She rose above him, slowly at first, letting him feel the wet retreat of her sex, the soft silk of her body. His fingers clenched around her hips and he pushed her back, arching up with a hard thrust.

Still her eyes stayed on his.

He could see the edge of her fangs, but she made no move to drink from him.

Her sex squeezed him, and she rose again. A long-torture-him move. Sweat beaded his brow as he watched her. The heat and fury of their previous lovemaking was gone. This was different.

He pushed up and his mouth closed over her nipple. He sucked her, licked, laving with his tongue. Such tender flesh.

Her fingers sank into his hair and she held him close as she rose again, then sank back down, taking his cock balls-deep in her slick heat.

The need to thrust, to shove deep and take control, pounded through him, but he yanked the lust back on its leash.

She needed this. So did he.

Softness, restraint. Control.

For once.

Because death had been too close.

Her fingers tugged at his hair and his mouth freed her breast. He looked up at her.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

Like he had to be asked.

Her head lowered and her mouth took his. No fury this time. Only need.

Only need.

Her hips rocked against him, the slow motions driving him out of his mind.

Not yet. Can’t come yet.

Her tongue licked across his lips. “You scared me.”

Rise. Fall.

The hot fist of her sex milking his cock.

His thighs clenched beneath her and his spine stiffened.

“I thought…” She drove down on him, a bit harder now, a little more desperate. “Th-that you’d die on me.”

That had been the plan.

Her fingers slipped down his neck. Caught his shoulder and her nails dug into the skin. “Why?”

She’d stilled on him. Her sex was so tight and hot and she’d stilled.

His breath heaved out. All he could smell was her. All he could taste was her. Feel—her. “Don’t you know?” he gritted, his cock ready to burst. One more glide, just one.

Her nails dug deeper and her slender hips didn’t move. “Tell me.”

He looked up at her. Nowhere to hide. “Because I would fucking die for you. I nearly did.”

The bloodlust, no the lust for her, only her, broke free. He grabbed her hips and shoved up, deep and hard, and she came around him, choking out a cry as her eyes widened and the ripples of her release contracted around his cock.

He climaxed on a long, hot wave of pleasure and he held her, as tight as he could, and knew that no way, no fucking way, was he gonna let Sandra Dee go.

He’d die for her, and, hell, yeah, he’d kill for her. In a heartbeat.

Because the truth was the woman held his heart in her hand. In the same hand that she usually held her beloved stakes.

When her heartbeat slowed down and the tremors finally left her body, Dee sucked in a deep breath. Probably shouldn’t have jumped him right away.

But she’d needed him. Too close to death.

Her nails raked down his chest. Paused over the heart that raced beneath her touch. He watched her, with eyes gone smoky again.

“We were out for two days,” she told him, aware that her voice was too husky. A good orgasm did that to her, though, and with Simon, the orgasms were always good.

Her sex clenched with a little aftershock of pleasure and she saw his pupils flare.

Move. Before she took him again. No, before he took her. His cock was swelling again, growing and stretching and pressing just where she needed him to—

Dee pushed up on her knees and carefully separated their bodies. They’d have company soon, and as much as she’d like another ride, the pleasure would have to wait.

Dealing with the psychotic undead came first.

Simon’s gaze dropped to her sex and he licked his lips.

Dee swallowed and rolled away from him. “We’re at a motel, about three hours away from Hueco.” They’d retreated. Well, not them so much as Zane and Jude had retreated for them. Because when the hunters had first found her and Simon, she hadn’t exactly been in a frame of mind to help out and plan much.

But Jude and Zane had been right. Retreat was the only option. They’d been too weak for anything else.

“Why do I feel so good?”

She glanced over her shoulder and saw him staring down at his unmarred chest. No wounds. The horrible gashes were gone now. Grabbing her shirt, she told him quietly, “Shifter blood.” Plus a helping of demon blood.

