Tempting Evil (3 page)

“I said, stop!”

The blow never landed. After a few seconds, I opened an eye and saw Gautier still above me, his fist still clenched and so very close to my face. His arm quivered, as if he were fighting some restraining force, and not only was there sweat on his forehead, but fear in his eyes.

Jack had stopped the blow. Was holding him still now. Not physically, but through psychic means. Here, in this arena, in a building filled the psychic deadeners.

Which meant Jack was a whole lot more powerful, and a whole lot more deadly, than I’d ever presumed.

“Retreat, Gautier. Go to the med center and have those wounds looked at.”

“This is not finished,” Gautier hissed as he stepped away. “But we
will
finish it, believe me.”

I didn’t say anything, couldn’t say anything. Just watched him hobble away as I kept on trying to get some air into my lungs.

The scent of spice and leather spun around me, then Rhoan was beside me, touching my face, my neck, his expression stricken.

“I’m okay. Really,” I managed.

It came out hoarse, and didn’t seem to convince my brother. “I’m going to kill—”

I touched a finger to his lips. “No.” The bastard was mine, even if I had to do it from the shadows with a long-range rifle.

He caught my hand and held it against his heart. Its beat was rapid, fear filled. Just like mine. “He had no right—”

“I’m betting he had
every
right. I’m betting our dear boss had this planned all along. Help me up.”

He did. Pain slithered through my torso, red pokers of agony that seemed to pierce far too many muscles. I hissed, and held on to my brother as the room spun briefly.

“You weren’t ready—”

“Is anyone ever ready to fight Gautier?” Pain slithered across my jaw as I spoke. I winced and raised a hand to feel for damage. The whole left side of my face was swollen, and tender enough that even the lightest of touches hurt. I might be a wolf and heal extraordinarily fast, but there wasn’t much I could do about bruises. I was going to be black and blue by the time I got home. So much for my fancy night out with Kellen.

Footsteps echoed in the brief silence, and I didn’t need to smell his musky scent to know it was Jack approaching. Nor did Rhoan. Tension slithered through his body, and the anger I could almost taste sharpened abruptly. Before I could even open my mouth to warn Jack, Rhoan had turned and punched.

Jack caught the blow in his hand. Caught it and held it. Easily. As if all of Rhoan’s strength and power was nothing more than that of a troublesome child.

“I have my reasons,” he said, green eyes as intense as his soft voice. “Trust that I know what I’m doing.”

Rhoan wrenched his fist free. “Gautier almost killed her!”

“I’m sure he would have loved to, but you’re missing the point.”

“The fact that you stopped him, despite all of the psychic deadeners in this place?” I rubbed at the ache in my side and wondered if I’d cracked a rib or something. It sure as hell felt like it. Changing shape might have healed any break, but it sure didn’t stop the pain or the bruising. And it had totally wrecked my clothing. As I tied the end of my T-shirt together to stop my boobs from falling out, I added, “All that means is you’ve just warned Gautier how strong you truly are.”

Amusement briefly touched the corners of his eyes. “Yes, but that’s just a side benefit.”

“Then what was the whole point?” Rhoan spat. “To beat her up when she wasn’t even ready?”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “How many fully trained guardians have lasted ten minutes with Gautier?”

“Not many, but that—”

“One,” Jack interrupted. “You. And Riley managed what even you couldn’t. She marked Gautier, made him bleed.”

“Which only succeeded in pissing him off,” I muttered. “From now on, I’m going to have to watch my back.”

“Even he won’t dare go after you for several nights, and by then it won’t matter because you’ll be gone.” He hesitated, lowering his voice a little as he added, “The time frame for the mission has been stepped forward.”

So I was right. Something trembled through me, something that could have been excitement or fear, but more than likely was simply relief. No matter what direction my life was meant to go, it would be good to finally quit having to look over my shoulder all the time. I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve had a breakthrough?”

“Several.”

