Allegiance (The Penton Vampire Legacy) by Susannah Sandlin Page B

later. Good. He was awfully fun to fight with.
    “Oh no, I can handle the eagle girl.” Cage, on the other hand, didn’t look at her at all, and she considered that comment a challenge. “I was offering to let you touch me—on a purely professional basis, of course—to see if you can read anything off vampires. Oh, and take the next left, third house on the right.”
    Nik brought the SUV to a stop in front of a long, narrow building that reminded Robin of the modified shotgun houses back in New Orleans, especially the new rows of buildings erected after Hurricane Katrina. But this was bigger, and obviously a new construction, identical to a half-dozen other houses scattered along the block, all painted white. Bo-ring. At least in New Orleans the houses were all painted different colors, from pastel to garish.
    Nik hadn’t moved, so she squeezed his shoulder again, gently this time. “Go ahead and try. It’s just us here, and you need to know what to expect before you meet more fangaroos.”
    Cage twisted in his seat, and she wished the light were better out here so she could see his expression. “Fangaroos?” He laughed, which transformed his features from hard planes to drool-worthy, and—oh, holy pelicans—she saw fangs. She’d known he had them, of course, but it had been theoretical up to this point.
    “How sharp are those things?” She leaned over the back of the seats to get a better look and stretched a hand toward Cage’s face. He caught her wrist in his grasp, forcing it toward his mouth slowly as she tried to pull it away, his gaze fixing her like a butterfly on a pinboard.
    Damn, but he was strong. She wondered what it would feel like if he punctured her finger. She relaxed the muscles in her arm. Do it, vampire.
    “Stop that, you two. Seriously.” Nik gave her another dirty look and held out his hand to Cage. “Let’s see what I can pull from your past—although I have to tell you I don’t hold hands with just anyone on the first date.”
    “And there won’t be a second, mate. I think we both play for the other team.” He slid his gaze to Robin and gave her a slow smile, sans fang, before grasping Nik’s hand.
    Nik closed his eyes and lowered his head, concentrating. Good sign. Robin had never seen him strain to capture the images; they either came or they didn’t.
    “Are you trying to block me?” Nik dropped Cage’s hand and looked at him with such relief that it made Robin want to dance.
    Cage shook his head. “Negative. And believe me, I’ve had at least sixty years of deplorable behavior you could be enjoying vicariously right now.”
    “Oh, thank God. I was praying for this.” Nik took a deep breath and released it. “To go way back to your question before Robin hijacked the conversation, I took this assignment hoping I couldn’t get images off vampires. You’re an even bigger blank than shifters. It’s just . . . peaceful.”
    “Maybe you can find a nice vampire girl. Do vampire girls have sex with human boys?” Robin opened the car door and took in a lungful of clean night air. She sure didn’t miss the pollution of the city or the scent of exhaust fumes. It smelled like an open bottle of pine cleaner out here, only fresher, without the chemicals.
    Cage and Nik followed her out, and Nik went to the hatch to retrieve his duffel bag.
    Robin stood with her eyes closed, taking in the feel of the cool air, the scents, the chirping of crickets and frogs.
    “Do shifter girls have sex with vampire boys, little bird?”
    She jolted back to awareness at the feeling of Cage standing close behind her, speaking so softly she doubted Nik could hear. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, tingling her fingertips and scalp, and her heart took off at a gallop. The heat from his body seeped into her back through her thin top. Why had she assumed vampires would have cold skin? Too many bad movies.
    “What’s between you and Nik anyway?” Again that soft voice. He wasn’t touching