But it was the shifter blood given freely by Erin and Jude that had really healed them. There was power in a shifter’s blood. Shifters were beings that some believed carried two spirits and with two spirits, the strength influx was double.

Without that shifter blood, they’d both still be unconscious, their bodies struggling to heal from their wounds.

“It was a fucking ambush, wasn’t it?”

Dee found a pair of panties and shimmied into them before yanking up her—

“I love your ass.”

She glanced back at him. Yep, his gaze was on her butt. She hiked up the jeans.

His gaze rose to her face. “Your Night Watch hunters got us out?”

“Yes.”

“I figured the demon would be coming. I knew he’d get you out of that metal hell. Just had to make sure you survived long enough.”

The rage stirred then, and she’d tried so hard to keep the fury in check. “It didn’t matter how long you survived, huh?”

He blinked.

“You left me in that trap, alone, and I could hear you dying—” Her voice broke at the end. Weak. Hell.

A muscle flexed in his jaw. “And before I forced you to drink, I saw you dying. My choice, Dee. Mine. You can bet that I’ll do anything to save you. Anything.”

The emotion was there, swimming in his eyes.

She wanted him again. Wanted his arms around her and his flesh against hers. Clearing her throat, she managed to say, “When this is over…”

“I’ll fucking love you forever.” Bald. Flat. No hesitancy. Just stating a fact.

Her lips parted.

“Remember that, okay? When the shit comes down on us again, or when you learn that my past isn’t nearly as pretty as it should be, just remember. You come first for me, and you always will.” A hard shake of his head. “It just took me a while to realize it. What can I say? Sometimes, my priorities are shit.”

I’ll fucking love you forever.

No one had ever said that to her before. No one and she—

She didn’t know how she felt. There was no ready response on her tongue. She could only stare at him and realize that the curve of his lips looked sad.

Because he understood. He knew her better than any of the others ever had.

A rap sounded at their door. “Playtime’s over,” Zane called out.

But Simon’s stare didn’t waver.

She should say something. Anything. Her hands shook as she pressed the snap of her jeans. Her sex—inside, she could still feel him. “The plan…” she cleared her throat and tried again. “The plan’s to attack tonight. We go in under the darkness and we hit them fast and hard. They—they won’t expect us.” Thanks to Erin and some magic strings she’d pulled, the story of their “death” had made the local headlines. “If luck’s on our side, they won’t even know we’re attacking until it’s too late.”

“Grim will know.” Certain.

Her jaw locked. “And he’ll die.” Because this madness was ending. Revenge—hell, why did it seem so empty now? Why, when she looked at Simon, did she just want to run to him and—

To run away with him.

No. Grim wouldn’t stop if they fled. If he found out they were alive, he wouldn’t stop until they were dust.

She couldn’t walk away with a monster like him out there. Because there would be other families. Like hers. Like Nina’s.

Nina.

Was she still alive? Where was she? Dee had thought of her when the pain eased and the bloodlust lessened. Zane had gone out scouting, but he’d found no sign of the woman.

Maybe she hadn’t gone after Grim. Maybe she’d just run.

Couldn’t blame her. Not a bit.

A harder knock shook the door. “If we’re taking Grim out, we need to move.”

Yet Simon stood, as still as a statue before her.

Because he was waiting on her to say something.

I’ll fucking love you forever.

But she didn’t know what to say. Her throat was tight. Her heart nearly ripping through her chest.

And she was afraid.

When she loved, people got hurt.

So Dee swallowed back the words that wanted to rise up and she held his stare, so scared of what he made her feel.

Simon finally turned away, and grabbed the clothes she’d lain out for him.

Her shoulders fell. Emotion. She’d never been good with feelings. Never understood them, not the good ones, anyway.

Rage. Hate. Vengeance. Her life. Those she understood.

Love? That scared her. Love led to pain. She’d had enough pain.

But when Simon had said he loved her…

Her heart had stopped. Her breath had died.

