She stepped away from him and put the cloth in the sink. Rinsed away the blood. Then watched the blood wash down the drain.
“The wound doesn’t matter.” His words were a rumble from behind her. His hand closed around her shoulder and she looked up, staring at their reflections in the mirror. He was so big, around six foot two, maybe six foot three, with wide, powerful shoulders. His hair was dark, thick, and his eyes were a bright blue. She always felt a little lost when she looked into his eyes.
She was so much smaller than him. Jane had always wished she were taller, but she knew that she looked like some kind of ballet dancer. Fragile, delicate—that was her build. She had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously at the police station, but she did it—she’d do anything for her job.
Keeping others safe had been her mission for years. Her goal, ever since she’d been eleven years old and her life had been ripped apart.
I won’t let the same thing happen to others.
But the deaths kept coming. And the monsters weren’t stopping.
Once more, her gaze fell to the sink. And the blood keeps flowing.
“He wanted you.”
She stiffened.
“The vamp in the alley was there because the asshole wanted you.” Aidan turned her to face him, caging Jane between him and the sink. “I’m not going to let him get his hands on you.”
Jane focused on keeping her breathing steady. Her heartbeat was racing in her chest and fear had tightened her muscles. “Another vamp after me, huh? Guess it must be a day that ends in Y.”
“Jane…” He growled her name. And normally, she found that growl of his crazy sexy.
“It won’t stop, we both know it.” Her voice was rough. Hard. Very close to her own growl. “The paranormals out there—they know what I am. You know. And as much as we both want to pretend things are fine, they aren’t.” They couldn’t be.
Because Jane wasn’t just a human, some mortal who’d fallen in love with a werewolf and was trying to make that weird relationship work.
According to Aidan, according to the nightmare that was her new life…she was something…more.
A vamp-in-waiting. A born vampire. If she died a violent death, then some sort of insane adrenaline burst was supposed to ignite in her blood during those last precious moments before her heart stopped beating. She would die, but only for a short time. She’d wake as a vampire—one of the strongest immortals ever.
Born vampires were exceedingly rare.
And…incredibly powerful.
Evil. Let’s not forget the evil part. She didn’t want to go from being a protector to being the monster in the dark who preyed on humans.
She didn’t want to become just like the monster that had killed her own family.
“Jane.”
Her chin lifted. “Do you think that vamp killed the man in the cemetery? Is there about to be another blood bath in the city?”
His jaw had locked. “I…don’t know. He said he didn’t.”
Her laughter was bitter. “And you believe a vampire?”
He didn’t answer. She supposed that was answer enough. Aidan generally hated all vamps. She knew he had some primal instinct to attack vamps—all werewolves did—but Aidan was able to hold himself in check better than the others. Alpha advantage in self-control and all that jazz. Curious, she asked, “How close were you to killing him?”
“Not close enough…”
Her breathing wasn’t slow. It was too fast. Fear blossomed in her chest. She hadn’t even realized a vamp had been close, not when she’d gone hunting for Aidan.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t let him get to you.”
The vampire had vanished before their eyes. How did they know he wouldn’t reappear someplace and attack? But… “He isn’t what scares me most.”
Aidan’s hand curled under her chin. Again, he was so careful when he touched her. Like she was glass that could shatter.
Or…
A human in a werewolf’s hands.
“You scare me,” she confessed.
She saw the pain flare in his beautiful eyes, and Jane hated that she’d caused that hurt. But Jane didn’t want to lie to him. “If I change, will you be the one who comes for me?”
“You aren’t changing. You’d have to die first, and that shit will not happen.”
“But what if—”
He kissed her. Aidan’s mouth took hers in a kiss that was hot, deep, consuming. Just the way she liked. The way they both liked.
His tongue thrust into her mouth, and she gave a little moan. Her desire for him didn’t surprise her. That desire was always there, just beneath the surface. Bubbling, ready to spill out and break free.
His hands dropped to her waist, and he lifted her up so easily, sitting her on the edge of the sink. Her hands lifted to curl around his shoulders but she stopped—
His wound. Watch out for his wound.