The Fire Within (11 page)

Gabriel froze in the act of pulling open the fridge. “What did he say?”

“Something about my woman not surviving the week.”

Gabriel pulled out a can of cola and handed it over before grabbing a ginger ale for himself. “You don’t have a woman. Not anymore.”

Dante could feel his cheeks begin to burn. Damn it, he hated blushing, especially in front of Gabriel. It was so fucking unmanly. “I have a date tonight.”

“Who?”

“Elizabeth Rand.” Gabriel coughed and turned away, but not before Dante saw the smirk on his face. “It’s not funny. How in the hell did the Shem figure out I’m seeing someone?”

“Good question.” Gabriel turned back around and popped the top on the can. “Most Shem work alone.”

“So this guy is shadowing me? Great.”

“Or he’s shadowing Elizabeth.” Gabriel’s unease seemed to match Dante’s own.

Dante gritted his teeth. He’d rather find that the Angelus was watching him. At least he could defend himself against it. Elizabeth didn’t stand a chance. “What do I do to protect her?”

“She knows about us. Tell your brothers what was said.”

“Damien and Seth were both there when the Shem threatened her. They know already.”

Gabriel took a sip of his soda. “Then I’ll inform your other brothers as well. They’ll keep their eyes open. If the Shem is shadowing her, they’ll help protect her.”

“Even Piotr?” As if. The man hated him.

Gabriel’s brows rose. “
I
trust in him.”

Dante winced. He knew a reprimand when he heard one. But how to explain that Piotr set off every instinct he had? The man was bad news, and no one but he and Damien seemed to see it. “There’s just something about him that bothers me. He never comes here. He never takes part in meetings unless they’re mandatory. He uses his business as a shield to keep the rest of us at bay. What is he hiding?”

“Dante...” Gabriel sighed. “If I told you
I
know why Piotr stays apart from the rest of us, will you give him the benefit of the doubt?”

“Maybe.” He ignored the slight shake of Gabriel’s head. The angel might be disappointed in him, but until Dante was satisfied Piotr wasn’t a threat, he was holding on to his suspicions. Even Gabriel could be fooled. He glanced down at his watch. “I’d better get going. Elizabeth is expecting me.”

“Consider her your top priority. If the Angelus has targeted her, you know what her fate may be.”

Dante shuddered. “Yeah.” The fear and anger that rose within him called forth his inner fire. It danced along his arms, raced down his spine. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

“When it’s time, bring her to me.” Gabriel’s serene expression baffled him.

“Time for what?”

“You’ll know.” Gabriel took the soda from him and escorted him to the front door.

“And the Azar?”

“You’ll find him with Elizabeth’s help. If you need the others, they’ll come.” Gabriel opened the door, letting in the frigid air. “Enjoy your date, Dante.”

“Thanks. Stay safe, my brother.”

The pleasure that lit Gabriel’s expression whenever one of them spoke that phrase to him was bright. “Stay safe, my brother.”

Dante left Gabriel’s home feeling more confused than when he arrived, but at least Gabriel now knew Elizabeth was in danger. That alone had made the trip worth it. Gabriel would never allow any harm to come to a human one of his Neph cared about, and Dante found he cared far more than he was completely comfortable with.

Elizabeth was nothing like Lillian. Already she’d proven she was his equal in many ways. The knowledge that he had a partner who was worthy of bringing before Gabriel and the others, one who didn’t shy away from the supernatural parts of his existence, told him more about how he’d felt about Lillian than anything possibly could have. It wasn’t just the fact that she’d cheated on him that had ruined their marriage. He’d needed someone who matched his fire.

He’d needed Elizabeth. And he’d do everything in his power to make sure her flame never went out.

Chapter Nine

Dante showed up on the stroke of seven, clutching a single red rose in his hand. Beth was oddly touched at the old-fashioned gesture. The romance behind it wasn’t something she was used to. Most of the men she dated took her to ball games and bought her hot dogs and soft pretzels.

