Primal Instincts (22 page)

“Fine!” Francesca called after him. “Just don’t expect me to be here when you come out.”

“Those boys did not bring their A game,” Crowe commented as he came out of the store behind Tobias.

The Purists had rushed into the store first, to find the Crew waiting. They’d been taken prisoner, even the one who’d managed to slice Ali across the arm with a silver knife. Ali had been a bit testy about that, but at least his attacker was still breathing. The Primes had not been treated so gently. All that had been learned from the vampires was that they were Harpies, but that was no surprise.

“I think they’re running out of players,” Tobias answered.

“That means we’re winning,” Ed added.

As far as the attrition rate of the other side, Ed was right. But Tobias had a feeling . . .

The mortal women Francesca had been worried about were fine and were being escorted to their homes. Their memories were altered and all the damage to the shop would be taken care of before the women were allowed to return. The Dark Angels had the expertise of thousands of years of immortal-kind dwelling invisibly among mortal-kind to call upon in making it all seem normal.

Tobias looked up and down the street. Members of the Crew went about their assignments. All was as it should be in his world, except he already knew Francesca wasn’t there. Her absence was an ache.

“Damn it! Where did that woman go?” he demanded of the first street guard he spotted. “Lady Francesca,” he said, elaborating for the young Prime who stared at him in confusion. “Where did she and the women with her go?”

“She took them in one of our cars. She said she was going to Idaho, boss.” He handed over a handheld GPS unit. “But she went here. The location’s already guarded.”

Crowe peered around Tobias’s shoulder. “I know that address.”

“So do I.” Not that he and Crowe wouldn’t be able to follow the psychic call of their bondmates, but it was nice to have specific directions in the
traffic-snarled hell of the L.A. area.

“It’s too bad vampires can’t fly,” he complained.

“Want me to call in a chopper, boss?” Ali asked as he joined them.

Tobias gave the enthusiastic young Prime a quelling look, then asked, “Where do you think you’re going?” when Ali climbed into the backseat of the nearest vehicle as he and Crowe got into the front.

“Kea’s with your ladies, right?” Ali answered. “She’s from the clinic, and I’m wounded. She’ll find fixing me up romantic.”

“Ah, romance is in the air for one and all,” Crowe said.

“Yeah.” Tobias pulled the SUV out onto the street. “We’re all just full of it.”

“Francesca!” Tobias shouted.

The group of women seated in Domini’s kitchen jumped as the door slammed. Chiana was the only one seated around the kitchen table who didn’t look amused at this obvious sign of Primal annoyance.

Rose giggled and stood, facing the doorway into the living room. “Anthony’s with him.”

“So’s Ali,” Kea said, equally pleased at this vampire invasion.

“Francesca!” Tobias’s shout was louder this time.

“At least he didn’t call you Flare,” Domini said.

“That is a point in his favor,” Francesca said in agreement as Tobias came stomping into the room, Crowe and Ali right behind him.

Domini touched her forehead and smiled. “I can tell Alec will be home any moment. We’ll have Primes falling out the windows if we try to pack any more in.”

Domini and Alec’s house was small but had a large yard. It was set in a canyon in the hills above the city. There was nothing lavish about the place. Francesca was glad her brother had insisted on adding a couple of rooms when he’d settled into the house his bondmate owned. The Reynards were a luxury-loving lot.

Domini collected Navajo rugs and art that featured condors. Francesca didn’t understand her sister-in-law’s fondness for overgrown buzzards, but she was amused by the idea that Domini planned to start a new Clan and name it Condor when she finished the slow transition from mortal woman to vampire female.

Francesca rejoiced that Domini was one of the rare women who actually could make the transition into a different type of being through the bondmate link. The more female vampires the better, Francesca thought. It was especially good to have the Matri of a new Clan joining the ranks who wasn’t burdened with all the baggage piled onto females born into Clan culture.

“Are you going to go see what Mr. Grumpy Pants is yelling about? Or would you rather this be a public argument?” Domini asked, interrupting Francesca’s reverie.

Francesca’s heart was racing and everything in her was pulled toward Tobias, even though her thoughts had tried to veer away from him.