“Riley isn’t ready for this.” Fury still filled Rhoan’s soft tones, if not his expression.

“Will I ever be ready, at least in your opinion?” I touched a hand to his face and smiled. “We both know the answer would be no.”

“You
shouldn’t
be doing this.”

“I
have
to do this. I may have been forced down this road, but I sure as hell intend to see it through now.”

“But—”

“No,” I cut in. “I won’t change my mind, and I won’t back down, no matter what I have to do or
who
I have to do. These bastards are going to pay for what they did to me.”

His gaze searched mine, then he sighed and took my hand from his cheek, squeezing it lightly. “You really are a stubborn bitch.”

“Much like my brother,” I said dryly.

Rhoan smiled, but his gaze, when it shifted to Jack, was deadly. “If she gets hurt, or killed, I’m coming after you.”

“As undoubtedly will she, if you get hurt or killed.” Jack hesitated again, looking around. The only other people in the arena were the four guards down near the exit, but Jack wasn’t into trusting anyone lately. Especially when we had no idea who else Gautier might be working with in the Directorate. “Report to Genoveve tomorrow at nine.”

Genoveve was the lab that had been a major source of clones for several years—though it wasn’t the lab that Gautier had come from. It had been purchased by Talon—one of Gautier’s clone brothers, and a former mate of mine—some years ago so he could continue his cloning endeavors well away from the Government’s prying eyes. We’d stopped that operation, as well as a crossbreeding operation, but we’d yet to find the main lab. That lab was still little more than a name—Libraska.

And the only person who apparently knew the location of that lab was Deshon Starr. Or rather, the shapeshifter who had taken over Starr’s body and life.

“I thought Genoveve was being sold off by the Government?”

“It is, but we’re still using it in the meantime.”

“Then we’re back into the fray as of tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Jack glanced at Rhoan. “I’ve already called Liander. He’ll be coming in with his full kit.”

Given Liander was one of the top movie effects people in the country, that could only mean we’d be donning our disguises—and moving into our cover lives—from tomorrow. “Which means I’d better make the most of my time tonight.” Bruises or no bruises.

“You’d better,” Jack warned. “Because from tomorrow, there’s to be no contact with
anyone
you’re currently involved with.”

I raised my eyebrows. Even
that
hurt. My sexfest wasn’t looking good at
all
.

“Meaning Quinn’s not in on this?”

“No.”

Great. It meant I’d probably get harassed even more at night when he realized something was happening he wasn’t involved with.

Rhoan lightly squeezed my arm. “You want an escort up to the change rooms this time?”

I nodded. No sense in chancing fate a second time.

We headed up several floors to the change rooms, where I admired the blooming, rainbow-colored range of bruises scattering my body before stepping under the shower to wash away the sweat and blood and the foul smell of Gautier from my skin and hair and mouth. Luckily, I’d brought some extra clothes to change into after training, because the T-shirt and sweatpants weren’t in a fit condition to be worn out in public.

Rhoan dropped me off at home, and I noted with some relief that Kellen’s white BMW wasn’t in sight. Maybe I had time yet to get myself into some semblance of working order. I climbed the stairs, but after hours of training and then fighting Gautier, the six flights just about did me in. I opened the door with a trembling hand, and discovered fate hadn’t finished throwing curveballs my way yet.

Kellen stood at my door.

So did Quinn.

And neither man looked particularly happy to see the other.

Chapter 2

I
blew out a breath and wished, just this once, that I could catch a break. I wanted to spend the night being wined, dined, pampered, and ravished, and not particularly in that order.

What I didn’t need was having to deal with the annoyed sensibilities of two alpha males who hated each other.

Though as far as alphas went, you couldn’t ask for two finer specimens. Neither man was particularly tall—Kellen was probably little more than an inch above my five seven, and Quinn maybe an inch more above that. Kellen was a lean and muscular brown wolf, though he was more chocolate in tone than the muddy coloring so often seen in the brown packs. His face was sharpish but handsome, his eyes the most delicious shade of gold-flecked green. And dressed as he was in the black tux, he looked absolutely scrumptious.

