and the air I sucked fiercely into my lungs filled with the scent of eucalyptus and night. We were outside again.
I opened my eyes. Quinn’s gaze met mine, dark depths as expressionless as his face.
“The door wasn’t open,” I said.
“No,” he agreed softly.
“Door?” Rhoan said. “Which door?”
I pulled my gaze from Quinn’s and looked at my brother. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter.” But it did matter, because Quinn had just breached my shields and entered my mind after telling me not so long ago that he couldn’t.
Rhoan touched a hand to my cheek. “Did you remember anything important?”
“Just a smell. A man, someone I’ve met before.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Nothing else?”
I shook my head, and he sighed. “Enough is enough. We’re taking you home tonight.”
And I was ready to go. Ready to just sleep and forget, if only for a few hours. “Is it safe to go home?”
He grimaced. “Not really. The three of us are heading to a safe house for the time being. When Jack and Kade sort out the mess here, they’ll join us.”
“Why is Kade staying rather than you or Quinn?” I asked, surprised.
“Because Kade was here for over two months, and knows this place better than any of us.”
Which sounded perfectly logical, but I wasn’t believing it. Jack had plans for Kade, that much was obvious. “So where is this Directorate safe house? And has it got a bath big enough for a werewolf to laze in?”
He grinned. “It’s a penthouse suite in a hotel right on the shores of Brighton Beach. I think it’s safe to presume it has a decent-size bath.”
A smile tugged my lips. “Well, I guess if we’re going to be locked up, we might as well do so in style.”
“Exactly. You okay to stand?”
I nodded, and he helped me to my feet. I wobbled a little, and was glad of his support those first few seconds. “I’m fine,” I said, when I was.
He released me. “I’ll just go see Jack, then we can leave.”
I nodded and leaned back against the concrete wall. The coldness crept through my sweater, and felt so good against my overwarmed skin.
Once he’d left, I looked at Quinn. “You have some explaining to do.”
He shrugged. “There’s nothing sinister in what happened. You were in great pain, and your psychic shields were low. I simply slipped past them.”
“That time I was shot with the silver bullet, you said you could read no more than surface thoughts. This time it was more than that.”
He studied me for a second, dark eyes glinting dangerously in the night. “What did you want me to do? Stand back and watch you suffer needlessly?”
“You lied to me.” Again.
“Only a little.”
I crossed my arms. “I’ve got a feeling your version of ‘little’ and mine are two entirely different things.”
“It’s only when you’re in pain that your shields are lowered enough for me to enter uninvited. In some respects, your mind is almost as untouchable as your brother’s.”
I didn’t believe him. “So you’re saying it’s only when I’m sick or injured that you can rifle through my thoughts?”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“Liar. When else?”
He looked away. “In times of passion. If I chose to, I could enter then.”
Anger curled through me. “And have you?”
“No.”
I only had his word on that, and right now, I wasn’t up to trusting his word. “Well, thanks for pulling me out of that mess of memories, but if you ever pry into my mind without invitation again, I’ll—” I stopped. What could I threaten a vampire with? Especially one as old as Quinn apparently was?
“Fine.” His voice was flat. Cold. “Next time, I’ll let you find your own way out.”
“Good.”
Silence fell between us. A silence that was tense and unbreathable. But I wasn’t entirely unhappy about it, because it gave me an excuse to ignore my hormones, and keep him at arm’s length that much longer.
Still, I stared up at the cloud-filled night sky, and hoped like hell
I opened my eyes. Quinn’s gaze met mine, dark depths as expressionless as his face.
“The door wasn’t open,” I said.
“No,” he agreed softly.
“Door?” Rhoan said. “Which door?”
I pulled my gaze from Quinn’s and looked at my brother. “Nothing. It doesn’t matter.” But it did matter, because Quinn had just breached my shields and entered my mind after telling me not so long ago that he couldn’t.
Rhoan touched a hand to my cheek. “Did you remember anything important?”
“Just a smell. A man, someone I’ve met before.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Nothing else?”
I shook my head, and he sighed. “Enough is enough. We’re taking you home tonight.”
And I was ready to go. Ready to just sleep and forget, if only for a few hours. “Is it safe to go home?”
He grimaced. “Not really. The three of us are heading to a safe house for the time being. When Jack and Kade sort out the mess here, they’ll join us.”
“Why is Kade staying rather than you or Quinn?” I asked, surprised.
“Because Kade was here for over two months, and knows this place better than any of us.”
Which sounded perfectly logical, but I wasn’t believing it. Jack had plans for Kade, that much was obvious. “So where is this Directorate safe house? And has it got a bath big enough for a werewolf to laze in?”
He grinned. “It’s a penthouse suite in a hotel right on the shores of Brighton Beach. I think it’s safe to presume it has a decent-size bath.”
A smile tugged my lips. “Well, I guess if we’re going to be locked up, we might as well do so in style.”
“Exactly. You okay to stand?”
I nodded, and he helped me to my feet. I wobbled a little, and was glad of his support those first few seconds. “I’m fine,” I said, when I was.
He released me. “I’ll just go see Jack, then we can leave.”
I nodded and leaned back against the concrete wall. The coldness crept through my sweater, and felt so good against my overwarmed skin.
Once he’d left, I looked at Quinn. “You have some explaining to do.”
He shrugged. “There’s nothing sinister in what happened. You were in great pain, and your psychic shields were low. I simply slipped past them.”
“That time I was shot with the silver bullet, you said you could read no more than surface thoughts. This time it was more than that.”
He studied me for a second, dark eyes glinting dangerously in the night. “What did you want me to do? Stand back and watch you suffer needlessly?”
“You lied to me.” Again.
“Only a little.”
I crossed my arms. “I’ve got a feeling your version of ‘little’ and mine are two entirely different things.”
“It’s only when you’re in pain that your shields are lowered enough for me to enter uninvited. In some respects, your mind is almost as untouchable as your brother’s.”
I didn’t believe him. “So you’re saying it’s only when I’m sick or injured that you can rifle through my thoughts?”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“Liar. When else?”
He looked away. “In times of passion. If I chose to, I could enter then.”
Anger curled through me. “And have you?”
“No.”
I only had his word on that, and right now, I wasn’t up to trusting his word. “Well, thanks for pulling me out of that mess of memories, but if you ever pry into my mind without invitation again, I’ll—” I stopped. What could I threaten a vampire with? Especially one as old as Quinn apparently was?
“Fine.” His voice was flat. Cold. “Next time, I’ll let you find your own way out.”
“Good.”
Silence fell between us. A silence that was tense and unbreathable. But I wasn’t entirely unhappy about it, because it gave me an excuse to ignore my hormones, and keep him at arm’s length that much longer.
Still, I stared up at the cloud-filled night sky, and hoped like hell
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