Defy the Dawn (Midnight Breed #14) - Lara Adrian Page 0,15
her the same way if she knew. No one would, and rightly so.
Brynne tugged her thoughts away from her monstrous beginnings and back to the source of her more recent aggravation. “As far as the Atlantean is concerned, I have no interest in a romantic relationship or anything else.”
“Mm-hmm,” Tavia replied. “And is that why you’ve been trying so hard to ignore him since you arrived?”
God, had it been that noticeable?
Was it still?
She’d been trying to avoid looking at Zael today because every time her gaze landed on him all she could think about was the feel of his lips on hers. And when she recalled how hot and commanding his mouth had been—how good their bodies had felt, pressed close and moving sensually together on the dance floor—all she wanted was to feel that rush again.
Why couldn’t she have done the smart thing last night and let that cute, clearly available and utterly harmless bartender take her home? Why couldn’t she have said yes to any one of the other men—human or Breed—who’d either circled her at the bar or come right up to take their shot?
She knew the answer and unfortunately it all came back to Zael. She hadn’t wanted any of those other men. She would have sworn she didn’t want Zael either, but her body seemed to have other ideas.
No doubt about it, kissing him had been a colossal mistake.
One she couldn’t take back and, unfortunately, would never forget.
It was going to be a lot harder to put him out of her mind so long as he was under the same roof with her. Even worse, if he was going to be closely involved with the Order for any length of time.
“Do either of you really think he’s a wise choice of ally?”
“You don’t?” Tavia asked. “If you have cause to think that, Brynne, we need to know.”
She wanted to discount Zael outright, but the truth was, despite being a pain in her backside from the second she laid eyes on him, he did seem informed and engaged about the problems the Order was facing. He may be a charmless ass, but he seemed to be trustworthy.
Even where she was concerned, seeing how he hadn’t made a fool of her tonight in front of everyone. Incredibly, after making her think she was fair game for his ridicule, he kept her secret to himself.
And maybe he wasn’t completely without charm either.
Still...
“He’s Atlantean,” she murmured, as if that should be cause enough to doubt him. To her mind, it was at least worth questioning. “What do we really know about him?”
Gabrielle glanced at Tavia, indecision in her soft brown eyes. “We know enough to assume Zael’s alliance with the Order is worth any risk.”
“Because of something to do with the Atlanteans’ queen?” When both women looked at her in question, she added, “I realize I haven’t been formally included in the conversation, but Lucan’s comment to Zael downstairs didn’t exactly sound reassuring.”
That was putting it mildly. Brynne’s instincts had gone on high alert at the ominous mention of the immortal race and their apparent ruler.
“Yes, because of her,” Tavia said, after Gabrielle’s permitting nod. “We learned we had an enemy in Selene a few weeks ago, when the Global Nations Council peace summit was compromised by Opus Nostrum—”
“Attacked,” Gabrielle corrected. “They would’ve slaughtered every Breed dignitary in the place if their ultraviolet weapon had gone off before the Order was able to stop it.”
“I remember,” Brynne said. “There were hundreds of diplomats and world leaders at that gathering.”
The news of the attempted assault had made panicked headlines around the world. As for the Order’s heroic actions, it had done little to endear them to a population of humans who mostly despised the Breed as a whole, or to the Darkhavens who considered the warriors to be a volatile force among their kind with an over-reaching grasp on the law. Even JUSTIS was guilty of eyeing the Order with more suspicion than due respect.
“But what does Opus’s attack on the GNC summit have to do with the Atlanteans or their queen?”
“The Opus member who masterminded the whole thing was Atlantean,” Gabrielle explained.
“Reginald Crowe?” Brynne asked. She’d been shocked enough to learn one of the world’s richest, most powerful business magnates was part of the deadly terror group. But this? “Are you saying Crowe was one of Zael’s people?”
“No one knew,” Tavia said. “Just before he was killed, he boasted to some of the warriors about how Opus was only