The Immortals After Dark 11: Dreams of a Dark Warrior

As Regin rubbed water on her face, Natalya hopped up on the next sink over. "So how about those revelations from last night! I suppose they're hampering your revenge plans. Because of the whole Chase-didn't-order-your-torture development."

"Just means he gets to live."

"Wel , the important thing is that I got my revenge."

Regin tugged up her shirt to dry her face, then peered at her injury.

"Your skin's completely healed," Natalya said, her tone impressed.

"There was a lot of lightning last night-it helps. I'll be as good as new in a few hours."

"But you're not glowing."

Regin shrugged. "It might not come back." Her mother's had been forever dimmed. After Woden and Freya had rescued her from the vampires that kil ed everyone in her vil age, her skin had never glowed as it once had. And it'd been covered with vampire bite scars.

I learned to count by them, never knowing how much I was hurting her.

"Oh, here"-Natalya stood, reaching into her jacket-"first time I've ever had women's lingerie in my pocket that wasn't my own." She handed Regin her bra. "Though it probably won't be the last."

Regin slipped off her shirt to don it, vowing to burn these clothes when they got back.

Natalya pinched her own cheeks, then vogued in the mirror for a few poses. "So, what are you going to do with Chase now? Not going to soften toward him at all ?"

Last night, Regin almost had when he'd revealed his scarred skin to her-and when he'd been suffering through withdrawal.

He'd been off to the side by himself, silently shaking in the dark. Going through that alone ...

Then Regin had remembered all he'd done to her. "After his laundry list of crimes? Historically, whenever someone abducts, poisons, or stabs me, I don't do second chances. Historical y. I'm going to get on that boat, then get the hel away from him at the earliest opportunity." She'd find Lucia, and pick her life up where she'd left it.

"No attraction there?"

"Nothing there whatsoever," she said, ignoring Natalya's snort of disbelief. "Speaking of attraction. So, you and Brandr? Thad was crushed."

"The kid's seventeen. Just turned. In any case, Brandr and I scratched an itch. No big deal."

"Uh-huh."

"It wasn't all that wonderful, to be honest. I was afraid of poisoning him, even with my torque, and he was worried about hurting me. Basical y, instead of one of us zigging while the other zagged, we both zagged. But you want to hear something crazy?" She leaned in to say, "I can't seem to stop looking at Lothaire. I caught him washing off earlier-shirtless-and was gobsmacked by the sight of his body. His physique and face are flawless, like a sculpture or something. Those hooded eyes of his-"

Without a word, Regin turned toward the door.

"What?" Natalya cal ed, fol owing her. "Name one thing about him that's not perfect!"

Over her shoulder, Regin said, "Maybe his razor-sharp vampire fangs? Maybe the fact that his 'physique' is fueled by a liquid diet? And those hooded eyes you were about to rhapsodize over? They're the color of blood."

Natalya grumbled, "Details, details."

They met up with Thad outside the lavatories, then the three emerged from the bunker into pouring rain and whipping winds. Lowering clouds promised more of both. Goody.

As a Valkyrie, Regin could withstand extreme temperatures, but that didn't mean she enjoyed being soaked and chil ed.

They navigated the rock cutouts, then crossed to the nearest clearing. The landscape here was rocky with peaks in the distance, each bleaker than the last, like they'd be named Mount Donner Party or Need-A-Mind-Eraser Point.

The rest of the males caught up to them there. Chase's wrists were bound in front of him now. Brandr, that ever-loyal ass, must've retied them.

The magister didn't approach her, didn't try to speak with her, but he cast her a darkly possessive look.

Nope, nothing there whatsoever. At all. Less than nothing.

Declan realized with a jolt of alarm that Regin's skin was as dim as it'd been last night. Surely her wound was healed for the most part by now-she moved without stiffness-but her skin remained ashen.

What if it never returned to normal? If it's the last thing I do, I'll figure out how to fix this.

After an initial glance, Regin didn't look at him again. No surprise, considering all he'd done to her. And that'd been before he'd revealed his scars.

All night he'd wondered what the hel had possessed him to do that.

She gazed around at the scenery with plain distaste. Though a carpet of firs spread out below them, the mountaintops were bare-not because of snowfal , but because the peaks were too craggy for trees to grow.

He'd always enjoyed the desolate landscape high on the mountains, but she lived in a warm bayou town, resided at the edge of a swamp. If she hated this place now, it'd only get worse the higher they got.

The rain would grow nearly constant, the wind gusting.

She pushed a sopping braid from her face. "Another day in paradise."

Could any female hate a man more than she does me?

Regin's attention turned to Lothaire, who still looked affected by his nightmares. If vampires experienced others' memories as if they were reliving them, then how could Lothaire not be tortured by what he'd dreamed?

Declan had once thought he wouldn't wish his past torment on even his worst enemy. Recalling Lothaire's bite, he decided, No, I'm good with it.

"How are you going to keep up with us during the day?" Regin demanded of the vampire.

"Overcast skies, superior nutrition, and my purloined army gear for cover." He tipped his wide-brimmed bush hat toward her. "And you?"

"Isn't your girlfriend La Dorada coming for you?"

He still ed, as if listening for her. "Not as of yet. Soon though."

"You stay outta my way, leech, or I will go lord-of-the-flies on your ass." Again, she instinctively reached back for her swords. Swords that could never be replaced. They'd surely been buried in the facility's collapse.

Lothaire sighed. "Regin the Eloquent."

"Eat me." She passed them all without a glance. "Just tell me where we're heading."

Declan said, "If you want to be on point, we're going west-"

She unerringly turned due west and started climbing. Natalya and Thad joined her, and the three began conversing, mainly answering Thad's constant stream of questions.

Brandr hung back with Declan, while Lothaire brought up the rear.

In a low voice, Brandr said, "My gods, man, I've never seen you look so routed."