It was sweet, and not something she would have expected from him.

She smiled as she took the rose. “Thank you.”

Dante cleared his throat. “You look good.”

She’d chosen to dress simply for their first date, in the same black leather jeans that she’d worn the night before in the club. She’d paired them with a hot pink turtleneck sweater that played peek-a-boo with her midriff. The sleeves hid the bruise on her arm.

She didn’t want any reminders of the asshole he’d put on the ground getting in the way of their date.

“So do you.” The tight red button-down shirt and black jeans hugged his body in all the right places. She waved him into her apartment and tried not to react to the heat in his gaze. “I can’t remember the last time someone brought me flowers.” She put a small bud vase under the faucet and filled it with water, then carefully arranged the rose and baby’s breath within until she was satisfied with the arrangement. She looked up to see Dante watching her, a strange smile on his face. “What?”

“Sorry, for a moment there you actually looked domesticated.” He grinned as she bared her teeth at him. “Want to come over here and try that?” he asked softly.

Beth took a deep breath and reminded herself not to rise to the bait. Rising to the bait was what had gotten her into this mess. The last thing she needed to do was fall for her partner. “We’re going dancing, remember?”

“Right. You decided to challenge the ‘old man.’ Still think I don’t have what it takes to keep up with you?”

She wasn’t certain, but she didn’t think they were talking about dancing anymore. “We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?” She reached for her jacket and put it on, then pulled her purse over her shoulder. She dug her keys out of her pocket and guided him out of the apartment, locking the door.

No going back now
, she thought as they walked down the stairs to his car. She just hoped they weren’t both making the biggest mistake of their lives.

The restaurant he chose was quiet and intimate, the seafood excellent. “I thought the traditional first date was dinner and a movie.”

“Only if you’re still a poor college student. At the very least, if you’re going to take a woman to a movie, you have to make sure there are subtitles or it doesn’t count.”

The disgust in his voice had her grinning. “Gotten complaints before?”

He looked perplexed. “No, it’s not that. Just once, I’d like to take a woman out on a date and not feel that I haven’t managed to live up to her expectations.”

The honesty of the reply surprised her. She let out a small laugh. “You don’t have to worry about that with me. So far I don’t have any expectations.” She toyed with her angel hair pasta. The food was delicious, but she was so nervous that she hadn’t been able to take more than a mouthful of it. Hell, she was still shocked she’d said yes, despite her attraction to him.

This was
so
not going to end well.

“Hmm. You keep picking at your food like that and I’ll have to carry you onto the dance floor.” The look on his face was warm with sensuality.

“
Pfft.
In your dreams.” She took a huge mouthful of the pasta and nearly choked on it.

“Oh, yeah, that’s much better. I’ve dreamed of performing the Heimlich on you.”

She glared at him as she chewed vigorously on the pasta. His only response was a challenging grin. “I don’t have to put up with abuse, you know,” she replied once she’d swallowed.

“I bet there are people just lining up to abuse you.”

“Ha ha. That’s very funny, Mr. Charming.”

“That would be Detective Charming to you.”

She’d never expected to actually have fun on the date. “How many princesses did you have to suck up to before one would finally kiss you?”

He raised one golden brow. “Ribbit.”

She couldn’t help herself. She dissolved into helpless laughter. Not even the self-satisfied expression on his face could dampen it.

He held up a forkful of his shrimp scampi and offered her a bite. “Want to try something different?”

She felt the laughter die away, to be replaced by wariness. It wasn’t just a bite of shrimp he was offering. If she accepted that stupid, buttery shrimp, she’d also be accepting the man who went with it.

Beth was nothing if not cautious. She never took a serious life-altering step without analyzing it to death, resurrecting it, and then analyzing it some more. The fact that Dante was a Nephilim, like Seth, should have had her running out the door and back to her apartment.

As much as she wanted to look into the puzzle of the Neph, she just wasn’t sure she wanted to get involved with one.

Especially one as stubborn as Dante Zucco.