She gave Domini a smile and accepted a fresh mug of coffee from her before she walked from the kitchen into the living room. Anthony and Ali moved past her into the kitchen as she came in, but Tobias stayed planted in the living room, glowering at the sight of her, his arms folded across his broad chest.

He looked good when he was angry. She sensed the excitement in his blood, stirred by combat and now focused on her. She fought not to go weak in the knees in reaction. How could they ever get anything done with all this mutual attraction flashing between them?

Francesca came close and held out the coffee. “It’s fresh.”

He glanced at the mug. “Do you think that having my hands occupied will stop me from throttling you?”

“You have no intention of throttling me. Ravishing, maybe,” she added, going for an ironic tone but wondering if her words came out sounding a little more hopeful than she’d intended.

Bonding. Damn.

He took the mug, and heat that had nothing to do with the hot coffee coursed between them. They both took a step back, though neither moved very far.

“What are you annoyed about?” she asked while he gulped down the coffee.

“What are you doing here?” he asked when he
was done. “I thought you were going to Idaho.”

“Uh . . . yes . . .”

“Then why are you here?”

His words hit her as much in her pride as in her heart. She had to leave him, but the last thing she’d expected was for Tobias to actually want her to go. He was supposed to argue about it, at least take a lot of convincing to agree that she was doing the noble, necessary thing. He could at least have praised her selflessness.

He wasn’t supposed to accept that she needed to get out of his hair, what little there was of it, without being at least a bit brokenhearted.

She wished she hadn’t given him the hot coffee, because now she couldn’t fling it into his face.

Primes did not reject Francesca Reynard!

Calm down, girl
, Francesca told herself.
You’re not really that shallow and selfish.

“This house isn’t as secure as—”

“It’s guarded. I’m here because it’s my brother’s house.” She sneered. “Oh, and I’m sure we’re all in the safest spot in the world because you’re here now.”

Maybe she
was
a little bit shallow and selfish.

Apparently he was wearing sarcasm armor, because he didn’t so much as blink or budge or give a
hint of a thought away. He could read her thoughts so much more easily than she could his.

“Lots of practice dealing with different types of telepaths,” he told her.

And he was smug about it.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re the best at what you do.”

“I need to do what I do right now. You wasted my time bringing everyone here.”

“I knew what I was doing. She needs—”

“Which one—”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Alec demanded. Her brother slammed the front door, all righteousness, with a Dudley Do-Right chin and laser-etched cheekbones. “Get away from my sister, Strahan.”

Tobias thrust the empty mug back into her hands. He turned to the enraged Reynard Prime come to defend her honor and delicate sensibilities.

“Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” she murmured.

Alec went on. “You’ve put her in enough danger, Strahan. I’ve heard all about last night.”

“We were rather noisy,” Tobias replied with laconic indifference to Alec’s outrage. “But since you weren’t there you don’t have reason to complain about my and your sister’s mating waking you up.”

Alec looked between her and Tobias. “She can have sex with whoever she wants. I’m talking about
your using her as a decoy at Wilde’s house. And I’ve heard about the bomb at the Citadel. And the latest shopping escapade–slash–kidnap attempt.”

“How do you know about that?” Tobias asked. “We just wound that op up.”

“My bondmate called me on my way home,” Alec answered. “What were you thinking? Don’t you care that you’ve been putting a female in danger?”

All right, I’ve had enough defending now.
Francesca put herself between the two Primes, facing her brother. “What are you going to do, Alexander? Tell Mom?”

“Precisely.”

“Mom’s already pulled the magic-ruby-ring ploy on me. She can’t evoke obedience by sending that to anyone more than once.”

“Mom will not condone your fraternizing with Strahan.”

She laughed. “Mom’s the one who put him up to everything that’s happened.”

“Not the dangerous stuff,” Tobias said. “She only wanted me to get you pregnant.”

Alec’s boiling rage immediately turned down to a low simmer, but his curiosity level rose. He started using all his senses as well. “You’re bonding with my sister?”

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Francesca complained. “Which it is, but it’s also none of your
business, Alexander.”

Alec laughed. He gave Tobias a friendly punch on the arm. “Welcome to the family.”

