move into his personal space, crowding him against the pillar. He had his hand under Gideon’s T-shirt, bypassing the nine millimeter holster and dagger sheath to find the three teardrop servant’s mark high on his chest. “You have no options when it comes to our ownership of you, vampire hunter,” Daegan murmured, brushing his nose across Gideon’s cheek, baring fangs so he felt the scrape on his jaw. “We resolved that long ago.”
“You’re already in my mind, asshole.” Gideon fought to keep his mind unscrambled as Daegan’s mouth touched his throat, sending a shot of adrenaline straight to his groin. He suppressed a groan as Daegan cupped his balls, a threatening squeeze. “I told him you wanted to determine what kind of chance you could give the girl, if it suited the Council’s purpose.”
Daegan arched a brow. “Lying to the Council’s scientist. I’m sure there’s a severe punishment for that.”
When his fangs pierced Gideon’s artery, he gripped the vampire’s waist beneath the long coat, the steel of the sword’s scabbard brushing his thigh. “Not lying. Anticipating. You know you wanted to know. You’re not as blackhearted as your reputation. ‘Those who know my name are mostly dead’? Really?”
“Not mostly dead.” Daegan lifted his head, licking a smear of blood off his lip. “Most of those who know it are dead. Ass.”
“Yeah, yeah. I was thinking about what was going to be on cable tonight. Wasn’t really paying attention.” Gideon tempted fate, tasting the blood on Daegan’s lips. His hand slid past the sword to another weapon, one that was nearly as hard as the steel.
Daegan’s eyes glinted as he caught Gideon’s wrist, twisted it up against the column above his head. Holding his body pinned, the vampire spoke against Gideon’s ear. “Your Mistress is not here to protect you. You will be beneath me at dawn, and I will prove just how ruthless and blackhearted I can be.”
Fuck that. Anwyn’s way scarier than you are. Gideon took another nip at his mouth, and Daegan chuckled.
He slipped away like a shadow, back to sitting at the picnic table before Gideon could blink. Though his pose was casual, his glance wasn’t, the way it swept Gideon’s body. Daegan being Daegan, the bastard would run him half to death tonight, then fuck him into the ground to prove who had the upper hand. But that struggle was the pleasure they shared.
The vampire picked up the apple again. “Warrior to warrior. Tell me what you’re thinking, rather than making me pick it out of that caveman brain of yours.”
“She stood up to that piece of shit tonight. And she gave up everything to do what was right. I’ll say what Evan won’t to the big, bad Council assassin. We should do everything we can to save someone like that.”
“Agreed. You know me too well. I’m spending far too much time in your company.”
“You have no other options. Anwyn and I are the only ones who can stand you.”
“Says the kettle.” Daegan fended off Gideon’s punch at his chest as he came to sit on the table next to him. “Careful. Show some respect to the big, bad assassin.”
“In your dreams.” Gideon sobered. “Stephen won’t want us to take him alive. That’s our biggest challenge.”
Daegan propped his elbow on Gideon’s thigh, took a bite of the apple. As he chewed, he offered the rest to Gideon. “He knows his fate at the hands of the Council. He will want a quick death.” Daegan flashed his fangs. “Which is why I am motivated to deprive him of it.”
Gideon looked back toward Alanna and Evan. She’d hopped onto Evan’s back, and he was carrying her farther into the marsh. Knowing Evan, he was probably showing her some kind of luminescent water bug. Above them, Niall sat up. When he swung down to join them, the bond between the three, the way they drew together like a gravitational pull, was as obvious as the bond between the two males watching. Not that Gideon dwelled on such things often.
Daegan stood, bumping Gideon’s shoulder. “Liar. You can’t keep your thoughts off my ass.”
“Only how much I’d like to kick it, stuff a grenade up it . . . the fantasies are endless.”
“Keep telling yourself that, vampire hunter.” Daegan checked the placement of the sword in his coat, adjusted the gun at the small of his back. “Let’s go. The challenge of a capture instead of a kill is a rare pleasure, a refining of existing skills. I might actually enjoy