Eat Prey Love (11 page)

“Not violent, huh?” Carlos smirked.

She glared at him. “Don't push me.”

With a chuckle, he yanked the stake out of the dummy. “Now you can learn how to fight a Malcontent who's awake.”

She crossed her arms, frowning. “Emma said I would be helping with investigations. They don't
expect me to jump into a fight with the Malcontents. They have warriors for that.”

He scoffed. “If a group of Malcontents attack, do you think they'll leave you alone because you're mortal and didn't sign up for the fight? You'll be our weakest link. They'll attack you first.”

She gulped. “But the Vamps would be there to protect me, right?”

“They would try, but if they're fighting for their own survival, you could be on your own.” He fitted a hangman's noose around the mannequin's neck, then climbed onto a chair to attach the end of the noose to a pulley attached to the ceiling.

He jumped to the floor, then set the chair against the wall. “Now Igor is awake and moving.” Carlos pulled on a rope, and the mannequin rose in the air. “Take the stake and kill him.”

She picked up the wooden stake and slowly approached Igor.

“You'd better be quick,” Carlos warned her as he jerked repeatedly on the rope, making Igor dance. “If he gets his hands on your neck, he'll rip your head off.”

Again with the head ripping
. Caitlyn grimaced and held up the stake. She bent her knees in time with the bouncing Igor. It was a bit like jumping rope, Double Dutch style. She'd been good at that as a young girl. It was all about timing.

She waited as he descended to the bottom of his bounce, then pounced, ramming the stake into his straw body.

“Got him!” She jumped back, grinning.

Igor grew still. Carlos winced.

Her smile faded. “I—I think you must have
pulled him up a little quicker than I anticipated.” Poor Igor had a massive stake embedded in his groin.

“Please tell me you were aiming at his chest.”

“Of course I was.” She shrugged. “At least now he can't father any evil Malcontent babies.”

“He never could. Vampires are infertile. All you've done is piss Igor off. He'll make a grab for you and—”

“Rip my head off, I know.”

Carlos arched a brow at her, then retrieved the chair and released Igor from the pulley. “The best way to survive a vampire attack is to never let them get too close.”

“'Cause they'll rip my head off,” she muttered.

“Exactly.” He hung Igor up against the far wall. “If you can throw a knife and hit him in the heart, you can avoid hand-to-hand combat. I'll show you how it's done.”

She stepped back as Carlos selected a vicious looking knife off the billiard table. He took aim and threw. The knife spun through the air, and
thwack!
It pierced Igor right through his straw heart.

“That would turn him to dust.” Carlos jogged up to the mannequin and ripped the knife out.

“Is stabbing them in the heart the only way to stop them? It seems so violent.” She gave him a playful smile. “Have you tried economic sanctions?”

He snorted, then walked back toward her. “You can set them on fire, burn them with sunlight, or cut their heads off.”

“Sounds like fun,” she muttered.

He handed her the knife. “Your turn.”

She gripped the handle and reared her hand back. It had to be like throwing a softball. Unfortunately, she'd never been good at that.

“Wait.” He grabbed her wrist. “You're holding it too tight. Relax.” He loosened her fingers.

Tingles spread from her fingers and up her arm. She drew in a sharp breath as her heart began to pound.

His eyes met hers briefly, then he let go and stepped back. “Throw. Throw it hard. Turn Igor into dust.”

“Okay.” She reared back, then threw the knife hard. It arched in the air, then plummeted to the floor with a clatter halfway to Igor. She winced. “I…missed.”

Carlos was silent a moment. “Is that as hard as you can throw?”

“I don't really know. I stopped throwing things at people when I was two.”

He retrieved another knife from the table. “Try again.”

She gave it all she had, but the knife clattered onto the floor a few inches from the first.

“You don't have any upper body strength,” he muttered. “Do you ever do push-ups?”

She gave him a flirtatious smile. “Of course. There's nothing sexier than a Wonder Bra.”

His gaze dipped briefly to her breasts and his jaw ticked. “Come on.” He motioned for her to follow as he strode toward the fallen knives. He picked them up and handed her one.

“Try again.” He stepped back.

