Free Replica (The Blood Borne Series Book 2) by Shannon Mayer, Denise Grover Swank Page A

to stay alive, Rachel Sambrook. Can you do that for me?” The intensity in his gaze almost made me believe he gave a shit about me.
    Almost .
    I pushed on his chest, but his hold didn’t slip an inch. “Why the fuck should I believe you care about me?”
    The train was slowing down, and the speaker overhead announced the next station.
    He grinned, but it wasn’t the cocky expression I halfway expected. It was just the barest lift of the corners of his mouth. The intensity in his dark brown irises mesmerized me. Pinned in his gaze, I didn’t put up a protest as his face lowered, his lips lightly skimming mine.
    I froze as his warm breath fanned across my cheek, his kiss growing bolder. My fingers dug into his jacket in an effort to remain upright as the train came to a stop.
    The doors opened and I felt movement to my side as someone boarded the train, but this man’s mouth had me spellbound, blocking out everything and everyone around me except for him.
    His head lifted and determination filled his eyes, before they softened. “Don’t worry, pet. You will see me soon enough.”
    Then he shoved me hard, throwing me out of the train car. I landed on my side as the doors shut.
    I saw him through the car windows, knife in his hand, facing two men. As the train pulled away, they rushed him, and the way he defended himself led me to believe he could hold his own.
    Something poked the top of my ass cheek. I reached back and pulled out a six-inch-long leather case with a silver handle sticking out the top. I pulled it free, gasping at the sleek silver blade. There was no doubt it was designed for killing supernatural creatures. The question was, why had he really given it to me?
     
     

CHAPTER 11

     
    LEA
     
    I crouched in the second floor window of the broken-down hotel. This was where we’d met Sean, where he’d done his damnedest to convince Rachel I was the bad guy and he could be trusted. Turned out he was wrong, a mistake that had cost him his life.
    Rachel was below me, pacing from one end of the blown-out room to the other. She hadn’t seen me yet, and I’d decided to watch her to see if anyone followed her into the abandoned hotel.
    Her hands went to her lower back, paused, then fluttered up to her lips.
    “Son of a bitch,” she muttered, never slowing her steps.
    Interesting. An image of Ivan kissing her sent a shot of pure adrenaline through my system that shocked the shit out of me. There was no way she would have let him kiss her. But then, where was he? I’d told him to watch over her.
    I waited another full minute. Though I told myself it was to make sure we were safe, the real reason was that I was pissed at Ivan for being missing.
    And more pissed at the thought of him kissing Rachel. I drew in a slow breath. No, I was not going there. Ivan was a werewolf—lecherous, dangerous and unpredictable. I had no reason to be surprised he hadn’t followed through with my command.
    I pushed off the window ledge and dropped to the floor, deliberately landing on a stack of wood. It clattered away from me and Rachel spun around, whipping out a six-inch silver stake. I couldn’t help my eyes from widening. There was no way Ivan had given her that.
    “Good reflexes.”
    The stake was a replica of mine, right down to the length of the handle. A Cazador’s weapon. Even more interesting. I didn’t ask her about it, I didn’t need to. There were very few people who would have access to silver stakes.
    I walked toward her as she tucked the stake away. “Who kissed you?” The question popped out of me before I thought better of it.
    Her mouth dropped open, but she snapped it shut so fast her teeth clicked. Her face flamed an interesting shade of pink visible to me even in the dim light. “No one.”
    A lie so thick it all but hung in the air between us. “Where’s Ivan?”
    “He followed my contact.” She seemed to pull herself together. “How is he going to find us?”
    I shrugged and Rachel narrowed her