Quinn was just as athletic looking, but there was more of a sense of grace and controlled power in the way he moved. His dark blue sweater emphasized the width of his shoulders, while the tight fit of his jeans drew the eye to the long, strong length of his legs. His shoulder-length hair was night dark, and so thick, so lush, that my fingertips suddenly itched with the need to run through it. His skin was not the white of most vampires, but a soft, warm gold, simply because he could actually stand quite a lot of sunlight. His eyes were vast wells of darkness the unwary could easily get lost in, and he had the sort of looks even angels would be envious of. Not that he was in any way effeminate—just beautiful. Truly beautiful.

The stairwell door slammed shut against my back, knocking me into the half-lit hallway. It said a lot about the tension between the two of them that neither actually noticed my arrival until then.

“What the hell is
he
doing here?” they said in unison, each one pointing at the other.

I ignored the question and walked to the door. “Play nice, boys. I’m just not in the mood for petty fighting tonight.”

“Then you should not have invited him.” Kellen’s voice was cold.

“I didn’t. He just sort of pops in unannounced whenever he feels like it.” I twisted the key in the lock and opened the door. “How do you two actually know each other?”

“He and my father are business rivals and old enemies.”

“Mainly because your fucking father keeps trying to kill me off.”

“My father would never—”

“Your father would and has.”

If I wasn’t so tired I might have laughed. The two of them sounded like a couple of squabbling teenagers. What made it even more laughable was the fact that one of them was actually well over twelve hundred years old and
should
have known better.

“Gentlemen,” I interrupted, raising my voice a little to be heard over their arguing. “Can we take this inside?”

The old cow who owned the building would have a pink fit if she found a vampire and a werewolf arguing in the middle of her hall. And as much as I hated her and didn’t mind giving her the odd bit of aggravation, something like this might tip her over the edge and us out of the apartment. And not only did I love the warehouse-style apartment and the big wide windows that gave such a feeling of freedom; I also loved the low rent.

I opened the door and ushered them both inside. Kellen walked over to the green sofa but didn’t bother sitting down, while Quinn contented himself with leaning up against the wall near the TV. Both men had their arms crossed. Both still bristled with tension and anger.

So much for my much longed for evening filled with good food, good wine, and lots of sex.

I closed the door, threw my gym bag on the other sofa, and walked into the kitchen to get a beer. I had a feeling I was going to need it.

“So,” I said, as I came back out. “To what do I owe the honor of this little visit, Quinn?”

The look he gave me could only be described as dark. No surprise there, because that certainly seemed to be a favored expression when he was talking to me.

“We had a deal.”

“Deal?” Kellen’s gaze snapped to mine. “What sort of deal?”

“That he gets to see me solo when he’s down in Melbourne.” Trouble was, I’d only seen him once since we’d agreed to that deal. Most of our contact had come through dreams and, as good as they were, even I had to admit that wasn’t enough.

“So you’re
still
fucking him?” The annoyance deepened in Kellen’s expression. “And here I was thinking you’d gained a little taste since Sydney.”

“Apparently not.” I took a swig of beer, felt the ice of it swirl all the way down. It felt good, but it certainly wasn’t what I’d been looking forward to all day. “But who else I fuck is none of your business, anyway.”

His gaze narrowed. Hardened. “You and I—”

“Are exploring options. Nothing more.” I pointed a finger at Quinn. “If he were another werewolf, would you have any issue?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because alphas do not easily share something that they consider theirs.”

I snorted softly. “Then it seems like you two have something in common, despite the race differences.”

“We have a date tonight,” Kellen said, his voice like steel. “And we are already extremely late.”

Like I didn’t know that. “If you want to go on ahead, I’ll meet you there.”

