was brilliant but useless. But he’d gone with his gut. “I couldn’t let her separate us.”
Morrigan huffed out a breath and dragged her fingers through her short cap of hair. “Crap. It wasn’t like I was going to go with her.”
But he hadn’t been so sure.
How better to defeat them than to divide and conquer? It was a classic technique for good reason—it worked.
“You should have let me speak for myself. You’ve weakened my position.” Her voice was stiff, her words clipped.
“You’re right.” He understood tactics better than anyone. He knew better but had led with his heart rather than his instincts or his brain. That was becoming a nasty habit.
“You should have— What? I’m right?” She looked so perplexed he almost smiled.
“Yes.” Conscious of all the people around them trying to listen to their conversation, he kept his voice low.
“Wow, I guess that’s as close to an apology as I can expect.”
She was also right about that, so he kept his mouth shut.
“Okay.” She tugged at her jacket even though it was already straight. Her sister might be wearing the sexy red dress, but it might as well be sackcloth as far as he was concerned. She didn’t interest him in that way. But Morrigan did.
She was kick-ass in her black leather. The pants emphasized her long legs and the strength of her thighs. He had firsthand knowledge of just how sleek and muscular they were when wrapped around him during sex. Beneath her jacket, she wore a formfitting tank that left her arms bare—arms, capable of wielding any of the weapons she possessed.
His cock surged to life, but he didn’t give a shit who took note, even knowing they would use the attraction against him.
He and Morrigan were a team, a unit.
That still had him shaking his head in disbelief. Yeah, better not to bank on her standing beside him, not when the going got tough. It was early in the evening yet. The main battle had yet to begin. What Kayley had done was little more than test the waters to see where things stood.
“If things start to look bad for you—”
“—I’ll be fine,” she injected before he’d finished.
“Run,” he continued.
She whirled on her heel and drilled her finger into his chest. “I don’t run.” Poke. “From.” Poke. “Anyone.” Then she dropped her hand. “Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. I’ve run in the past, but not this time. This time, I’m sticking.” Her tone softened. “And really, there’s nowhere to go.”
Maybe not, but the most basic instinct of all creatures was survival. If the fight seemed lost, she’d turn heel and flee.
Just as it would be instinct for him to kill her to save himself.
What will I become if I give in?
Rage rose within him, so powerful a tray full of wineglasses a nearby waiter held exploded.
“Damn.” Morrigan ducked even as she scanned the room for the threat, not understanding that it came from him.
He grabbed her by the hand and dragged her down a corridor just off to the left. He kept going until he found a fire exit and pushed his way outside.
“What’s going on? Did you see something?” She dug in her heels. “Stop pulling me like I’m a dog on a leash.”
Battle was close, and bloodlust surged within him. He couldn’t fight, not yet, but there was something he could do.
He whirled around, lifted her into his arms, and slammed his mouth down on hers, plundering her warmth. Caught by surprise, she momentarily froze before returning his passion, meeting him in a kiss of pure desperation.
She should hate him, fear him, despise him. For some miraculous reason, she didn’t. Open and eager, she held nothing back.
She scared the crap out of him.
How could he care about her when he barely knew her? Kayley might think she was a witch of some kind, but she was a novice compared to Morrigan, who had untainted power of the purest kind—an open and caring heart.