Blood Pact (New Breed Book 4) Read online

  Aidan quietly followed. Wordlessly, he took her wrists in his hands and pushed her arms up and over her head while he leaned against her, pressing his hips against hers and pinning her legs with his.

  “Aidan, this is too much,” she said demurely, looking squarely at his throat, too afraid to make eye contact.

  “You have five limbs,” he reminded her, sounding all business even though his words were barely more than a whisper because they were so close. “If you don’t have your arms or legs available to you, remember that your head can still be a weapon. But you need to have your escape route planned. If you hit as hard as you’re going to need to, it’s going to hurt you almost as much as it hurts them. You put all your force into it, aim for the nose, and then push off the wall with the rest of your body. You’re just going to have seconds to get him off you and run. So you have to have the plan in your mind clearly. Do you understand?”

  She felt as though she couldn’t breathe. He was too close to her and he was all over. Touching almost every inch of her. His scent was in her nostrils and his words in her head. She sucked in a breath, and just then he stroked his thumb over her wrist, right over her scars. She jerked her hands away, using all of her strength without thinking, as she held her hands in front of her chest, rubbing her hand over the wrist he’d touched, stroking the scar.

  Unfortunately, that only brought his attention to the very scars she’d been trying to hide. Any possibility that he hadn’t seen them faded away as his eyes dropped down and immediately darkened. His jaw clenched as he pushed away from the wall and stepped back a few feet. “What’s that?”

  “Another secret I’m not talking about. I think that was a good tip. Thank you.”

  “Okay, let’s get back to what we were doing. We’ll take turns charging each other. And I’ll tell you what. Every time you get the jump on me, I’ll tell you something about me.”

  “I’m not going to tell you my secrets every time you best me. I’m at a disadvantage in this game.”

  “Nope. You don’t owe me anything. This is just incentive for you to kick my ass.”

  She considered him for a few long moments. “You’re just a nice guy, aren’t you? You know I’m not here to sleep with you and I’m not paying you. You’re just helping me out of the goodness of your heart.”

  The corner of his mouth hooked up. “Okay. The first secret you get to know is that you’re the only person who has ever called me nice before.”

  “Maybe you’re not as nice to other people,” she pointed out.

  He nodded. “There you go. Now—less talking, more fighting. You come at me.”

  She thought about it for a quick second. If she went for his ankle, he’d expect it. If she went for his throat, he’d deflect her just like he had last time. She poked her elbow out like a weapon and aimed it right at his gut as she charged, but he was able to duck out of the way just in time, shoving her away with one hand while one of his legs kicked out, causing her to fall forward on her hands and knees. It was another win for him, but she could tell that she’d done better this time. He’d reacted a lot slower. She’d managed to surprise him. Good. She was progressing.

  “All right. Something about me. I had a happy childhood.”

  “I thought you weren’t playing.”

  “I’m in a giving mood.”

  He smiled widely as he stepped back. “I like it. Okay. It’s my turn now.” He gave her an easy one. He repeated the exact move she’d just done, so she was able to duck away and shove him aside while tripping him. She noticed that all the ways he blocked her had been methods she could use. He wasn’t using strength or skill. He was using momentum and surprise. She could definitely see the benefit of this sort of training. She wasn’t sure one day would be enough real training, but if they did this on a regular basis, she might really stand a chance.

  Aidan managed to catch himself before he fully fell over, but he stumbled over his feet for a few seconds as he regained his balance. “Good one. I’m here because I pissed off my family. As a punishment, I need to do a favor for friends. Until I finish helping them, I’m stuck here for the foreseeable future.”

  Well, now she had so many more questions. It was telling that he was obligated to his family. She could relate to that. What could they use to punish him? Money? He seemed like he could make money easy enough on his own.

  But if she wanted more answers, she’d have to do better. She was already envisioning how she was going to knock him on his ass as she ran forward, planning to use her shoulder to hit him squarely in his gut, but he jumped aside with plenty of time.

  “You telegraph your plans way too much,” he said cockily as she turned around to face him, her annoyance firmly planted on her face.

  “Fine.” She tried to think of something else she could tell him. Something harmless but still interesting. To be honest, she didn’t feel all that interesting. She spent so much time trying to survive and stay hidden. She didn’t exactly have a lot of fun facts to share. “I listen to too many podcasts. Mostly about murders and crime. I thought it was weird I enjoyed them so much, but apparently they’re very popular.”

  He let out a laugh. “A crime junkie? I love it.” Immediately, he charged at her, giving her no warning. She jumped out of the way in plenty of time, but apparently that wasn’t enough as he grabbed her wrist and twisted her around, wrapping one arm around her neck as he pinned her against him.

  “Not fair. I got away from you.”

  “Remember, there is no fair here. Just facts, and the fact is I got you on this one.”

  She groaned. The cheating son of a bitch was right. Now she had to think of something else. Harmless but interesting.... “My boss and landlord is my best friend. I have no social life and I like it that way.” That one was more telling than she wanted, but Aidan deserved to know what he was getting into if he had any more illusions about them possibly hooking up. She was anti-social and proud of it. Mrs. Anders was her best friend, and she had no plans on changing that any time soon.