He sent a dark glance Quinn’s way and shook his head. “I can wait.”

“Seems to me like he doesn’t trust you,” Quinn commented.

Yeah, it did. What pissed me off, though, was not so much Kellen’s distrust, but the fact that it was Quinn pointing it out. “This from the man who thinks all wolves are whores?”

“I explained that—”

I held up a hand. I’d heard that particular song before, and didn’t believe it now any more than I had before. “That’s not the point here, anyway. After two months of no-shows, you can’t just walk back into my life and expect me to drop everything.”

“There are reasons—”

“There always are,” I cut in dryly. “But that doesn’t excuse bad manners.”

“I tried to call. Your line was always busy.”

“Being taken off the hook will do that to a phone. You could have left a message.”

“Could have, but I didn’t.” He hesitated, and just for an instant, his frustration swirled around me, thick and sharp. But what made my breath catch and my soul tremble was the depth of loneliness that lay underneath that eddy of emotion. I recognized that loneliness. I had shared too many nights with it of late.

“I just thought it would be nice to drop in and see you,” he continued softly.

Part of me wanted to melt into his arms. The harder part knew I couldn’t afford to. Not until I truly knew why he was here.

“Meaning, of course, I have no life and just sit around waiting for you?”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“It’s hard for me to ever know what you mean when you never bother taking the time to explain.”

“And when do you give me the time?” he retorted, his anger a hot wash of emotion that seared at my skin.

I rubbed at the ache beginning in my head, and suddenly felt wearier than I’d ever felt in my life. Why did this have to happen now?

“You at least owe me the courtesy of listening,” Quinn continued.

“She doesn’t owe you anything,” Kellen cut in. “You are not wolf. You have no rights—”

Something inside me snapped. “You know what?
Neither
of you have any rights where I’m concerned. I’m not a prized bone that can be fought over and won.” Even if my hormones were dancing with delight at the idea of having two gorgeous men fighting to win my affections. “Right now, I’m not in the mood to deal with this. Why don’t you both just get the hell out?”

Kellen’s expression became as dark as Quinn’s. “But we have tickets—”

“I don’t give a fuck about the tickets, or the premier or whatever else you have planned. I’ve had a shit of a day, and it only seems to be getting worse.” I glanced across at Quinn. “Nor do I care why you’re here. Just leave.”

Quinn studied me for a moment, then asked, “Why? This is something that needs to be sorted out.”

“No, it doesn’t. Because I’m seeing you both, end of story. If either of you can’t accept that, then walk away. I don’t care.” Which was a lie, but one I wasn’t willing to admit. “Get out. Both of you.”

Quinn studied me for several seconds, then turned and walked out. I glanced at Kellen. “And you.”

“So you’re serious?”

“Totally.”

His expression was one of disbelief. I couldn’t say I blamed him, and part of me was hoping he’d put up a fight, that he’d stay, and just hold me, comfort me.

But all he said was, “I’ll call you.”

“Do that.”

He hesitated, his gaze sweeping me briefly, then he followed Quinn out the door. I closed my eyes against the sudden sting of tears. Not because the night I’d been so looking forward to had just been so thoroughly shot to pieces, but simply because neither of them had asked me if I was okay. Neither of them had even seemed to notice that I was battered and bruised. They’d been far too busy snarling at each other and trying to stake their claim to even notice something as obvious as my swollen jaw and cheek.

And yet both of them claimed to care for me.

I would have laughed at the irony if it wasn’t so damn sad.

I scrubbed a hand across my eyes, then pushed away from the wall and headed into the bathroom. I lit a candle as the big old tub filled up, added some lemony-lime bath salts to the steaming water, then stripped and eased into the bath. Where I just relaxed, and tried to ignore the screaming frustration of my hormones.

I don’t how long it was before I realized I was no longer alone, but enough time had slipped by for the water to become tepid.