She flung the knife. It spun nicely toward Igor
but hit his chest with the handle and clanged to the floor.

“Not bad.” He handed her the second knife. “Put more power into it.”

“Agh!” She threw the knife with every bit of strength she could muster. It flew toward Igor, and
thwack!
“I did it!” She turned to Carlos, grinning.

The stunned look on his face made her glance back at Igor. She winced.

Carlos gave her a wary look. “I'm detecting a certain pattern here.” He walked over to Igor and yanked the knife out of his groin.

“I really was aiming at his chest.”

Carlos snorted, then picked the second knife off the floor. “I was going to do fencing next, but I can guess how that would end.”

She frowned. “It's not a big deal. It's not like Igor needs his equipment.”

“You would be fencing against me.” Carlos walked toward her, his eyes gleaming. “And I definitely need my equipment.”

Her heartbeat raced as he came closer and closer. He stopped just an inch away from her.

“Down on the floor,” he whispered.

H
e was playing with fire but couldn't resist. She looked so damned hot with her hair loose about her shoulders, her long bare legs, and her tight little T-shirt that moved with every breath she took. Her face was flushed with exertion. And something else—desire.

It hung heavy in the narrow space between them, seeking to pull them together like a magnet. He'd made the mistake once of kissing her. It had taken all his strength to step back and resist taking more.

And now she was slowly lowering herself to her knees in front of him. His groin tightened as she reached eye level with his white karate pants.
Merda
, why was he torturing himself? He wanted her. She wanted him. She'd practically begged him to kiss her last night. If the damned cameras hadn't been on, he might have succumbed.

From the minute he first laid eyes on Caitlyn, he'd been gripped with a desperate desire, and it was only getting worse with each day.
Take her. On the floor. Now.

He clutched his hands into fists. It was wrong. He couldn't take pleasure from her when he had no intention of staying with her. His future had been decided long ago during the Summer of Death.

He gritted his teeth. “Give me twenty.”

Her eyes widened. “Twenty?” She glanced warily at his pants. “You must have awfully good stamina.”

Hot blood rushed to his groin, causing him to swell. He stepped back. “Twenty push-ups.”

“Oh.” She made a face. “There's no way I can do twenty of those.”

“Then you need to do them every day until you can.” He motioned with his hand. “Come on. Get started.”

“Okay.” She balanced herself on her hands and toes with her arms locked straight. She bent her elbows and descended toward the floor. Halfway there her arms shook and she collapsed onto the floor. “Okay, that's one.”

“One-half,” he muttered. “Try doing it on your knees.”

She snorted. “I bet you say that to all the girls.” With a groan, she lifted herself up.

“Your body should make a flat line. You're sticking your rump in the air.” He leaned over and gave her rear end a light slap.

“Hey!” She glared at him over her shoulder. Before she turned away, a mischievous look
gleamed in her eyes. She collapsed onto the floor. “That's two.”

“One and a half. And you're supposed to control your descent.”

She lifted herself up again, pushing back to stick her rump out even more. She glanced at him with an expectant look.

Naughty little minx
. “You want to be spanked?”

Her mouth twitched. “Do you?”

He groaned. “You can finish on your own later.”

“My life story,” she muttered as she rose to a standing position.

He clenched his fists to keep from grabbing her.
Stop playing with fire.
He needed to stick to business.

“I'd better check on the Vamps.” He strode toward the basement dormitory where Phineas was sleeping. “I have to check on them every few hours to make sure they're okay.”

“What could go wrong?” She followed him into the dark dormitory. “Aren't they dead during the day?”

“Yes.” He flipped on the lights. “This is just a precaution.”

“In case of what? Can they grow more dead?”

“In case someone manages to sneak into the house undetected to do them harm.” He scanned the large room. It was mostly empty now, just a few twin-sized beds. “When I first started working here, there were a few Highlander guards, and they slept in coffins down here.”

“You're kidding.”

“No.” He walked toward Phineas's bed. “Angus
had the coffins removed. If anyone in law enforcement was to present us with a search warrant, the coffins would have been hard to explain.”

“So would the dead bodies.” She glanced curiously at Phineas. “He looks like he's sleeping.”

