Luther's Return (Scanguards Vampires Book 10)

“You can’t know that. They could be back any moment.”


Luther marched into the living area. “No Christmas tree in sight. In this neighborhood, everybody has a Christmas tree—unless they’re not around over the holidays. All the shutters are closed, and the cars are in the garage. We’re safe here for today.”

Katie shook her head. “Why did we have to stop anyway? We’re nearly there.”

Luther rolled his eyes, tossing her an impatient glare. “Let me put it in words you’ll understand: ‘cause I don’t want the sun to fry my ass. We need to wait for nightfall to get into the prison.”

“We can’t waste time. You could stay in the car. It’s got blackout windows, just like all of Scanguards’ cars. You just tell me who to talk to. There must be guards there to let us in during the day.”

Suddenly he chuckled. “Let us in?”

“What’s so funny?”

Luther shook his head. “You really think we’re just gonna ring the doorbell and ask them to let us in? I spent twenty years in there. I have enemies. If the guards find out that I disclosed the location of the prison to an outsider, they’ll lock me up for another twenty.” He scoffed. “And once they figure out what your scent is, they’ll shoot you on sight. They don’t exactly like witches.”

“You said I don’t smell much like a witch.”

“It’s faint, yeah, but given enough time, they’d figure it out. You can’t just walk in there and expect to come out unscathed.”

Katie’s heart started to pound in her chest, constricting at the realization that finding out who’d written those letters wasn’t quite as simple as she’d hoped. “But then how are we gonna get the information we need? How will we find the guy?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little brain with that. I’ll go in. You’ll be staying here, waiting for me.”

Katie braced her hands on her hips, glaring at him. This big bully was going to leave her behind? “That wasn’t the deal. I’m coming with you. Do you really think you can just drop me here and expect me to wait like some submissive little woman who doesn’t have two brain cells to rub together?”

He walked toward her until the tip of his boots almost touched her shoes. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m expecting. Though the word submissive doesn’t exactly come to mind when I think of you.”

Katie pulled in a breath of air. “Oh yeah, then what comes to mind? Go ahead, just say it. You’ve been holding it in during the entire car ride.” And she was sick of his brooding and the silence that had made the drive feel longer than the almost three hours it had taken them to reach the foothills.

That silence had contributed to the fact that she couldn’t think of anything else other than the kiss they’d shared. Damn it, she should have pushed him away and slapped him, rather than allowed him to kiss her like that. It had awakened things in her that she didn’t know how to handle.

“If you think you can manipulate me, you’re wrong. Maybe that works with the humans you normally date, but not with me.”

Annoyed by his accusation, she changed the subject. “We’re not talking about my love life. I’m coming with you, whether you like it or not.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Yeah, that would be not. As in—” He moved in closer, bringing his face within inches of hers. “—you’re staying put while I break into the prison and get what I need.”

“Not without me, you’re not.” She pressed her lips tightly together, ignoring his masculine scent that tempted her to do something stupid. “Or have you already forgotten that I’m a witch, and that I can make you do anything I want?” It was a bluff, but she hoped he was buying it just like he had before.

When his lips parted, she saw to her shock that Luther’s fangs had lengthened and the sharp tips were now protruding from their sockets. Her breath hitched at the sight, and her pulse began to drum excitedly, flooding her body with female awareness.

“Is that what you did earlier? Used your witchcraft to make me kiss you?” Luther narrowed his eyes, but she could see the orange glow around his irises nevertheless. His vampire side was emerging. “Don’t you get enough action as is? With those tits and those eyes you should have men lining up around the block. Guess that’s not enough. You’ve gotta force yourself on one who doesn’t want you.”

Without even realizing what she did, she slapped him so hard across his cheek that her palm stung from the impact. Rage careened through her. Forced herself on somebody? No, no. She was the last person to ever do that, because she of all people knew what it felt like. What it felt like to be forced to do something against her will.



~