Sigma

Chapter 5

“Here.” Sam offered her his shirt. It was ripped, but in better condition than her torn-in-half one.

Clutching it to her chest, she sat on the edge of the bed. She should stick with mortal lovers. None of them could have turned the tables on her like Sam had just done. Control gave her the sense of security she needed. The shifter turned her inside out and upside down. She felt safe yet insecure around him. What a disaster.

A knock on the motel room door startled her out of her funk. Wrapping the sheet around her body, she stood to answer it when a strong hand grabbed her upper arm.

“Let me.” Sam blocked her way.

She regarded his back. He was protecting her? It was almost cute. Then again, she’d just been shot by her own kind. Pal Robi would send more of their people after her. Now that they knew she’d stolen from them, there would be a bounty on her head. She needed to start thinking like a fugitive and less like a simple accountant.

Sam peeked through the eyehole, then opened the door to reveal her master. “Daedalus.”

He leaned against the frame, a non-existent eyebrow raised. His gaze traveled from her, dressed in a sheet, to Sam, still naked. “Love at first sight?”

Heat from warm borrowed blood rose to her face. She tossed Sam his torn jeans. “Put something on.” Caught red-handed messing around with a shifter her master apparently didn’t like. Her judgment just kept getting worse. Wasn’t she supposed to grow wiser with age?

Sam grinned at her as he tugged on his pants

She glared in return. “Stop it.”

“I’m not doing anything.” But his grin grew wider with the hidden knowledge that he knew exactly what kind of effect he had on her. The torn material only enhanced Sam’s appeal. She knew he was silently laughing at her. Such arrogance begged to be squashed.

“Enough.” Daedalus closed the door behind him. She’d known him from almost the time of her making and recognized the tiny signs of strain around his mouth and eyes. He was worried. What could he possibly be concerned about?

Butterflies flitted in her stomach, threatening to make her lose the precious blood Sam had gifted her. “Master? What am I to do now?” For one hundred and seven years, she’d been indebted to Daedalus as a servant–whatever she had to do to get the task done in return for protection. She’d never failed him until tonight. Would he set her loose to fend for herself?

“I’m not sure.” He added his glare, at Sam, to hers. “I’ve had an upset fiance to deal with and haven’t looked at the data you retrieved for me yet.”

“She’s mad you didn’t pick her up at rehab. Not because of the shooting. Sugar wanted to help Clementine.” Sam guided her behind him once more, blocking Daedalus from her view. “I helped her, not you. Clementine would have been vampire bait if she’d had to wait a second longer. You need–” Sam’s body rose from the ground as her master picked him up by the throat.

“Don’t tell me what I need to do.”

She froze, torn between her duty and her new growing affection for this shifter with a death wish.

Sam kicked his heels as he struggled for breath.

She placed her hand on her master’s wrist and gathered what courage she’d grown over the century. “Before you tear out his throat, I must confess that I think he speaks the truth.” Her knees knocked together under Daedalus’s cold stare. Nothing frightened her more than his displeasure, but unlike most Nosferatu, he was a just master and didn’t maim or kill on a whim. “He did save me.” This aggression toward Sam was from more than this evening’s events.

Without warning, Daedelus released him.

The shifter landed on his feet and gasped for breath.

She stepped between both males, her hands reaching behind her to stroke Sam, to calm him. The hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end. She didn’t need to see him to know that he was close to shifting. He had taken care of her when no one else would. The least she could do was return the favor.

Daedalus sat on the edge of the bed, his face devoid of emotion. “We should discuss your safety.”

A lump developed in her throat. She fought the urge to swallow, refusing to give away her anxiety.

“It won’t be long before Pal Robi discovers their agents didn’t recover the thumb drive.”

Fear bloomed in her stomach. “I didn’t mean to endanger your home.”

“You didn’t. My enemies know where I am, but now I have the information I need to make an accurate list of names.” With only a slight scowl and a lowering of his brow, a shadow of nightmares formed over her master’s face.

Those idiots were dead. Daedalus had watched the rise and fall of empires, created kings, and watched mortal lives flash before his existence. Clementine chose well to follow him.

In the paranormal world, someone who wished to survive allied themselves with the strong. Her master had always kept her safe even in the most dangerous predicaments, because he was the strongest vampire she’d ever met.

“I have a safe house that is not affiliated with Pal Robi. No one knows about it.” He nodded at Sam. “Not even the Vasi. I’m going to hide Sugar there until these matters are settled, even though she’s adamant about staying home.” He handed her a folded piece of paper, a set of car keys, and a cellphone. “Here are the directions and a vehicle. Sam will remain to protect you. I’ll keep my word and find you somewhere safe to stay until I have my nest under control again. Listen to Sam.”

Her heart fluttered and she restraint the urge to glance at her shifter lover. No, not lover. That was too personal. They barely knew each other, but they were going to have some time to change this.

Sam cleared his throat. “So, I’ll be guarding Sugar as well?”

Clementine ground her teeth. The human again. She’d have to find out what special thing this female contained, and bottle it.

“Spice will be there to help. Once arrangements have been made, we’ll transport Clementine out of the city.” Folding his arms over his chest, Daedalus didn’t release Sam’s gaze. “Don’t fail me.”

Sam opened his mouth to respond, but her master had already left before he could speak, slamming the door in his face. The shifter punched it. “Bastard.” He took a few deep breaths before facing her. “I don’t give a shit about failing him, but I won’t fail you. I’ll keep you safe, Clementine.”

Something warm trickled over her flesh that had nothing to do with his blood coursing through her veins. “I never had a doubt.”