The young Vamp had sprawled on the bed on his tummy with an arm dangling over the edge.

Caitlyn giggled as she drew closer. “Look at his boxer shorts. They're perfect for a Love Doctor.”

Carlos frowned at the white satin shorts with red hearts. His frown deepened when he realized Caitlyn was openly studying the half-naked Vamp. He grabbed the sheet at the bottom of the bed and covered Phineas up.

Her mouth twitched. “Right. He might catch his death of cold. Does he have a girlfriend?”

Carlos's chest tightened painfully. “Why do you want to know?”

She smiled. “I was just wondering if the Love Doctor had his own lady love.”

“He does,” Carlos said quickly, then reconsidered. “Well, he hopes he does. He's been pursuing a mortal woman named LaToya, but I believe she told him to take a hike.”

“Oh, how sad.” Caitlyn picked a photo frame off Phineas's bedside table. “Is this his family?”

“Yes, his aunt, and his younger brother and sister. Phineas supports them all.”

“He's their hero.” She set the photo down. “If they're still alive, then he must be a fairly young vampire?”

“Yes, just a few years.” Carlos shifted his weight. “Why are you so interested?”

She shrugged. “I've been plunged into a whole
new world that I need to learn about. It's all fascinating, really.”

“You find vampires fascinating?”

“Yes.” Her mouth curled up as she gave him a flirtatious look. “Shifters, too.”

His chest tightened. And then his groin. “You're not turned off by claws and teeth—”

“And fur balls?” She grinned. “As far as I'm concerned, the more exotic, the more I like it.”

A low growl rumbled in his throat, and her smile faded. Her eyes widened with a big turquoise take-me look.

Merda
. He hadn't meant to growl. He was losing control. With a mental shake, he strode toward the door. “I need to check on Angus and Emma.”

She followed him up the back stairs to the foyer. “I think I'll take a break and grab something to drink in the kitchen.”

“You should come with me.”

She gave him a dubious look. “To the fourth floor?”

“It'll be good cardio for you.” Carlos jogged up the stairs. “Come on.”

She groaned, then ran up the stairs after him. On the third floor landing she stopped to catch her breath.

“Come on.” He continued to climb.

“What's the hurry?” She trudged up the stairs. “It's not like they're going anywhere.”

“Keep moving. It'll help you get in shape.” He sprinted up the last few steps to the fourth floor. “This is the room Angus and Emma use.” He opened the door and flipped on the lights.

Caitlyn winced as she joined him. “I would be
so angry if somebody turned on the lights while I was sleeping.”

“They're not sleeping.” He spotted them in bed, then crossed the room to make sure the aluminum blinds on the windows were shut tight.

“Oh my gosh, look.” Caitlyn slowly approached the bed.

Carlos glanced over and noted the Vamp couple appeared to be naked. A bedsheet covered the bottom half of their bodies, and Angus's broad back and arm hid Emma's breasts.

Caitlyn quickly dragged the comforter up to their shoulders. “I think they were making love,” she whispered.

“None of our business.” Carlos headed back to the door.

“They were gazing into each other's eyes.” Caitlyn clasped her hands together and her eyes gleamed with moisture. “They died in each others' arms. It's so beautiful.”

Carlos paused at the door with his hand on the light switch. “Death is never beautiful,
menina
.”

She turned to look at him with her misty blue eyes. “You saw most of your kind die, didn't you?”

He glanced away so she wouldn't see his face twist with pain.

“Did you lose your family?” she asked softly.

He pushed away the images of his dead parents and brother. He couldn't afford to confide in Caitlyn. She was such a compassionate soul, she would try to comfort him, and that would be a disaster. He'd suffered for so long, he would be powerless to resist her.

He switched off the light. “Let's get back to work.”

He headed down the stairs, reminding himself not to touch her. He was too close to the breaking point.

Would this day of torture never end?

 

Would this day never end? Caitlyn asked herself after an hour of lifting weights and jumping rope. The man was trying to kill her. She felt sweaty and grimy, and he still looked gorgeous, like it was all a walk in the park.

They moved on to the punching bag. The first time she jabbed the damned thing, it rebounded and smacked her in the face. After thirty minutes of learning how to execute jabs, hooks, and upper-cuts, her arms were sore and aching.