“Thanks.” Tobias turned back to her and to business. “Which one of your girlfriends is it?”

“The who is pretty obvious once you take a good look at Chiana’s emotional state, but I haven’t asked her why.”

She tossed the empty mug to her stupidly grinning brother. “I’m going to be an uncle,” Alec said.

That wasn’t what he’d been told, but there were more important things than babies to think about at the moment. “Come on, Tobias, she’s waiting in the kitchen.”

B
e gentle with her, Tobias.

She’s a traitor
, he reminded Francesca.
She tried to kill you with a bomb.

She planted a bomb in my bag to explode at the Citadel and attract mortal attention. That’s not quite the same thing.

To Tobias it was. He didn’t care how stable C4 was before being set off, the traitor had used Francesca to deliver the bomb. She could have died and he couldn’t be gentle with anyone who put her at risk. Alexander Reynard was right to be angry that his sister had been in danger. Tobias was angry with himself for his part in putting her in peril, no matter how much she liked it.

“She’s not getting away with—”

“Gentle.” Francesca put her hand on his shoulder before he stepped through the kitchen doorway. Her concern and compassion flowed through the
connection between them. “Just look at her, Tobias.”

The wereseal was alone in the kitchen. Sitting at the kitchen table, drawn in on herself, the small woman seemed to be shrinking away to nothing. She turned huge dark eyes on him that were full of terror and confusion, but Tobias didn’t think she was actually looking at him, actually afraid of him. Her fear was for something, someone, else.

“What the hell happened to you, girl?” he asked.

Chiana turned sharply away. “I can’t talk to vampires. I can’t.”

As Tobias came closer the little woman slipped off the chair. She curled around herself on the floor, moaning.

When Francesca started to help the selkie, Tobias put his arm out to stop her. “Listen to what she said,” he said in response to her outraged look. “Ali!” he called. “Where are you? Bring Kea in here.”

The pair emerged from a bathroom off the kitchen. Ali’s shirt was off and Kea held a tube of anti-silver medicinal cream.

“What are you doing?” Kea dropped the tube and ran to kneel by her friend. She glared up at Tobias while Chiana clutched at her. “She’s sick.”

“I know,” Tobias answered. “You can help her.”

“Help me!” Chiana cried between sobs.

Kea held the selkie close. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

“I’ve been trying for months and nobody listens! He hurt me and took . . . me, and nobody sees or feels or cares.” She buried her face against Kea’s shoulder while the woman held her tight, looking angrily up at Tobias.

“Not me,” Tobias said. “Ask her who took her self away. Ask her why she’s working with the Purists.”

“Purists! Don’t be ridiculous. She’s—”

“Ask her. I can’t.”

Chiana turned her head and looked past him rather than at him. “You all think like mortals. You don’t think you do, but you do. Nobody
listens.
”

“What don’t we listen to?” Tobias asked gently. “Ask her, Kea.”

“All right,” Kea said, conceding. “What haven’t I listened to you about, Chiana?”

“Him!” Chiana shouted. It was a cry of pain. “Them,” she added in a faint whisper.

“Oh my goddess!” Kea looked up sharply. “Her mortal boyfriend! She has a mortal boy-friend.”

“Werefolk mingle with their own kinds,” Tobias said. He recalled that he had a bonding werewolf and vampire serving in the Dark Angels, but neither was mortal, were they? “Why would she even tell you
she’s with a mortal?” he asked Kea.

Kea closed her eyes for a moment. She stroked Chiana’s hair. “Oh, honey, you were trying to tell me something, weren’t you?”

“What did she tell you about this mortal?” Tobias asked.

Kea gathered her thoughts for a moment. “She met this guy while she was on vacation and he moved in with her. Not long before the attacks started,” she added thoughtfully.

“He doesn’t like her to shift to her seal form,” Francesca added. “Ed told me it’s making her sick.”

“A selkie needs to swim,” Tobias said. “Swim or die.”

“Why don’t you shift, honey?” Kea asked. “No mortal’s opinion could mean that much to you.”

“I can’t! I can’t!” Chiana pulled away from Kea and rose to her knees, screaming. “I’m going to die!” She looked around wildly. “They made me do it, but I deserve to die!”