Page 85 of Marked
My head rolls on my shoulders as I try to ease the tension still in my body.
Hurt. He was fucking hurt trying to find this creep. This Vlad.
I let my eyes go heavenward as I sigh. “Fine. Then I’ll wait right here until he comes in.”
Raina’s shoulders shake before she schools her expression. “Wouldn’t you want to wait somewhere more private?” Her blue eyes flash, and I remember what she said earlier.
Heat fills my body in droves, rolling and gliding through me from the tips of my toes to every strand of hair on my head. I shiver. “Good point.”
“Um ... Excuse me? Is this the Eternity Refuge?”
My head whips over.
The voice is rolling, smooth, distinctly southern, and attached to one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen. Hell, his body is ultra-lean, but with wide shoulders and an almost willowy grace, like a dancer under an old mahogany sweater and ripped jeans. How he can stand either in the heat, I don’t know.
His chestnut hair is swept back from a square-jawed face, but there the masculinity ends. High cheekbones and long lashes add to an almost feminine beauty, something doubled by his pouting lips and sinful bedroom eyes. Eyes that glow a soft honey yellow across the room as he watches me.
I shift in place.
Raina sighs next to me. “Yes, yes it is ... Mr.?”
“David. David Rayne.” He smiles at her, flashing perfect white teeth, but his gaze remains locked on mine. “I would seek asylum, if you have any availability?” His posture and accent brings to mind a southern gentleman.
Man probably knows how to ride a horse into the sunset for a romance novel too.
My head shakes. As handsome as he is, I’d rather have bad-boy meets saving grace any day.
Raina turns to me with a pointed glance to the stairs. “Unless you want to check him in and I go wait for the guys ...”
Face scorching, I lean over, kiss her cheek, and turn to the newcomer. “Welcome to Eternity, Mr. Rayne.”
He smiles and those honey irises glitter. “And it is wondrous to be here.”
Something about his words, or maybe that smile leaves me walking backward. Faster than normal.
I head up the stairs.
When I look back, the guy and Raina are standing near the front desk, and some of my odd trepidation fades.
He seems perfectly ordinary from the back. Normal.
“He’s just friendly, Lilah. Knock it off,” I mutter to myself and slip down the hall to my room and the bag of clothes waiting.
***
It takes everything I have not to move from my spot as the door cracks open.
Ruin slips past the frame, his eyes down as he peruses the manila folder in his hands. Something pungent mixes with his natural spice, and dirt smears over his arms and hands in the light from the candles.
But the huge gash on one bicep makes my stomach rebel and I can stay still no longer. I dart over.
He startles at seeing me, and a low rumble pours from my lips as I examine the wound. “Lilah? Fucking hell. What are you wearing, baby girl?”
I ignore him. My hands close around the rock-hard swell of muscle, and I pull him towards the bathroom. Pushing him inside, I force him to lean against the counter. He stares at me; gold light moves through his eyes as I grab an older first aid kit from under the sink. Thankfully it’s a full field kit, complete with sutures.
“Baby girl... That’s not necessary.”
I just look at him and he falls silent, though his lips twitch before he can completely stifle it.
