Only him.
Aidan carried her out of the bathroom. They curled together on his couch. Exhaustion pulled at her, and Jane intended to close her eyes for just a moment. Just a little while. Then she’d clean up and get her ass over to the ME’s office. She’d see if Dr. Bob had examined the body. She’d see…
In a moment.
A moment…
Chapter Three
Jane was asleep in his arms. Aidan stared down at her, lost for a moment. Her thick lashes cast shadows over her cheeks. Beautiful Jane. Strong. Smart. Sexy as hell.
And dangerous. So many feared that she was dangerous.
Carefully, his fingers slid down her body, moving gently over her stomach, over the luscious curve of her hip and then…lightly tracing the mark on her right side.
A brand. The shape curved on her skin. It almost looked like a horseshoe on her body, one that had been carefully burned into her skin with a soldering pen. She’d been a child when a vampire had captured her, had killed her parents before her eyes, and had permanently marked her with that brand.
Not a horseshoe. The brand curved at the top, and then it seemed to have two legs that jutted to the left and the right…Omega. The Greek Symbol for the end.
Many of his kind feared what Jane would be. Many had wanted her dead as soon as they’d learned of her existence. He’d fought for the right to keep her at his side. His job was to protect her, always. His fingers skimmed over the brand.
If I change, will you be the one who comes for me? Her words whispered through his mind and his eyes squeezed closed. Kill Jane? If she ever became a vampire, was that really what he was supposed to do? Could he?
Would he have any other choice?
Slowly, he slipped from the couch. She kept sleeping, her breathing deep and steady. He grabbed fresh clothes from the closet. He kept clothes at the bar because he never knew when he might have to transform.
And running around naked after a shift was one surefire way to catch attention in the city. As he pulled his shirt into place, he opened his office door. Jane continued sleeping behind him. Good. She needed her rest, especially with a new vamp in town.
He paced away from his office. Stared down below at his bar. It was a Friday night, and Hell’s Gate was packed. Hardly surprising. The werewolves and the humans blended together below him. The humans were completely unaware that they danced with paranormals. That was the way the werewolves liked for things to be. Their existence was supposed to be secret.
But vamps were different. They had a tendency to leave blood and death in their wake. They wanted attention. Wanted the truth to come out.
Wanted chaos.
He glanced around the bar and caught the eye of Paris Cole, his oldest friend and his right-hand wolf. Aidan inclined his head and Paris immediately headed for the stairs. The crowd parted instantly for Paris, though the tall, African American wolf made a point of pausing to smile at the pretty ladies he saw. Typical Paris. A charmer, and often, a pain in Aidan’s ass. But…
Someone I can count on.
Aidan had been betrayed before and, no doubt, he would be betrayed again. When power was on the line, a guy always had to watch his back. But I can depend on Paris.
As Paris neared him, worry flashed in the guy’s light, golden eyes. Paris’s gaze dipped from Aidan to the closed office door. “Everything okay with our cop?”
Our cop? Aidan’s brows rose.
Paris delicately cleared his throat. “What I meant was…how’s Jane tonight?”
The same way she was every night. Mine. “A new vamp is in town.”
Paris swore. “When will they learn? This city isn’t theirs anymore.”
No, it wasn’t. It belonged to the wolves, but it was like there was some damn vamp beacon in place because the undead always circled back to New Orleans. Aidan rolled back his shoulders. “The vamp said he wasn’t here to start a war.”
“And you didn’t buy his bullshit.”
“Vincent Connor.” Just saying the name pissed him off. “Find out everything you can about him and spread the word to the pack that we need to be on alert.” If Vincent decided to make an undead army in the city, they needed to be ready.
Paris nodded and turned to leave.
Aidan caught his arm. “Something else…” He heaved out a hard breath. “The guy vanished. Right in front of my eyes, he disappeared.”
Paris laughed.
Aidan didn’t.
“You’re…serious?”
Aidan stared at him.
“How can he do that?” Paris’s forehead wrinkled. “Can vampires do that? I mean, I know they get more power with age but…”
“For all I know, the guy has been gorging on werewolf blood.” A quick way to increase a vamp’s power. “Or maybe he’s the oldest SOB that I’ve ever come across.” That’s why I need to learn everything about the guy that I can.