She stumbled when Carlos had her perform a combination.

“Don't lose your balance,” he warned her. “Keep your knees bent. Stay light on your feet. Shift your weight.”

She shot him an annoyed look. He'd been barking out orders like a drill sergeant. “My arms are falling off.”

He scowled at her. “Fine.” He strode toward an exercise mat. “We'll do some tae kwan do. I'll show you some of the basic kicks.”

Caitlyn hated to admit it, since he was torturing her, but she loved watching him move. He was so strong and graceful at the same time.

He moved off the mat. “Now you try.”

She bowed to him, repeated every kick he'd performed, then bowed again.

His eyes widened. “You've studied martial arts.”

She shrugged with a smug smile. “A little. I wanted to be able to shop without getting mugged. I take my shopping very seriously.”

He snorted. “Let's see how well you can defend yourself.” He stepped onto the mat and bowed to her.

She bowed back, then took a defensive pose. When he advanced with a slow and basic set of punches, she blocked them all. “You're babying me.”

“Just trying to see what you're capable of.” He grinned. “This is great news. I'll be able to train you much faster than I had originally thought.”

So he could leave sooner to find his perfect mate. A twinge of anger needled her. She wasn't good enough for him. She wasn't furry.

He stepped back. “Let's see what you can do. Attack me.”

Oh, she felt like attacking him now. She moved toward him with a quick succession of jabs and kicks.

He smiled as he easily blocked her. “Not bad.”

She jumped back, glaring at him. “Don't patronize me.”

“
Menina,
I'm truly glad you've had some training. We need to work on your kicks, though. You need to aim for your opponent's chest to make him lose his balance. Now came at me and kick as high as you can.”

“You got it.” She swung her right leg up.

He grabbed her foot one inch away from his groin. “Not funny, Caitlyn. I'm not the straw dummy.”

“I didn't aim—”

“Do you have something against a man's balls?”

“No! I'm just not very limber.” She hopped around on one foot. “Can you let me go? I'm about to fall.”

He dropped her foot. “Try it again. And aim for my chest this time.”

She winced. She'd aimed for his chest the first time. She leaned back to kick as high as she could but put so much power into the swing of her leg that both feet flew up and she fell, landing with a smack on her back.

“Ow.” She lay there dazed.

“Sorry about that.” He leaned over, offering her a hand to help her up. “Are you okay?”

The amused look on his face made her snap. He'd tortured her for the last few hours. And he was eager to leave her so he could find a mangy were-panther.

She grabbed his hand, rolled halfway up, then jerked hard, making him fall on top of her. His weight knocked her breathless for a second, but the victory was worth it.

“Sorry about that,” she said sweetly. “Are you okay?”

He lifted himself onto his elbows and frowned at her. “Not a good strategy,
menina
. You don't want your opponent on top of you.”

“Really?” She rubbed a bare foot against his leg and wrapped her hands around his neck. “I kinda like it.”

The golden flecks in his eyes glittered like amber. His jaw shifted as if he was grinding his teeth.

She slipped her fingers under the neckline of
his white T-shirt and tugged it down. “I've been wanting to see your tattoo for days.” It looked like a black panther leaping through flames.

He grabbed her wrist. “Stop it. We can't—”

She shoved him. Since he'd been supporting himself on only one arm, he lost his balance and landed on his back. She straddled him, sitting up on her knees. “Don't tell me what I can't do.”

He attempted to sit up, but she pushed him back down, pinning him down at the shoulders.

His eyes gleamed. “I could get up if I wanted to.”

“Then I guess you don't want to.” She lowered her hips until she was sitting on his groin.

He hissed in a breath.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “I was aiming for your chest.”

His mouth twitched. “That's what you always say.” His smile turned into a grimace. “You naughty minx. You're torturing me.”

“I hope so. 'Cause you're torturing me, too.” She moved her hips to rub herself against him. He was already swollen. And hard.

“Catalina.” He placed his hands on her face. His breaths were quick and choppy. “You've got to stop me.”

“No.”

With a growl, he flipped her onto her back and claimed her mouth with his own.