  He released her and she turned to face him. She braced herself very carefully. He wasn’t going to get the best of her this time. She was determined to prepare for any possible assault and fight him off.

  And when he came at her, she did fight him off. Before he could even reach for her, she leaned forward and shoved him away. Her strength got away from her, and he went tumbling to the ground.

  Lina’s breath caught in her throat as she realized what happened. She’d lost control. Had he noticed? And more importantly, had she hurt him? “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  He looked up at her, and she could tell he wasn’t proud of the fact that he’d fallen down. “I’m fine,” he bit out as he pushed himself up, leaping to his feet as agilely as a cat. “That was a good one, and that deserves a good secret.”

  “You really don’t have to—”

  “I’m a warlock.”

  Aidan studied Lina’s face carefully. He hadn’t planned to make the random revelation, but he’d never been the type to hide what he was.

  “A warlock?” she said carefully, as though tasting the words.

  “A witch, but with a penis.”

  Her mouth fell open and then abruptly shut again. “Why are you telling me this?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I wanted to see how you were going to react.”

  She pursed her lips and nodded. He could tell he’d made her uncomfortable, but she wasn’t reacting with disbelief. Which was telling. Did she already know about the more supernatural elements to the world? Considering where he’d met her, it wouldn’t be too hard to believe.

  “I have one question for you.”

  “You haven’t beaten me,” she pointed out.

  “Just a question between friends.”

  He wondered whether she was going to shut down the idea that they were friends, but she didn’t. Instead, she averted her gaze before looking up again. “All right. What do you want to know?”

 
“Why were you at Puncture that night? Were you looking for vampires? Is that what you’re into?” Considering what he knew about her utter lack of interest in friends and having a love life, it made her clubbing choices all the more questionable.

  She was quiet for a moment, and he wondered whether she was trying to think up a good lie. “I like the people there,” she said suddenly.

  “The vampire wannabes?”

  “I can just drink and watch them. They’re all so into themselves. And since I come off as so normal, I’m mostly ignored. But I haven’t been back there. Not since....”

  Oh, he knew. He and Ian had been there every night since Talia had given him his dressing down, but there had been no sign of any Vopura or Lina. Which was a shame on both counts.

  Ian was convinced they hadn’t gotten the guy they were looking for, and Aidan wasn’t convinced either. So they were basically at ground zero.

  This late-night meeting with Lina had been the only thing he’d been looking forward to all week. The timing sucked because he was supposed to go straight from here to see Ian, but Lina said because of her caretaker job she could only meet at night.

  “You’re an anti-social people watcher?”

  “I like it here. In this city. I like seeing all the beautiful people so wrapped up in their own lives. I like fading into the background. Where I grew up, it always felt like everyone was staring at me. Fading into the background is my idea of paradise.”

  He let out a snort. He couldn’t imagine someone like Lina ever fading into the background. Even now in her leggings and T-shirt, she looked utterly delectable. He was really trying to be on his best behavior, especially after seeing how important this little lesson was to her, but best behavior didn’t exactly come natural to him.

  And he was trying so hard to get a read on her. Was she receptive to him? He could tell she didn’t hate him. That was obvious by the way she’d opened up to him even though he hadn’t asked her to.

  And the glint of victory in her eyes every time she got the jump on him told him that she was at least having some measure of fun.

  He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t having a good time. Even with no sex, he was enjoying this little quid pro quo they were doing, and she was like a sexy little puzzle he wanted to solve. And as much as he was trying to be mature and polite, he did enjoy every time her body was pushed against him.

  So he was probably going to hell, but he could only do so much. He’d been around so many beautiful women in his life, but none had intoxicated him like this. He was just happy his cock had managed stay under control.

  “I’m glad you came,” he said, abruptly changing the subject. “I was worried you’d scare off.”

  “I’ve been trying to not scare as easily. I’m done being scared.”

  “A little bit of fear is a good thing.”

  “And a lot is a prison.”

  “And you’re not scared of what I just told you?”

  She looked him over pensively. “I mean... it’s unexpected. I still don’t know if you’re serious.”

  “I’d give you a demonstration, but I can’t.” He pulled out the lovely little necklace his grandmother had given him. “This is my punishment. I can’t use my powers as long as I’m wearing this little trinket.”

  Lina was immediately intrigued. She stepped forward as though inexplicably drawn by the necklace. The joy of magic. It always attracted people. Even the shitty magic. She reached out, setting her fingers on the wooden carving. “I’ve seen this before.”

  “It’s Maui’s fishhook. The necklace itself means nothing. It was just something cheap and available that my grandmother could curse. As long as I wear it, I’m bound. Until I help her friends here capture a rogue creature, I have to wear it.”

  She looked up at him, still touching the necklace, as though unaware of how close she was to him. “What are you being punished for?”

