know.”
“You are going to have to do something.”
“I know that, Poe.” Archer clenched his teeth. “I don’t want to get romantic with someone who’s not even the same breed as I am. No matter how tempting.” The last was said in a mutter below his breath.
Poe gave him a knowing smile. “She’s hot. Even hotter all cleaned up. Let me know if you decide not to go for it.” He stood. “Because I will.”
Poe’s words sent Archer’s beast roaring to the font and he felt his fangs shoot in and his claws start to curl, but Archer fought it back. “Damn it, Poe, stop provoking my beast,” Archer half lisped.
Poe laughed and left the room.
Chapter Ten
Their departure from the building that housed Outsiders Inc. was an exercise in cloak and dagger. Scarlet half expected the theme music for Mission Impossible to start playing from hidden loud speakers.
As soon as she was packed, Archer bundled her down a passage, hidden behind an elaborate panel contraption that made her think of ancient haunted mansion.
The difference was that this one used retina scans and voice recognition to open, not hidden catches or bricks you had to depress in a specific order.
It seemed that the preternatural men she was stuck with were also geeks at heart.
They led her down the well-lit corridor and down several flights of stairs until they emerged in a closed-in underground parking garage.
Archer took her small bag from her and opened the trunk of a dark SUV. There was several military-type duffel bags in the trunk, and Scarlet’s little bag looked out of place.
“What is in those? We aren’t transporting dead bodies around, are we?”
Archer raised his brow and answered with a shrug of his big shoulders. “Weapons and supplies—we’ll re-evaluate the need to cart corpses around in the duffels later.”
“Ha ha, funny.” She kept her expression blank so her sarcasm would be clear.
“Who said I was joking?”
She wasn’t going to touch that. Instead, she looked around trying to find something familiar. “This isn’t the same parking garage we came in earlier.”
“No, it isn’t.” He slammed the lid down on the SUV, moved around to the passenger side, and opened the door in one smooth motion. “Let’s get going.”
Scarlet slipped past him to get into the SUV and tried not to breathe in that delicious scent that came off his skin. She needed to stay focused, and a lung-full of essence-of-Archer wasn’t going to help her keep a clear head.
He closed the door while Scarlet busied herself with putting on her seat belt. She looked up as he turned the key in the ignition.
“Where are we going?”
He looked over to her as he shifted the SUV into reverse then pulled out the parking bay. “West.”
“Wow.” Scarlet dropped her head back on the headrest, and turned her face to him, rolling her eyes.
“What?” He pulled forward and drove out the underground parking garage after stopping for another retinal scan on the way out.
“You need to look up the word taciturn .” Scarlet shrugged and looked out the window, wanting to memorize the route they were taking. They had not come in this way, since they were in a different parking garage, but then again, she’d been asleep, so she couldn’t be sure.
Duh, like I didn’t know that already. Points for being the queen of the obvious , the annoying inner Scarlet pointed out.
“I know what taciturn means and I’m not taciturn.” Archer kept his eyes forward.
“”Puh-lease. You are the typical strong, silent type or a gambler, with your cards close to your chest. Pick your cliché.”
He looked over at her. “You think you are such a great judge of character?”
She shrugged. “With the life I’ve had, I learned to read people fast.”
“You learned to read humans, belan . You need to re-evaluate everything you’ve learned, because you are on a whole new playing field, now.”
Archer turned onto the freeway and started
“You are going to have to do something.”
“I know that, Poe.” Archer clenched his teeth. “I don’t want to get romantic with someone who’s not even the same breed as I am. No matter how tempting.” The last was said in a mutter below his breath.
Poe gave him a knowing smile. “She’s hot. Even hotter all cleaned up. Let me know if you decide not to go for it.” He stood. “Because I will.”
Poe’s words sent Archer’s beast roaring to the font and he felt his fangs shoot in and his claws start to curl, but Archer fought it back. “Damn it, Poe, stop provoking my beast,” Archer half lisped.
Poe laughed and left the room.
Chapter Ten
Their departure from the building that housed Outsiders Inc. was an exercise in cloak and dagger. Scarlet half expected the theme music for Mission Impossible to start playing from hidden loud speakers.
As soon as she was packed, Archer bundled her down a passage, hidden behind an elaborate panel contraption that made her think of ancient haunted mansion.
The difference was that this one used retina scans and voice recognition to open, not hidden catches or bricks you had to depress in a specific order.
It seemed that the preternatural men she was stuck with were also geeks at heart.
They led her down the well-lit corridor and down several flights of stairs until they emerged in a closed-in underground parking garage.
Archer took her small bag from her and opened the trunk of a dark SUV. There was several military-type duffel bags in the trunk, and Scarlet’s little bag looked out of place.
“What is in those? We aren’t transporting dead bodies around, are we?”
Archer raised his brow and answered with a shrug of his big shoulders. “Weapons and supplies—we’ll re-evaluate the need to cart corpses around in the duffels later.”
“Ha ha, funny.” She kept her expression blank so her sarcasm would be clear.
“Who said I was joking?”
She wasn’t going to touch that. Instead, she looked around trying to find something familiar. “This isn’t the same parking garage we came in earlier.”
“No, it isn’t.” He slammed the lid down on the SUV, moved around to the passenger side, and opened the door in one smooth motion. “Let’s get going.”
Scarlet slipped past him to get into the SUV and tried not to breathe in that delicious scent that came off his skin. She needed to stay focused, and a lung-full of essence-of-Archer wasn’t going to help her keep a clear head.
He closed the door while Scarlet busied herself with putting on her seat belt. She looked up as he turned the key in the ignition.
“Where are we going?”
He looked over to her as he shifted the SUV into reverse then pulled out the parking bay. “West.”
“Wow.” Scarlet dropped her head back on the headrest, and turned her face to him, rolling her eyes.
“What?” He pulled forward and drove out the underground parking garage after stopping for another retinal scan on the way out.
“You need to look up the word taciturn .” Scarlet shrugged and looked out the window, wanting to memorize the route they were taking. They had not come in this way, since they were in a different parking garage, but then again, she’d been asleep, so she couldn’t be sure.
Duh, like I didn’t know that already. Points for being the queen of the obvious , the annoying inner Scarlet pointed out.
“I know what taciturn means and I’m not taciturn.” Archer kept his eyes forward.
“”Puh-lease. You are the typical strong, silent type or a gambler, with your cards close to your chest. Pick your cliché.”
He looked over at her. “You think you are such a great judge of character?”
She shrugged. “With the life I’ve had, I learned to read people fast.”
“You learned to read humans, belan . You need to re-evaluate everything you’ve learned, because you are on a whole new playing field, now.”
Archer turned onto the freeway and started
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