holding out, waiting for me to feed and fully awaken before trying to kill me. From what Quinn and Saige said, he’s more interested in revenge than he is in getting enough power to bring more Casus back from Meridian. Which means he must be waiting for us to the find the Marker, like the others will probably do, and then he’ll make his move.”
At least he hoped that was the case. It made him uneasy as hell, not knowing what the Casus were up to. What they had planned. With every minute he and Kellan spent searching that verdant patch of forest, the monsters were out there, waiting. No doubt watching them. As the sky cracked open with a thundering jolt of lightning, Riley looked toward the cloud-scarred horizon and shivered. He couldn’t explain it, but it felt as if something bad was coming in on the weather. Something ugly and dark and destructive. And when it hit, all hell was going to break loose.
God, he needed that damn Marker. If he didn’t find it soon, he would have to get Hope out of there, whether she was willing to go or not. It couldn’t just drag on, the danger…the not knowing when it was going to hit.
Kellan yawned again from his resting place against the tree, sounding as if he were ready to drop. Riley buried the shovel back into the ground, resting his hands on the handle as he studied the Watchman throughnarrowed eyes. “Just what were you up to last night?” he asked. Kellan had headed into town, saying he needed to blow off some steam after they’d grabbed dinner in the café. He hadn’t gotten back before two, which was when Riley had finally managed to fall asleep.
“What do you think I was doing?” Kellan laughed, dropping his head back against the tree as he closed his eyes.
Knowing he sounded like a lecturing father, Riley said, “We’re in the middle of a war, Kell, and you’re still out every night getting laid. Your brother’s terrified that sooner or later you’re going to end up in bed with the wrong woman.”
“There’s no such thing,” Kellan drawled, opening his eyes. “And this one was definitely right. Long black hair. Big green eyes. And legs that go all the way to the floor. Amazing.”
“You do realize that you could end up getting the poor woman killed, don’t you? If the Casus see you with her, she’ll be an easy target. One they’ll use against us.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Kellan muttered, his laughing expression replaced by a tense scowl. “I’m not an idiot. We left the bar separately and then met up later at a motel. No one saw me enter, and no one saw me leave. I made sure of it.”
“You better hope so,” he grunted. “Because if not, you’re going to have one helluva burden on your conscience.”
“You know, Ri. Maybe you’d be a little less pissy about my sex life if you were getting some of your own.”
“Shut up, Kellan.”
“The hunger’s wearing you down, man. You can’t hold out forever.”
Slanting the redhead a look of serious warning, he said, “I’ve got it under control.”
“Like hell you do,” Kellan shot back, pushing away from the tree. “I still don’t know what the deal is between you and Hope, but I’m not blind. It’s obvious you want her. So either take care of it and ’fess up to Hope, or you’re going to have to go with option two.”
“And what the hell is option two?” he growled.
Lowering his voice, Kellan said, “We’ll find a female Watchman. Like we tried to do for Ian.”
“Oh, Christ,” he muttered, pulling his hand down the lower part of his face, the bristles of his stubble scratching against his palm. Ian had told him about how Kierland Scott, Kellan’s brother, had arranged to have a female Watchman named Morgan come down from Reno so that Ian could feed from her. But since a Merrick feeding for males consisted of taking blood during sex, Ian had refused, knowing that he would lose Molly, his fiancée, if he took what he needed from another woman.
Glaring at
At least he hoped that was the case. It made him uneasy as hell, not knowing what the Casus were up to. What they had planned. With every minute he and Kellan spent searching that verdant patch of forest, the monsters were out there, waiting. No doubt watching them. As the sky cracked open with a thundering jolt of lightning, Riley looked toward the cloud-scarred horizon and shivered. He couldn’t explain it, but it felt as if something bad was coming in on the weather. Something ugly and dark and destructive. And when it hit, all hell was going to break loose.
God, he needed that damn Marker. If he didn’t find it soon, he would have to get Hope out of there, whether she was willing to go or not. It couldn’t just drag on, the danger…the not knowing when it was going to hit.
Kellan yawned again from his resting place against the tree, sounding as if he were ready to drop. Riley buried the shovel back into the ground, resting his hands on the handle as he studied the Watchman throughnarrowed eyes. “Just what were you up to last night?” he asked. Kellan had headed into town, saying he needed to blow off some steam after they’d grabbed dinner in the café. He hadn’t gotten back before two, which was when Riley had finally managed to fall asleep.
“What do you think I was doing?” Kellan laughed, dropping his head back against the tree as he closed his eyes.
Knowing he sounded like a lecturing father, Riley said, “We’re in the middle of a war, Kell, and you’re still out every night getting laid. Your brother’s terrified that sooner or later you’re going to end up in bed with the wrong woman.”
“There’s no such thing,” Kellan drawled, opening his eyes. “And this one was definitely right. Long black hair. Big green eyes. And legs that go all the way to the floor. Amazing.”
“You do realize that you could end up getting the poor woman killed, don’t you? If the Casus see you with her, she’ll be an easy target. One they’ll use against us.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Kellan muttered, his laughing expression replaced by a tense scowl. “I’m not an idiot. We left the bar separately and then met up later at a motel. No one saw me enter, and no one saw me leave. I made sure of it.”
“You better hope so,” he grunted. “Because if not, you’re going to have one helluva burden on your conscience.”
“You know, Ri. Maybe you’d be a little less pissy about my sex life if you were getting some of your own.”
“Shut up, Kellan.”
“The hunger’s wearing you down, man. You can’t hold out forever.”
Slanting the redhead a look of serious warning, he said, “I’ve got it under control.”
“Like hell you do,” Kellan shot back, pushing away from the tree. “I still don’t know what the deal is between you and Hope, but I’m not blind. It’s obvious you want her. So either take care of it and ’fess up to Hope, or you’re going to have to go with option two.”
“And what the hell is option two?” he growled.
Lowering his voice, Kellan said, “We’ll find a female Watchman. Like we tried to do for Ian.”
“Oh, Christ,” he muttered, pulling his hand down the lower part of his face, the bristles of his stubble scratching against his palm. Ian had told him about how Kierland Scott, Kellan’s brother, had arranged to have a female Watchman named Morgan come down from Reno so that Ian could feed from her. But since a Merrick feeding for males consisted of taking blood during sex, Ian had refused, knowing that he would lose Molly, his fiancée, if he took what he needed from another woman.
Glaring at
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