Free Into the Darkness by Delilah Devlin Page A

her.
    Rene prowled the house, sticking to the downstairs rooms
    this time. He’d checked his cell phone again and left Chessa a
    blistering message. What the hell was keeping her anyway?
    Although his body still felt mildly drugged by his roll in the
    sheets with Natalie, his emotions felt edgy and alert. Standing at the sink in the kitchen, he ran cool water to wash his
    face—anything to stem the heat building again inside him.
    He cupped water in his hands and stared at his palms, remembering the feel of her soft breasts with their erect little
    points. He muttered an oath and splashed the water into his
    face. If he dunked his whole head beneath the spigot, he still
    wouldn’t clear the image or the feelings from his mind.
    He was mad as hell at himself—and Chessa. She hadn’t
    given him adequate warning. Partners didn’t leave partners
    swingin’ in the wind.
    If he’d known what he faced, the potent, irresistible temptation she embodied, he might have stood a chance of deflect-70 delilah
    devlin
    ing Natalie’s allure—hell, he’d have tied a knot in his cock
    sooner than fuck a vampire!
    Sweet as she’d been, he didn’t need that kind of trouble.
    Worse, he couldn’t trust that what he was starting to feel for
    her was real.
    But what exactly was he feeling? Desire? Certainly. Lust?
    Absolutely. Connection? That possibility terrified him. Natalie was quickly becoming an obsession.
    He poured a glass of water and took a long drink, hoping
    the coolness slipping down his throat would somehow halt
    his body’s arousal.
    Even now, she lay naked in his bed. Moonlight bathed her
    curved body. The lemon and apple smell of her still scented
    the air—still clung to his own skin. He’d fled the room before the musky scent of sex overwhelmed him, hardened
    him—again.
    Earlier, pale light had revealed his deepest fear. Natalie’s
    eyes had glittered with longing and trust. That had been the
    scariest thing of all. Not that she was a vampire, but that she
    trusted him to keep her safe and not betray her heart.
    He just plain couldn’t give her what she wanted.
    A floorboard creaked behind him, and he caught Chessa’s
    reflection in the darkened window above the sink. She was
    dressed in SWAT gear. “It’s about damn time you got back
    here,” he growled. He placed the glass on the countertop
    and turned in time to catch Chessa’s downward-sweeping
    glance.
    His cheeks heated. Wearing only blue jeans and his shoulder holster, he knew she’d jumped to all the right conclusions
    as her lips thinned.
    into the darkness
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    When her glance met his again, the stillness in her set his
    heart thudding with unease.
    Then he heard footsteps coming through the hallway and
    saw several men dressed entirely in black, walking quietly
    through his house and up the stairs. He pushed away from
    the counter. “What the hell’s goin’ on, Chessa?”
    She glanced briefly over her shoulder and then turned
    slowly back toward him. “We’re taking her out of here.”
    “Let me go up to wake her. You’re gonna scare her.”
    Her lips tightened. “And you’d care, wouldn’t you?”
    He heard a muffled whimper from above and stepped toward the doorway.
    Chessa stuck out her arm, blocking his exit.
    Close enough now that he could have pushed past her, he
    glared down into her face. “Chessa . . .”
    “You can’t help her now, partner .” Her head tilted slightly.
    “Damn you, you can’t even help yourself. You fucked her.”
    She inhaled, her nostrils flaring as she sniffed. “Hell, you reek
    of sex. You couldn’t keep away, could you?”
    She didn’t sound angry—which he would have preferred.
    Instead, he read disappointment and resignation in her tone.
    Feeling off center and ashamed, he retorted, “You could
    have told me what I was facin’—spelled it out so this human
    would understand. Cheech, she was fuckin’ irresistible.”
    “And now?” she said, her sharp gaze roaming his face.
    “What do