Free Blood Before Sunrise by Amanda Bonilla Page B

veins and echoed in my ears. His gaze never left mine, and my chest began to ache, as if he were staring right through my soul. “Who is that?”
    “That,” Raif said as our driver pulled away from the building, “is Fallon, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay as far away from him as possible.”
    “But who is he?” I had to know. No one had ever unnerved me so, not even Azriel. I didn’t like it.
    “I don’t know. But Adare says he’s dangerous,” Raif said. “That’s all you need to know.”

Chapter 7
    Y ou’d think unloading Delilah on the PNT would’ve put Raif in a better mood. It didn’t.
    “Anya!” His voice thundered through Xander’s foyer. “Where the hell are you?”
    I’d never seen Anya move so fast. To be honest, I don’t know how she managed, bound up in her clothes the way she was. As she rounded the corner at a dead run, her breath came hard, as if she’d sprinted ten miles to Raif’s beckoning voice. “Sir,” she said, her head bowed.
    Sir? Oooh, I liked that. Her tone held more reverence in that single word than any groveling title she’d used when addressing Raif’s brother. A warm satisfaction grew in the pit of my stomach. It was better than Christmas!
    “I want every inch of that cell cleaned,” Raif said. “I don’t want to smell any lingering trace of the offal that occupied it. Do you understand me?”
    “Yes,” Anya said, her gaze downcast. “Consider it done.”
    She took off like a shot, her shrill orders carrying to every corner of the house. Raif would be able to eat his dinner off the floor of that cell by the time she was done with it. I gave a contented sigh. There were days when I just really loved my job. The thought occurred to me, as I basked in smug amusement, I’d forgotten to discuss payment for services rendered. No matter what Xander thought to the contrary, I did not work for free.
    “How’s this going to work from now on?” I asked as though the previous moment hadn’t happened. “Will Ibe receiving a monthly stipend, or will the royal treasury be cutting me a check per job?”
    “You do have a one-track mind, don’t you?” Raif ran his fingers through his hair, looking around as if he’d forgotten something. “You’ll have to take that up with my brother,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll pay whatever you’re asking. He’s around here somewhere. You can find him on your own, right?”
    Raif’s distraction had me worried. He never lost his cool—never. But the dull sheen of his eyes told me he was a million miles away, his thoughts disconnected from the present. I wasn’t sure when I’d lost him, though I was willing to bet it had been the second we’d stepped foot in Delilah’s cell.
    I didn’t have to go far to find my paycheck. Xander was holed up in his office, bent over something no doubt worthy of his precious time. He looked up as I walked in, a broad, seductive smile gracing his face. Gold flecks glowed in his amber eyes, which took their time in absorbing every curve of my body. “Get a good enough look?” I asked, unceremoniously falling into a chair opposite him. I propped my legs up on the desk, crossing them at the ankle as I made myself at home.
    “Not nearly good enough,” Xander said. “You have far too many clothes on for what I’d like to see.”
    Charming . “I can safely say my naked body is not a sight you’ll be seeing anytime soon. I’m not here to listen to your cheesy come-ons, Xander. I’m here to talk business.”
    “Cheesy come-ons?” Xander said, leaning forward in his chair. “What if I told you I dream about you nightly? Your skin glorious and bare beneath my hands. What if I said I crave you like a drug and won’t rest until I have you in my bed?”
    I ignored the pleasant glow that threatened to settle in my stomach from his words. I wasn’t completely immune to Xander’s charm. Flocks of women would be more than happy to strip naked for him with fewer words