  He smiled down at her. “Even I have some secrets.”

  She frowned. “Should I be scared? I’ve been trying so hard not to be afraid of you.”

  “Like I said. A little bit of fear can be a good thing.” But he didn’t want her to be afraid of him. Because he wanted her to stay just as close as she was and never move away. And he didn’t want anything to cause her to back away.

  “I don’t think I should be hanging around a warlock,” she said. “Bound or not.”

  “You’re safer with me than you ever would be without me.”

  “I don’t want to rely on a man to keep me safe.”

  “I don’t want you to rely on a man to keep you safe either. I want you to rely on me.” He didn’t really know where the words came from. One second, he was trying to play it cool and the next, he was telling her all of his nefarious plans. He wanted her, and he wasn’t the type to hide that.

  Before he could measure Lina’s reaction, something shifted in the air. He might not have his powers, but he still had his instincts, and something was very wrong. He straightened and looked outside as three cars pulled into the parking lot, their lights shining brightly into the studio.

  “Go,” he said quickly. “Hide.”

  He expected her to fight him or argue, but a second later she was gone. He didn’t even hear her footsteps. When he looked behind him, there was no sight of her. Good. They might have had a good lesson, but he wasn’t about to let her put herself in danger now.

  She might be gone, but her shoes and jacket were still in the corner, and he didn’t want any threats to know that he wasn’t alone here. He went for the door and stepped outside as the cars turned off. Immediately, a whole entourage spilled out. One guy, who seemed to be the boss, took the lead.

  Without having to try too hard, he could tell that this was a gaggle of Vopura. There was something about the way they moved. The way they looked so damn sure of themselves.

  He didn’t know how they’d found him here. The studio belonged to some guy he’d found online, and they’d worked out the rental with the help of a large cashier’s check. No one knew he was here except for Lina, and he couldn’t think of how she or her old landlady would leak the info.

  But his question was quickly answered as one last person climbed out of one of the dark SUVs. This one was in a black robe with blood-red embroidery in the shape of an ancient pagan symbol on the front. He didn’t recognize the symbol, but it screamed magic to him. So, there were still witches working with Vopura?

  Talia was not going to be happy about this.

  And he sure as hell wasn’t happy that he had to deal with this without the help of any of his powers.

  Even though he was uneasy, he kept it hidden as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the approaching herd. There were six Vopura and one traitor of a warlock. Fuck him. Not great odds. But he had a feeling they weren’t here to fight.

  For one, he hadn’t established himself as that much of an enemy of the Vopura. With the exception of the one he’d killed, he hadn’t raised much of a fuss. More likely, they were here to send a message. Talia wasn’t the easiest person to get a hold of, and considering Aidan currently had no powers, he was an easy patsy to ambush.

  But he would have to assume that if they were going to use him as a messenger, he would make it out of this little meeting alive. But that didn’t mean he’d be fully intact, either, so he didn’t allow himself to get too comfortable.

  He was quiet as they approached. If they wanted something from him, they could make the first move.

  The leader would’ve been imposing even if Aidan didn’t know they were super-fast and super-intelligent. Well over six feet, with dark hair and pale skin. Though this one was slightly different. Because his hair was cropped short. And not just his hair. Even his brows were only half grown.

  The whole group stopped about five feet away. They were in the middle of the parking lot, but it was so late there weren’t about to be any cars who would pull in to offer a reprieve.

  “Aidan Masters,” said the leader con
fidently. Not asking if that’s who he was. Telling him he already knew.

  Aidan was still quiet. Not confirming or denying anything.

  “I’ve heard about you.” The leader eyed him up and down, looking as if he wasn’t happy with what he saw. “Of the great House of Masters, now rendered completely useless by your own. What a shame to be so powerful but kept on a leash, treated no better than a common house pet.”

  “Funny. This house pet has no idea who you are.”

  “I’m new in town. My name is Scragg, and I know that your house has been coming after my kind. I want that to stop.”

  “Is that right? Have you considered going back to where you came from?”

  “How? The gate is under constant surveillance and protection. We can’t go anywhere even if we wanted to.”

  “Then turn yourself in to the local vampires. They’re not without mercy. There are already some of your kind they’re working with to assimilate.” By “some,” he meant two that he knew of. And those were very rare exceptions who had turned on their own. He had no idea how forgiving they’d be to any random Vopura who came asking for help.

  But in general, the only Vopura being hunted were the ones leaving a body trail. And if they wanted to live here, they’d have to learn how to do it without preying on humans. Which was tough, considering it was in their nature.

  “I’m here as a peace offering. Tell your house to withdraw all their people in LA by tomorrow night or we’ll be forced to strike back.”

  And there was the message. And he would relay it. Because if there was going to be an attack, he couldn’t not warn Talia. But what exactly did this Vopura expect to do? Even if he had one or two witches on his side, the House of Masters was formidable and ancient. Not easy to attack.

  Was this new Vopura wholly arrogant and stupid? Or did he have some ace up his sleeve that Aidan didn’t know about?