Caitlyn's eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that."

"Okay, truce." Toni took her cereal bowl to the sink. "Carlos, leave. Go make yourself useful. And Caitlyn, I think we'll start with pummeling the punching bag."

"Sounds good to me." Caitlyn grabbed a granola bar and bottle of water, then stalked out of the kitchen.

Toni headed for the door, then glanced back at Carlos with a sly grin. "That was quite a catfight. I think you've met your match."