Blood Lust - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,36

unfair.

Bas was fiercely intelligent, an assassin with the magic of a witch and the benefit of Sentinel training, plus a financial whiz.

Did he also have to be so ridiculously beautiful?

Pondering the fickleness of fate that gave so many blessings to a few and so little to others, Myst followed Bas into the nearby stables, which had been converted to a garage that stored a dozen different automobiles.

Bas chose a Peugeot SUV, politely holding the door as Myst climbed in and pulled on her seat belt before he crawled behind the wheel. Minutes later they were headed out of the stables and down a narrow dirt road.

Neither of them spoke as they drove through the darkness. Bas was no doubt preparing for the upcoming encounter with the doppelganger. No matter what his motive was in escorting her to Boggs, he would take it as a personal insult to his honor if something happened to her on his watch.

Myst closed her eyes and concentrated on her connection with Molly.

For an indulgent moment she allowed herself to savor the sense of sweet, childish joy that shimmered through the telepathic connection. Clearly Molly was enjoying her time in Valhalla.

Torn between relief that her daughter was being suitably spoiled and regret that they had to be parted, Myst sent a psychic kiss before she firmly shut the doorway between them.

She hated the feeling of being cut off from Molly, but she didn’t know the extent of Boggs’s powers.

What if he could rummage around in her mind? Being telepathically linked to Molly might put her daughter at risk.

Besides, there was the off-chance that she might not survive the encounter. If the mysterious Keeper of Tales decided she was a threat to the high-bloods, he might put an end to her.

She had to make sure Molly wasn’t connected if that happened.

Feeling the SUV come to a halt, Myst opened her eyes and peered out the side window.

“Are you sure this is the right address?” she demanded, seeing nothing through the gloom beyond a narrow, three-story home built of white stone. The roof was steeply sloped and constructed from red tiles and the wooden shutters were in dire need of a fresh coat of paint.

It looked like a typical French farmhouse.

Not the sort of place she would expect to find a powerful high-blood.

“Certain,” Bas said, his expression distracted as he studied the overgrown garden and the fence that leaned at a drunken angle.

She bit her lower lip. She had a bad feeling.

A really, really bad feeling.

It wasn’t just the air of neglect that blanketed the area. With a little attention the property could be as charming as ever. Or even the sense of isolation. If the sun had been shining and there was a light summer breeze stirring the trees, this place could be a haven of peace.

No. What she was feeling was perilously close to a premonition.

Something was wrong.

Unfortunately, the vague sense of wrongness didn’t change her need to meet with the doppelganger. In fact, it only made it more vital.

“Aren’t we going to go inside?” she demanded.

Bas scanned their surroundings, his face tight with tension. “I want to have a look around,” he at last muttered, pushing open his door. “Stay here.”

She reached to grasp his arm. “No,” she protested. “You can’t go in there alone.”

He turned his head to send her an impatient glance. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

She frowned. “All the more reason for both of us to go.”

He blinked, a strange expression spreading across his face. “I’m an assassin, cara,” he said in gentle tones. “This is what I do.”

“But . . .” Her words trailed away as she realized he was right.

What was wrong with her? This man had been trained by the finest warriors in the world. He was strong, fast, lethal with his bare hands, and capable of hiding in plain sight. A perfect weapon for the high-bloods.

She, on the other hand, had zero fighting ability, which meant she would only be in the way.

“Fine,” she muttered, trying to pretend the thought of watching him walking into the house alone wasn’t making her heart pound with panic.

Without warning, he leaned to the side and captured her lips in a brief, searing kiss. Heat curled through the pit of her stomach, easing her fear, although it did nothing to slow her thundering heart.

“Lock the doors,” he commanded before slipping out of the SUV and melting into the shadows.

She instinctively reached to hit the lock button, her hands curling in her lap as