Dee didn’t know what she felt for him. She wanted him, needed him, and if anyone tried to hurt him, she’d kick some ass.

Love—what was it, really?

Spending forever with someone? She glanced at Simon. All she could see was his strong, stiff back.

Her hands still trembled so she balled them into fists. Not now. This wasn’t the time.

But things weren’t going to end like this.

Forever? Dee exhaled. Marriage and a picket fence had never been for her, she knew that, even before her change. Her life was too hard. She was too hard for someone to love.

No, Simon said he loves me.

She turned away and gave him a few minutes to dress. And she gave herself some time to get herself together. Seriously, she had to get a grip.

When he was done, she schooled her features, and they marched to the door. With a jerk of her wrist, she opened the door. Zane waited for her, his hands crossed over his chest. The paleness that had drawn his features before—because of the blood he’d lost—was gone.

His hooded gaze raked her. “You sure you’re up for this?”

Of course not. But there were only two options: Kill or die. Dee cleared her throat, then asked, “Are you?” She’d tried to ditch him once, and, in typical Zane style, he’d come through to save her butt.

She didn’t want to risk him, but knew there was no way he’d let her get in another sucker punch.

“I’m your backup, baby.”

A snarl sounded behind her and one black brow rose. “Guess lover boy’s awake, huh?” Zane asked.

The floor creaked. “Yeah, he is.” Simon came to her side. She glanced back and forth between the two men. Simon’s jaw worked and then he managed, “Thank you.”

A crooked smile twisted Zane’s lips. “Hard, wasn’t it?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“You sound just like Dee.” The smile vanished. “Giving you my blood was harder.”

A grim nod. “I won’t forget.”

“I won’t let you.” A pause. “And believe me, I call in my debts.”

Yes, he did.

Zane’s gaze turned back to Dee. “What are our odds?”

She forced a shrug. “I figure about forty-sixty.”

A low whistle. “That sucks.”

Dead right. Dee squared her shoulders. “Let’s do this.” Before more vamps came hunting for her. She didn’t want to be caught off-guard again. Three recent, brutal attacks. When Grim wanted you dead, the guy just didn’t stop. Now that she was Born, he was desperate to stop that “prophecy” from coming true.

Grim didn’t fuck around.

He was about to learn that neither did she.

Chapter 15

He’d pay his debt to the demon, one way or another. Simon stalked across the barren earth, keeping his head low as he followed the male shifter to Grim’s lair.

Jude Donovan moved easily over the rough terrain, never taking a misstep, and his woman, the deceptively delicate ADA Erin Jerome, kept perfect pace with him. Another shifter. The guy’s mate.

Simon didn’t know much about her, other than that she worked in the Baton Rouge prosecutor’s office and that the tiger was very, very possessive of her.

She hadn’t given him blood, something else he knew. Probably because the tiger wouldn’t allow her to link with a male vampire.

“This is it,” Jude’s nearly soundless voice had the group pausing.

Simon glanced over at Dee. Heavily armed, eyes shining in the darkness, she was one fine sight to behold.

“You sure about this?” Erin asked, casting a quick glance at the ramshackle buildings that waited in the distance. They couldn’t get much closer or the vamps would catch the distinct scent of the shifters. They’d have to hang back for now, with the demon. “Just walking right up to him, um, that doesn’t seem like the best plan.”

“No, it’s not the best plan. But it’s all we’ve got now.” Dee’s eyes narrowed on the line of buildings. “How many, Jude?”

His head cocked. “Ten vamps. Two humans, but—” His nose twitched. “Somebody’s dying in there.”

Simon stiffened. Of course, Grim would be having one of his parties.

“Nina?” Dee whispered.

“Who?” Erin asked.

“The Ignitor I told you about,” Zane said, his voice emotionless.

Erin shook her head. “Ignitors make me nervous. Anyone who can burn the flesh from me with just a look…” She shuddered.