Dante’s gaze dared her to run, and she swore his eyes glowed with fiery light.

Damn it to hell.

She accepted the proffered bite.

* * *

Dante was enjoying himself more with Elizabeth than he’d thought possible. Once in the club, she’d pulled him out onto the dance floor with an enthusiasm he’d found enchanting. She’d done her best to dance him into the ground too, and had been surprised—unpleasantly so to judge by her expression—when he’d not only managed to keep up but had begun to outlast her.

It was hard going, though. Watching her body move in those tight pants and sweater had his blood pumping in a way that had nothing to do with dancing and everything to do with the way her ass shook in those sinful leather pants. He wondered if she’d move with that same sensuality and energy if she was under him in bed.

Just the thought of it was enough to send him back out onto the dance floor, fantasies flitting one after another as he pulled her tight against him. It was all he could do not to drag her off the dance floor and into one of the shadowed corners to devour her.

It was pure torture to feel her move against him, smiling like the cat who’d gotten the cream. He told himself over and over again that he’d end the evening, leave before things got to the point of no return, but they’d passed that stage way before he’d had a chance to react. Now, all he could do was watch, and want her.

And he
did
want her, to the point of madness. It was insane, how badly he wanted Elizabeth. She was everything he’d thought he didn’t want in a woman, all hard planes and angles, no softness or give to her at all. She would challenge him every chance she got, fight him every step of the way, and in general make his life...

Interesting.

At least he’d never be bored.

He’d be able to talk about work without fear that she’d demand more than he could give, and he’d be able to return the favor. She even knew his deepest secret, yet here she was, rubbing against him and making him crazy. She teased him, tantalized him and challenged him in ways she probably didn’t even realize. He wanted her under him, over him, any way he could get her. He wanted to fuck her over and over again until they both were drained, exhausted. He wanted to know if she would use her nails on his skin, and how it would feel to watch her shatter in his arms. If he could get her to that point, they would be explosive together.

Neither of them was the type for a one-night stand. He knew enough about her background to know that she’d never go for that sort of relationship. A not-so-quick phone call to Lakisha had told him more than just Elizabeth’s home life had sucked.

Her mother bounced from man to man, never thinking of the consequences of her actions. If his information was correct, she was on the verge of leaving husband number five, and had had numerous affairs, married or not.

And her father was absentee, leaving Elizabeth in her mother’s hands.

It had left a mark on her. Instead of becoming like her parents, she was loyal, dedicated and—

She wriggled her ass against his aching erection.

And absolutely the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

It was all he could do to keep his hands off her ass and on her waist, but even that was a temptation. That barely there strip of smooth skin teased him to push that sweater up, cup her small breasts in his hands. He bet they’d fit in his palms, the perfect size to toy with.

She pulled his head down. “Thirsty?”

He nodded, but before he could move she walked away from him toward the bar. She’d insisted, since he’d paid for dinner and the admission to the club, on buying all the drinks. He didn’t mind. He didn’t plan on drinking much, anyway. He’d need a clear head to deal with his throbbing dick once they were back at her apartment.

He wanted her, but he wasn’t going to fuck her.

Not tonight.

No matter how badly he wanted to.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the asshole from the other night, the one who’d put a bruise on her. The jerk noticed him at roughly the same time and flinched.

Good. Let the fucker keep on going. In fact, Dante should just follow behind him and encourage him to leave the club altogether.

Maybe even the state.

Hell, Delaware was kind of small. He could force the guy to head toward the West coast.

“What are you scowling at?” Elizabeth yelled in his ear over the music.

He turned to her and took his drink. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hair had decided to do its own thing, going wild around her face. She looked like she’d just been made love to. “The jerk who gave you the bruise saw me.”

Her eyes widened behind her glasses. “He’s here?”

He could see the speculative look as she glanced around and decided to head her off at the pass. He grabbed her arm and dragged her away. “He’s not worth it, Elizabeth.”