I opened my eyes. Kellen stood in the doorway, one shoulder resting against the frame, his expression a mix of fierce desire and even fiercer determination.

And he was holding the biggest bunch of red roses I’d ever seen.

Something inside me melted. Rejoiced.

“You really have to learn to lock your door when you have a bath,” he said softly.

“But if I did, nice men bearing beautiful roses wouldn’t wander in.”

“Not only flowers,” he said, and produced a small tube from behind his back. “But massage oil. I figure all those bruises meant a hard day at the office.”

“And here I was thinking no one noticed.”

“It took me a while.” He placed the roses and the oil on the sink, then took off his jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves before sitting on the edge of the bath. “I was too busy protecting my territory to even notice said territory was in pretty bad condition.”

“I’m nobody’s territory.”

He smiled and dipped a hand in the water, touching my leg and gently running a finger up and down my thigh. Heat ignited low down, and trembled through the rest of me as furiously as a firestorm. My body might be battered and bruised, but everything else was in full working order.

“When you are with me, you’re mine,” he refuted softly. “And I’ll fight all comers to reserve that right.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Even vampires with a fierce right hook?”

“Even vampires. Though I cannot believe you’re still with
that
particular vampire.”

“I like him.”

“Then I must accept him as competition. But don’t expect me to be happy about it.”

I smiled. “Asking
that
wouldn’t be fair.”

“No.” His gaze rose to mine. The desire so evident in those mint green depths scorched deep. “I want you, Riley.”

My name rolled off his tongue as sweetly as a lover’s kiss, and my whole body seemed to hum in answer.

“I guess if you’re gentle, we might be able to manage a kiss or two.”

He reached between my feet and pulled out the bath plug, then turned on the hot water. “And a caress or two?”

I pursed my lips, as if considering a question there could only ever be one answer to. We both knew it. The smell of my arousal was as thick as his. “I suppose there’s a few unbruised places to find.”

His gaze drifted down, a slow perusal that was all-consuming. Heat prickled across my skin, and my nipples hardened, as if reaching for his caress. Bone-tired and body weary I might be, but I was also a wolf who hadn’t had any sex for almost a week. And
that
ache took priority over all others.

“I can see one or two interesting possibilities,” he murmured, leaning forward to replace the plug then turn off the tap. “Seeing it’s such a big bath, do you mind if I join you?”

“Please do.” It came out husky, thick with desire.

He smiled and rose, then unhurriedly began taking off his clothes. I enjoyed the show, the gentle reveal of skin and muscle. The candle’s dancing light lent a rich warmth to his chocolate-colored flesh, highlighting some areas of perfection while leaving others to shadow and imagination.

When he was fully naked, he stepped into the bath, but rather than lying beside me, as I’d expected, he lowered himself over me, using his elbows to keep his weight off me even though his body covered mine as completely as a blanket.

“Nice,” he murmured, his breath whispering across my lips.

“Very.” The heat of him washed over me, and the wet, raw scent of masculinity and desire had my heart racing so hard I swear it was going to tear out of my chest. I ran a hand down his muscular back, letting it rest on his rump and pushing him down lightly. The thick heat of him pressed in all the right places, and I sighed. “Very nice indeed.”

The words had barely left my lips when his mouth claimed mine. He was a man who knew exactly what he wanted, exactly what
I
wanted, and his kiss reflected that. It was urgent, hungry, his mouth plundering as our tongues tangled, tasted, teased.

God, the man could kiss.

After what could have been hours, he groaned, an almost demanding sound that vibrated through my mouth. A sound I understood completely. Because, just like him, I wanted more than just his lips. I wanted him inside, deep inside, thrusting long and hard.

I moved my legs to give him greater access, then raised my eyes to his. “If you want me so badly, why don’t you take me?”

“Because I’m trying to be considerate of all those bruises.” He pressed himself between my legs, sliding his cock back and forth, teasing, but not entering.