Page 128 of The Firebrand
Braelyn was a dangerous female, a pickaxe chipping away at his control. His fierce need to protect her was matched only by his desire to bind her to him.
Never.
Rein’s temple throbbed, and knife-like pain sliced into his abdomen. Bile rose in his throat.Damn. That was fast. The fucking Bludhunt was summoning him.
Fight it. Control it. Why did she have to be the one? What a nightmare!
Braelyn propped herself on an elbow, her forehead crinkling. “Rein, what’s wrong?”
He flinched when she touched his shoulder. Hiding a grimace, he brushed his lips across her cheek. “Not your problem, Brae.” He turned his back to her, not wanting her to see his eyes shot with blood-red streaks.
Damn. I fucked up big time.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Reinbraced himself alongside Kole, arms crossed over his chest, a boot cocked against the block wall, his muscles doing pushups. In general, he felt like shit.
The gaffers were interrogating the guards from Aisen and Silas’s stockade, the satyr up next. Stashed in cells, the two demons had front-row seats to their compadre’s torture.
“Got anything yet?” asked Rein, having arrived seconds before.
“They just started on this one. The other dirtbags have been resistant so far. Now they’re picking on the weak link.”
The guards had manacled the satyr’s hands, attaching him to a chain. Hiked off the ground, his feet swung aimlessly above the floor.
“I’d enjoy some time with the asshole.” Rein’s cold, dagger-like eyes bore into the prisoner.
“I bet you would. Not happening, son. Info first. Vengeance second. How’s your human?”
“Not a mark on the outside.”
“And the inside?”
“She’s tough.”
“Where’d you dump her?”
“At the gym with Sabine. Brae’s been followed, attacked twice, and kidnapped. Why do these guys want her so badly?” Rein flinched as a sharp pain shot from ear to ear, reminding him of the hunt summons.
“Maybe someone saw her on Earth. Wanted to buy her. So Silas targets her for capture.” Kole shrugged, his attention on the gaffers with the satyr.
“Maybe. Silas didn’t feed on her, though. Now what keeps a bludfrenzied vampire from drinking a human, especially one targeted for sale to the highest bidder?”
Kole twisted around to level a gaze at his Firebrand. “You look like shit, Rein. Get ahold of yourself. I assume the rumor that you two are banging each other is true.”
“It’s none of anyone’s business.” Rein pushed off the wall, clenching his fists. In his shitty mood, he prepared to challenge Kole.
“Really? Fucking relax, asshole. I’m not the enemy. A female Earther, the daughter of an Alliance board member, gets attacked on my watch, is kidnapped, almost sold as a sex slave, and on the side is being tapped by one of my Firebrands. It’s my business. So back off. I’m sure she’s great, but you’re pissing in a dangerous river.”
Rein’s fangs dropped as he snarled, chest-to-chest with Kole. “There’s more to it than that.”A lot more.When the commander aimed fire-gold eyes at him, he had the good sense to stand down. Leaning against the wall again, he rubbed throbbing neck muscles. “You’re right, but your nose needs to stay out of it. And I mean that with all respect.”
“Well, fuck respect. If screwing around, or whatever positive spin you put on it, gets her killed, you’ll have a lot to explain. I don’t want the Earther running home to Daddy saying you manhandled her. Where is this going?”
“We’re adults. We know the score.”
Kole kept a probing glare on Rein. “Yeah. I see that. You looked a lot healthier before you started doing the old in-out with her. I hope she’s in better shape than you are.”
Leave it to Kole to notice he wasn’t up to par. Crater-sized lines crisscrossed Rein’s face. His skin was stretched tight and his mouth drawn into a thin line. The rocket launching in his head sent spasms through his body, making him jerk like a puppet getting its strings yanked. A big vise was squeezing his balls.
