Free Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love

something better.”
    This she couldn’t wait to hear. “A rocket launcher and a tank?”
    “No. Exit strategy. You coming?”
    She didn’t think so. “Thanks, but I’ll find my own way out.”
    “By now the cops are crawling the building like ants on a cake and
you
are about to become the ice cream cherry.”
    He was right and she hated him for it. “All right, First Blood. Lead me to freedom.”
    Police racket clamored near the front gate.
    Isak paused at the wall on the side of the building, where she could now see a thin aircraft cable running vertically from the top. Sneaky little booger … how clever. A metal clasp with a heavy D ring dangled at shoulder height. From inside his shirt he pulled a short length of thicker cable that was probably hooked to a harness and clipped the karabiner on the end to the clasp.
    But if he thought she was going up the side of
that
wall, he was crazy.
    Ten or fifteen feet off the ground, no problem.
    Any higher …
    Big problem.
    Evalle didn’t do heights. Ever.
    The sound of the huge electric gate at the street opening was followed by the sounds of the cops coming closer. Flashlight beams danced ahead of them.
    Stealth was not the forte of Atlanta’s finest. Lucky for her.
    She looked around, quickly assessing a potential alternative route. “Tell you what, Isak. I’m—”
    An arm hooked around her waist and yanked her backward against a body so hard, it was like slamming into the brick wall. Panic at being touched got shoved aside by a greater fear when her feet came off the ground and they shot up the wire at a speed that left her sick.
    No, no, no!
    She hissed in outrage. “Put me down!”
    “Hon, at this height, you definitely don’t want me to do that.”
    Stupid her, she looked down before she could stop herself. The world below was shrinking at a rapid pace. Her stomach threatened to show her a replay of the slaw dog she’d eaten for dinner. Snapping her eyes closed, she clenched her teeth and fought down her panic.
    He wasn’t going to drop her. He wasn’t.
    Still, the fear was there, and it was debilitating asher past slammed into her with a reality she despised. Her shoulders trembled. She forced her muscles to lock tight.
    Never, ever show a weakness. Not to anyone.
    Too late for that.
    She ground her teeth at the conflicting voice in her head that she hated.
Stay calm, Evalle, you can do it. You’ve survived a lot worse than this
.
    Why, why wasn’t flight one of my powers?
    But as they neared the top, she realized she wasn’t going to fall … and Isak wasn’t trying to grope her.
    He wasn’t attacking her. This wasn’t her past and she wasn’t a defenseless child anymore.
    Both of his arms hugged her against his chest. An act of protection,
not
violation.
    She smelled his human scent, warm and a little sweaty from his exertions. Raw, natural male. He pulled her closer, as if he’d keep her safe from anything.
    No one had ever held her this way.
    Like she was precious to them.
    Didn’t matter. End of the day, she couldn’t stand the sensation of hands confining her. Of someone pressing her against his body.
    Let me go, let me go, let me go …
    He whispered against her ear, trying to calm her. “We’re almost there. I’ll release you in a sec.”
    You’re not a helpless teenager. He’s not the bastard.
Why couldn’t she banish those memories? Why did they sting most when she could least afford them?
    You ruined my past, you worthless dog. You will not destroy my future …
    She bit the inside of her mouth to keep from screaming and giving away their location to the police.
    The vertical movement slowed.
    She was trembling, couldn’t open her eyes and look.
Coward
.
    What kind of demonslayer was scared of heights
and
human contact? She could face down Satan in hell, but let one geeky guy lay a casual hand on her shoulder and she was petrified.
    Think about the cops, Sen … anything.
    Excited shouts came from below where the police must