Blood Rain. Amy Blankenship
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Lacey countered stubbornly.
âI donât need anyone to save my life⦠or have you forgotten my little disability,â Vincent thundered, stepping closer so he could glare down at her. He watched her lips part with her sharp intake of breath and instantly regretted the fact that he knew exactly how to hurt her the most.
His features softened when she reached out as if to touch his cheek, but the resounding smack that echoed across the room caused his frown to return full force. Fine⦠maybe he deserved that, though he couldnât fathom why.
âThatâs for killing yourself right in front of me you heartless ass,â Lacey said harshly, before adding a little louder, âand just because you donât remember it doesnât mean I forgive you.â
âDuly noted,â Vincent responded sarcastically when Lacey spun on her heels and strode to the desk Storm was sitting behind.
Lacey placed her palms on the desk top and leaned forward to whisper to Storm. âSorry⦠I wasn't supposed to say anything about that⦠was I?â
Storm tried like hell to keep eye contact with her but, even in doing so, he could still see almost all of her breasts because of the way she was leaning forward in the sexy little dress heâd picked out for her. Sometimes he outsmarted himself.
âSomeone was bound to mention it to him sooner or later,â he answered, having teleported beside her but now facing the other two men. He rubbed his chin to hide his smirk when Lacey slowly turned her head to stare at him but didnât rise up from her sexy little position. âRen, how about filling in the database on tonightâs undertaking.â
Ren was suddenly behind the desk, startling Lacey enough for her to jerk her gaze up to him, only to find that he wasn't staring at her face. She glanced down in confusion then stilled, seeing just what he was staring at⦠her breasts. Refusing to take the embarrassment, she gave him a wicked smile before slowly rising up and turning her back on him.
Storm cocked an amused eyebrow when Ren turned to look at him accusingly. That little slice of eye candy wasn't his fault⦠at least heâd shared a tasty bite. He returned his attention to Vincent, who was still standing there stroking his chin thoughtfully while watching Lacey.
âI donât want to talk about it,â Lacey informed him, ending the line of questioning before it could even start.
Vincent raised his hands in surrender, âFine.â
âDid you agree to join PIT,â she asked, softening her voice. She tried not to pay attention to the fact that one of his cheeks was now several shades redder due to her temper.
âI reckon I did love,â Vincent responded, now knowing Storm had gotten him good on that little deal. She obviously hadnât been in any danger at all and the Time Walker would have known that for a fact.
âHey, I told you she was fine,â Storm defended himself with a shrug, when Vincent gave him a brooding look.
âWhatâs the catch,â Vincent asked, not really all that upset heâd been tricked into making a deal that bound him to a legendary Time Walker and the elusive PIT organization.
âYou have to have a partner,â Lacey quickly answered, remembering the reasoning behind the rule.
âAre you offering?â Vincent smirked, liking the deal more and more by the minute.
âNo,â Ren answered for her. âSheâs mine.â
Lacey blinked at the possessiveness in Renâs voice, but she didnât call him a liar. She glanced over at Storm curiously. âHas there ever been a threesome?â She didnât catch the wrongness of the question until she noticed Vincentâs right eyebrow rise several notches and heard a low growl coming from behind her.
âOh geez, get over it you perverts. I didnât mean it that way and you know it,â Lacey insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. She blinked, having to block out all kinds of dirty thoughts that were suddenly trying to become images in her dirty little mind.
Storm rubbed his temple trying not to laugh. Someone had to come to her rescue, and it looked like it was going to have to be him. âSometimes PIT teams do go out together in groups, but even then, you have that one special person that you keep an extra eye out for, and vice versa. I happen to know the perfect temporary partner for Vincent, since it just so happens that personâs partner is missing in action at the moment.â
âWell, it doesnât sound like this person kept a very good eye on his last partner⦠now does it,â Vincent pointed out, feeling a bit sarcastic and not caring if they liked it or not. He frowned at Lacey wondering when heâd become so attached to her. The fact that heâd seen red when Ren had boldly announced âsheâs mineâ was not a good sign.
âItâs kind of hard to keep your eyes on a shape shifter thatâs gone into stealth mode. Iâm sure Trevor is around here somewhere, but in what form even I donât know,â Storm defended.
âA shape shifter⦠really,â Vincent asked, feeling like he was suddenly in a paranormal candy store with all kinds of exotic flavors. He understood true shape shifters werenât fables but the demons in the thievery ring had searched for one forever and never been successful in locating such an enigma.
âYouâre going to put him with Chad,â Ren asked, though he wasn't really against the idea if it got the other man away from Lacey.
âThink about it⦠they both seem to have the same affliction,â Storm pointed out helpfully knowing Ren would catch the hidden meaning.
âYou mean he has a fetish for dying?â Vincent made a face since that was the affliction Storm had rightfully accused him of having. He ignored the sharp glare Lacey was suddenly giving him. She hated it when he talked about dying as if it was no big deal. âIf you were going to put me with a demon, then why didnât you just leave me with the demons I was already used to?â
âChad is one hundred percent human but Storm is right. He was murdered recently⦠stabbed in the heart.â Ren paused, seeing a warning look from Storm and secretly tapped into Storm's inner voice only to find out he wasn't to say a single word about the Fallen⦠neither Kriss nor Dean. He had to concentrate to keep a straight face as he connected the dots.
Returning his full attention to Vincent, Ren continued. âChad is back up walking around and still just as human as you are. So far, Chadâs only died once and that was against his will, so I wouldnât call it a fetish.â
âThe next time he dies he could stay dead⦠or not,â Storm offered. âEither way, Iâm not allowed to tell spoilers.â
âYeah right,â Vincent said, feeling his sarcasm kick back in.
âHeâs not lying,â Lacey insisted, stepping closer to Storm. âIf he tells someone whatâs going to happen in the future or even hints at it, he starts to bleed from injuries we canât even see.â
She turned to gaze up at Storm and reached out to tenderly touch his upper arm. âIâve seen it happen,â she said sadly. âYou broke the rule and bled for me. Those horrible things went all of the way through me tonight. I would be dead right now if you hadnât warned Ren of what was coming.â
Storm tried to keep the love from shining in his eyes as he stared down at Lacey and felt her gentle touch⦠but he did love her dearly, so it was hard. âYou being here right now made it worth every drop,â he said honestly, before lifting his gaze to lock with Ren's. âBesides, the consequences of you dying seriously sucked and thatâs not a spoiler since it didnât happen.â