“This never stops, querida. It’s what we are.”
“Isn’t there some other way?”
“Sadly, no. We are creatures of blood.”
Lana sighed. “I don’t suppose you’d let me take you back to the kitchen to clean this up.”
“We don’t have time.”
“That’s what I thought.” Lana started opening packages of gauze. She didn’t have many. It was a travel kit, after all. But then, her main job here was to clean up the blood since Vincent’s super-vampire system would heal itself without any help from her. She used the regular gauze first, finishing with the antiseptic wipes. By the time she was done, the wound had stopped bleeding. It still looked angry and raw, but the blood was down to a few seeping spots closest to his wrist where he’d dug in the knife before ripping upward to his elbow.
Lana forced away the gruesome image, then stared down at the small pile of bloodied bandages at her feet.
“Do we need to burn these or something?”
“You mean because my blood’s on them?”
“Well, yeah.”
Vincent gave her a crooked smile. “We’re not witches, Lana. No one’s going to cast a spell on me.” Without warning, he leaned in so close that his beard tickled the skin below her ear, his breath a brush of warmth when he whispered, “Except you.”
Desire surged, and suddenly her clothes were too hot, too tight. She grabbed the pile of bandages, squishing them in her fists along with the paper wrappers as she stood. “I can’t just leave this. It’s not . . . sanitary.”
She heard herself talking and knew she sounded like a prissy idiot, but Vincent . . . unnerved her. He made her feel things she’d never felt for another man, things that threatened to make her forget all of her training, her experience, her common sense.
“I’ll just . . .” She gestured with her joined hands. “I have a lighter.”
“As you wish,” Vincent said with a knowing smile. “I’ll rest here, shall I?”
Lana was pretty sure he was making fun of her, that he didn’t need to rest. But that was all right. As long as he stayed where he was and she went far enough away from him that she could think.
She found a spot away from the dried brush in the area. No need to start a wildfire just to soothe her rampant hormones. She made a neat pile of the bandages, then flicked her lighter beneath a single branch of scrub that she’d placed at the bottom of the pile. It flared quickly, the paper wrappers fueling the fire until the bandages themselves caught and began to burn.
By the time her mini bonfire was reduced to ash, Vincent had crossed the yard and was looming over her impatiently.
“Let’s go.” He started to add something, but then reached for his cell phone. “Michael,” he said, and Lana realized the phone must have been on vibrate for their sneak attack on Poncio. She had a moment of embarrassment because she hadn’t done the same. Then again, she didn’t do that much sneaking around in her business as a bounty hunter. Sure, she frequently pretended to be someone she wasn’t and just as frequently lied her ass off, and there were hours of sitting in her SUV on surveillance, but she didn’t creep around in the dark much.
“We’ll be there within the hour,” Vincent said after listening for a moment. “I’ll fill you in then.”
He disconnected, then turned his phone’s ringer back on and slipped it into his pocket. “Michael’s at the airport. We’ll leave Salvio on the plane when we get there. He’s not up for any more fighting tonight.”
“Should you leave him alone like that?”
“He won’t be alone. Michael brought a couple of vamp soldiers, plus daylight guards. One of the vamps and all the daylight guards will stay behind.” He hesitated, then added, “You should, too. This next guy won’t be as easy as fat Poncio. We’ll have to fight our way in.”
Lana didn’t dignify his suggestion with an answer. She simply gave him a go-fuck-yourself look and walked over to where Jerry and Salvio were waiting. She didn’t bother updating them, because their bat ears would have picked up the entire conversation. She was beginning to appreciate how difficult it was to keep anything private with vampires around. She’d have to remember that for future reference.
“How are you feeling, Salvio?” she asked. It was a human response to his injuries; she knew that. But she was human, wasn’t she? How else could she behave?
“Better,” he said, seeming almost unable to look at her. “Much better. Thank you, miss.”
Lana sighed. It had already been a long night and it wasn’t even half over. “Call me Lana,” she told him, then turned and headed off to the hill she’d have to climb in order to get back to the SUV. It occurred to her she was doing an awful lot of hiking and climbing on this job. If nothing else, she was probably losing weight, which wasn’t always the case. All of that sitting and waiting for a fugitive to show often meant snacks and caffeine.
Vincent caught up with her before she’d gone halfway up the hill. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“Every male alive knows that when a woman says fine, it usually means the opposite. Tell me what’s wrong.”