“Security members are employees, not guests,” the black-haired snake snapped. Dawn ignored her, shifted her duffel on her back and took the stairs to the upper floor two at a time. She could smell her way; she didn’t need Miss Caroline Carrington to show her anything. The wicked witch of the universe had spied Dawn the moment she stepped into the house and with an arch little voice had informed her that her room was waiting. Dawn had snorted at that. She had followed her just to see what the hell she was up to, but Dawn knew she hadn’t been expected at all. And what was more, she knew this woman was the one Seth intended to announce his engagement to.
Not on a bet, Dawn thought. If he was sleeping with this black-haired snake in the grass then he wasn’t doing it often enough to leave more than the most subtle of scents on her. He hadn’t claimed her, and he hadn’t marked her. Not with the scent of his passion or of his emotions. But she could smell his lust on her, and that was enough to make Dawn see red.
Fine, she had known they were both in mating heat over the years and she hadn’t done anything about it. Well, where the hell had he been? What the hell had happened to the guy doing the chasing? Was it now a mortal sin? Somehow unmanly? Had the rules managed to change while she was learning how to survive?
“Agent Daniels, this is uncalled for,” Miss Carrington snapped behind her. Dawn looked back to see the black-haired witch making rather good time up the stairs in those mile-high shoes and that too-short skirt. She wondered if the other woman would split the side of that skirt trying to rush after her.
“Sure it’s called for,” she retorted. “It’s called my job. Check with Seth, he’ll okay it.”
A gasp sounded behind her. “That is Mr. Lawrence to you.”
Dawn snorted. Mr. Lawrence, her ass.
She turned as she reached the landing, followed her nose and, within minutes and, along two different hallways, she found the rooms she was looking for. And if she wasn’t very much mistaken, there was an empty room right beside Seth’s suite. Oh my, how lucky could one little Breed female get? Let him hump and roll while she was sitting right next to his room snarling in fury. It wasn’t going to happen.
“You will not.” Miss Carrington’s voice went from angry to pure fury. A second later talons gripped Dawn’s arm and the flash of fiery distaste had her jerking back and turning with a feral, enraged snarl, her hand slashing out, gripping Miss Carrington’s throat and, in a second, pulling her to her knees in front of her.
Dawn hadn’t had time to think. There had been no thought. There had only been instinct.
“What the hell is going on here!” Seth’s voice, enraged, furious and incredulous, sliced through the room as Dawn snapped her hand back and glared at him.
“Seth.” The bitch. Carrington whimpered, her face pale, her hand gripping her throat as she stumbled to her feet, pretending shock. “Oh my God, Seth. She tried to kill me.”
“Oh, get real,” Dawn muttered and stared back at Seth as that black-haired weasel ran to his arms. Ran to his arms. She stared at them, seeing his powerful arms surround another woman, hold her close. As though it were happening in slow motion, as though the world had shifted and ended right there in front of her eyes.
Dawn stepped back, and she stared. Just at his arms. Just at the powerful, corded muscles flexing beneath the tanned flesh, tightening, holding the woman to him. Arms that should have been around her earlier. That should have been holding her.
What was she supposed to do now? She lifted her gaze to Seth’s, seeing the chill in his expression as she swallowed tightly.
“She caught me unaware,” she whispered, dazed. She felt as though she had taken a blow to the head that she couldn’t recover from. “Behind me. She grabbed my arm.” She lifted a hand, then dropped it as she shook her head.
“Caroline, what the hell happened?” Seth was coldly furious and, Dawn realized, he couldn’t believe her explanation.
She ran her hand down her arm and watched, no longer furious, no longer enraged. He was holding the other woman as she cried, as she babbled…something. Something about being confused, she hadn’t done anything, blah blah blah.
Dawn stared at his hands now. The way they curved over the other woman’s shoulders. So gently. He was holding her gently and the animal inside Dawn was screaming, howling, fighting to break free as agony seared it like a red hot whip.
“Dawn!” The crack of Dash’s voice had her jerking to attention, her gaze swinging to where he and Elizabeth were standing in the doorway. “Is that true?”
“True?” She blinked back at him.
“Did you attack Miss Carrington? Unprovoked?” Dash’s amber-brown eyes were flat and hard, commanding.
“I didn’t.” She shook her head slowly, concentrating on Dash’s eyes. “She grabbed me, from behind.”
She turned her gaze back to Seth.
“Dawn!” Dash’s voice jerked her back. “Why would Miss Carrington grab you from behind?”
She swallowed and fought to get a grip on herself, but, God, it was hard. Rage was twisting inside her, instinct screaming, clawing in pain.
“I’m second command,” she told Dash, breathing in roughly. “I need to be upstairs. She tried to place me in the servant’s quarters and I ignored her direction. I followed the scent of my unit.” She indicated the room. “This will be my room.”
She was unaware of her voice strengthening, but Dash wasn’t. He stared at her, terrified he was going to lose her to the instinctual rage of the animal he could see firing in her eyes at the sight of another woman in her mate’s arms.
They were so close. If they lost Dawn, everything she had fought for in the past ten years would be lost.
“Dawn!” He jerked her attention back to him as she turned to stare at Seth again.