“You had to go there,” Duncan said. He smiled to himself as he negotiated the afternoon traffic. He liked Rune. They had learned to work well together when they had traveled to the Dark Fae Other land of Adriyel to see Niniane Lorelle safely to her coronation as the Dark Fae Queen.
“Seriously, is everything all right?”
“I hope so. Seremela has a runaway niece who has ended up at Devil’s Gate, of all places.” He paused briefly as he listened to Rune mutter a curse. “We’re going to extract her from the situation and escort her home to her mother.”
“Anything we can do?”
One of the first acquisitions their brand new consulting agency had purchased was a private jet that could seat up to twelve people and that had the capacity for international travel. They were serious about the agency and were allocating enough money to set it up with top notch resources.
Of course Duncan was well aware that the plane also had the capacity to travel quite comfortably across the continental U.S.
“It would be nice,” Duncan said, “to get to Nevada as quickly as possible before her niece has a chance to get hurt.”
“Is this urgent enough to bargain away a favor to a Djinn?”
Duncan gave the question serious consideration. Most people had never even met a Djinn. Still fewer were able to draw a Djinn’s attention long enough to bargain with one. Duncan and Seremela were acquainted with Khalil and could talk with him, but Khalil’s Djinn sensibilities were such that he would probably see nothing wrong with bargaining with them for a favor in return. While the situation at Devil’s Gate was unsafe and volatile, owing a favor to a Djinn could be an expensive and even more dangerous business over the long haul.
He said, “I don’t think so. Still, we should get there quickly.”
“I’ll have the plane fueled and on the tarmac inside an hour,” Rune said.
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“I wish Seremela had felt comfortable enough to ask us herself.”
“Borrowing a plane is quite a big favor to ask, Rune,” Duncan told him. “And she’s new to Miami and still feeling her way. Hell, we all are. It’s just that some of us have known each other longer than others. Give her time.”
“Good point. Let us know if there’s anything else we can do.”
“Will do.” Duncan ended the call.
He was frowning when he reached his fifteen thousand square foot house. He would pack two bags. One of them would be a backpack filled with weapons, cash, a few toiletries and ways to keep himself protected from the sun. That would be the essential bag.
The other would be filled with luxuries like extra clothing, along with a securely encrypted laptop in case he found some time to get some work done. While he would also definitely pack a satellite phone as well, the land magic around Devil’s Gate interfered with phone reception so they would have to plan on being self-sufficient.
They would have to drive to Devil’s Gate from Reno, which meant they needed to rent an SUV. He made more calls to arrange a rental, including camping supplies, food and water for Seremela, and several cases of bloodwine. He tried to rent an RV, but there weren’t any available on short notice within five hundred miles of Devil’s Gate.
If retrieving Seremela’s niece took longer than a few days, and if anything happened to his food supply, he would have to hunt for sustenance. Hopefully he would be able to find and pay for willing donors. If not, he would do what he had to do. He thought of the delectable healthy blush that had risen in Seremela’s cheeks, and rather to his shock, his cock hardened in response.
He was an intelligent, educated and mature man who believed in law, in self control, and in regulating his emotions. He did not mix his appetites or confuse hunger for sustenance with sexual desire. He would not be that inconsiderate, either to his donors or to his lovers. Not even when a chaotic, sexy harpy had offered him a chance to taste her rare blood in exchange for sex had he given in to temptation.
But he also knew there were places and times where the law did not reach, and Devil’s Gate was one of those places and one of those times. Apparently there were also times when a man’s appetites became mixed, no matter how much self control he might try to exert over himself.
It had been some time since Duncan had done so, but he knew how to navigate through lawlessness. In fact he was looking forward to it again, and while he would have helped Seremela for decency’s sake, no matter what, it certainly did not hurt in the slightest that she was so very beautiful, and he was intensely attracted to her.
No doubt she would be very grateful for everything he did. She might even offer to feed him, herself.
If she did, despite all of his carefully thought out principles, he would take what she offered. Hell, he would jump at the chance. His cock grew even harder as he thought of her bare, slender neck arched in invitation. He thought of sinking his teeth into her soft skin while her breasts filled his hands, and his erection grew so tight it became painful.
Oh, Duncan, he thought. You had to go there too, didn’t you? Rune had been teasing, but he’d also had the right of it. You are a lowdown dirty dog.
Chapter Three