Just as he pulled her onto the dance floor, the fast-paced music gave way to a slow, dreamy tune. Trying not to think of the consequences, Dante pulled Elizabeth into his arms and began to dance.

What scared him, and made him determined to protect her over everyone else, was the fact that she fitted against him as if they were made for each other. That sensation Seth had tried once to describe to him, the one that told his brother that Abby was the woman for him, now made perfect sense.

Elizabeth Rand was his, whether she knew it or not.

“Fuck me sideways.”

He blinked, shocked. “What?”

She wasn’t looking at him, but over his shoulder. “Todd Blessing is in the club.”

He cursed under his breath and turned them so he could see the would-be governor and his companion. “Is that Kensington with him?”

“Yup.” The heat of passion no longer lit her features. Instead, his girl was on the hunt, watching Blessing and Kensington with an intensity he was all too familiar with.

Something about the way the two of them moved, the way they kept darting peeks to each other and away again put Dante on alert. The moment they made a move to leave the club he followed, aware Elizabeth wasn’t too far behind him.

Something was up, something weird, and he was going to find out what. He grabbed their jackets and her purse out of their booth and hurried after the two men. He managed to keep them in sight almost to the parking lot, watching as the two men climbed into a gold Lincoln and sped off into the night.

“Damn.” Her shoulders sagged. “Tell me I’m not the only one who thinks something strange is going on.”

“You aren’t.” Dante began steering her toward his car. “Let’s see if we can find them.”

Beth shook her head. “I think they’re long gone, but I’m game if you are.”

She stepped around the hood of his car to slide into the passenger seat when something set off an alarm bell. He turned his head just in time to see the dark truck speeding toward her.

She had no time to react. She was going to get hit.

He leapt over the hood of the car and yanked her on top of it just as the truck side-swiped his sedan. Dante was thrown off the hood and landed against the curb, sending searing pain through his shoulder and arm.

“Dante!” Beth landed next to him as the dark truck sped off into the night, barely slowing down to right itself as it took off.

He sat up with a groan and a hastily bit off curse. He was pretty sure he was only bruised. More importantly, someone had tried to kill Elizabeth.

Someone had tried to kill the woman who meant more to him than anything. It was all he could do not to burst into flame on the spot.

He stepped around the hood of his car, and examined the huge dent the dark truck had put in it, in utter silence. When he finally looked at her, the fact that she was perfectly all right couldn’t still the violence in him.

Someone was going to die for this, for trying to snuff out Elizabeth’s life.

* * *

“Well,” she sighed as she inserted her key into her lock, “you certainly are a fun date.”

He hadn’t said a word since the police had left them alone. There hadn’t been much to tell them, but Dante would need to fill in a report for his chief the following day.

She felt extremely disappointed. The date had started out wonderfully, only to end in near disaster.

At least before this he’d talked to her, even if it was to yell at her or tease her, or even threaten her with jail time. Now he just stared into space—the only sign that he was still alive the occasional clenching of his hands.

She opened her door, the warm light from her kitchen that she always left on spilling out into the cold night to illuminate the harsh planes of Dante’s face. She grinned ruefully. “I actually had a good time tonight, up until we almost died. Thanks, Dante.” She turned away from him with a wave and started into her apartment, but when she went to shut the door she found his hand holding it open.

“You’re off the case.”

She stared up at him, shocked. His stare was implacable, his tone ice cold. He meant what he’d said. “What happened tonight was not my fault, Dante.”

“I know that.” He wasn’t giving an inch, and his tone set her hackles up.

“Look, I have as much interest, maybe even more now, in seeing Blake’s murderer put in jail. You think you can tell me to give this case up?” She stepped outside again and punched her finger into his chest. “You’ve got another think coming if you think some jerk with a driver’s license and a vendetta is going to get rid of
me
that easily!
I.
Don’t.
Give.
Up
.” She punctuated each word with a hard jab, but he didn’t even budge. “Not you, not your boss,
no one
is going to pull me off this case. You got that,
Detective?
”