Blade Song - By J.C. Daniels Page 0,34

the wounds; another thing I was happy about, despite the fact that it only made it hurt more.

The entire exchange lasted maybe fifteen seconds.

I had maybe another thirty before Damon would break the wards.

Jerking away from him, I went to the door. Under my hand, the door knob buzzed. The magic responded to my touch and the abused wards faded away. Since they hadn’t been broken, once they had enough time, they’d rebuild themselves and be as strong as they had been before the bastard had started beating on them—the beauty of things made from the earth. They healed.

I opened the door and then found myself on the ground, shoved there by Jude’s hands just in time to avoid a punch that just might have caved my head in.

“You should show more control, cat,” Jude said icily as he helped me to my feet.

Damon’s face was fixed in an awful snarl. And something…I bit back a curse as I stared at him. His face was awful. The bones were stretched and terribly wrong and he looked…bigger. Nearly a head taller, broader, with the cloth of his shirt stretched too tight over his chest and shoulders.

But as I stared at him, the bones shifted. Melted back into place. “What kind of little fool locks herself in a room with a vampire?” he asked, panting out the question.

“One who has business to discuss with him,” I said dryly. “And you were on the phone.”

“Business…” Damon shook his head. “You’re otherwise engaged for the time being.”

“Hmmm. Yes, so I’ve heard,” Jude said. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. “A retainer, Ms. Colbana. For when you’re no longer so occupied. I’d appreciate a call at your earlier convenience.”

Damon went to snatch the check away.

I managed to get it first.

Damn it. I was not going on retainer for that jerk.

Except if I didn’t take the damned check, Damon was going to think he had something to do with it. Shoving it into my pocket, I turned away and headed over to my desk. “I’ll be in touch when I can, Jude.”

Absently I flexed the wrist he’d bitten. He hadn’t taken much. I couldn’t even tell.

“I can—”

I tensed.

His voice was heavier in my head. Fuller.

Oh, shit.

Seconds later, he was gone.

“What in the hell did he want?” Damon growled.

I dropped down into my seat, determined to ignore the creeping sensation of dread crawling through my stomach. I wasn’t going to freak about this. Nope. Wasn’t going to do it. Folding my hands across my belly, I stared into Damon’s dark gray eyes. “You heard him. He wants me available for a job when I’m done with this.”

“You shouldn’t work for vampires. They’re dangerous, slippery creatures.”

“Yes, and it’s so much better working for cats, Hell, for werecreatures of any kind for that matter,” I muttered. “In the past four days, I’ve had a number of them try to attack me, I’ve got a nasty scar on my torso—”

“Hey, Wolf Haven was your move, not mine,” he interjected.

“Yes, but we were attacked by weres…not vamps, not humans, not my kind. Weres.” Narrowing my eyes at him, I leaned forward and added, “My so-called bodyguard has tried to strangle me. Every time I go into a business, I get patted down and twice, I’ve had somebody grab my tits—”

He slammed his hands down on my desk so hard, I felt the damn thing vibrate. “Twice?”

I stared at him.

“What in the fuck does that mean?”

The phone rang.

I reached for it only to have him grab my wrist. “What in the fuck does that mean, Colbana?”

“Do you want me to do my job or not?” I snapped.

“Answer the fucking question.”

The call rolled over and a familiar voice filled the air. “Heya, Kitty girl, it’s Lincoln down at Banner Central. I heard you were looking for a runner. I don’t know if this is the one you’re looking for…”

Damon let go of my wrist.

As I reached for the phone, I glared at him. “I really wished I’d never laid eyes on you,” I muttered.

He glared right back.

Chapter Eight

I don’t pray much.

But as we drove to Banner HQ, or Bureau of Non-Human Affairs Headquarters for the Florida Region, I was praying, and praying hard.

Lincoln had some info on a runaway.

Actually, what he had was a body.

And if it was the body of the kid I was searching for, I was going to need Jude’s help in the worst way.

A way out. That was what he’d offered