Alistair growls deep in his throat, then latches on to my wrist. A shudder runs up my spine. It’s followed immediately by a zap of arousal so sharp it almost hurts. I swallow the moan that wants to escape, shocked as my battle adrenaline switches to white-hot lust in a heartbeat.
Footsteps echo around the corner as Alistair opens his mouth around my wrist. “Pull the sword out. Now. Keep pressure. More blood.”
I nod, gripping the hilt of the weapon with my free hand. “Do you want me to do a countdown or?—”
“Yank it out, demon,” he snarls.
“What the fuck is going on?”
I ignore Luca’s frantic voice and pull with all my strength, removing the sword from Alistair’s gut. The sucking sound it makes as it exits his body will stick with me for a long time. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard. So bad, actually, I think I’ll add it to my nightmare rotation.
Alistair groans, then goes silent. Too silent. I press the tattered remains of his shirt into the wound. My panic spikes as the suction on my wrist slows.
“None of that,” I snap. “You’ve got to suck harder, dude. You’re not dying in the damn street after I jumped in to rescue you. Someone has to tell Celine how heroic I was.”
“Did you kill all of these?—”
“Help or shut up,” I hiss at Luca.
“What do you need me to do?” His voice is solid, and it makes me feel a little calmer.
“Put pressure on the wound or take over as his blood bank. I can’t do everything.”
I bite my lip as another wave of desire swamps me. I don’t tell Luca this, but my new fear is that I might come in my pants. I’m going to have a stern talk with my cock later for betraying me this way.
Luca kneels at my side, balling up his flannel shirt and pressing it against Alistair’s stomach. It’s got to be excruciating, but Alistair barely stirs.
With one hand free, I yank on his hair until his eyes snap open. “You’re biting me like a baby,” I taunt. “Do better or die—your choice.”
Alistair growls, and with his fangs buried in my wrist, the vibration sends a disturbing combination of pain and pleasure ricocheting through my nerve endings. He grabs my forearm and holds it to his mouth, red eyes searching my face. I can’t help it; I start panting and moaning like I just booked my first porno.
“Do you have a boner?”
“Why would you think that?” I demand, clinging to my dignity through sheer denial.
Luca chuckles, and the sound makes me shiver. “Because Alistair has his fangs inside you, and I’ve seen the effect that has on a person.”
I gasp, relieved beyond relief, then laugh out loud. “Kinky. He’d get along great with my brother.” Luca raises one eyebrow, and I hear myself rambling. “He’s an incubus demon. His blood... You know what, never mind. I’m oversharing.”
“What happened?” Luca asks, dipping his head toward the bodies.
“I left the bar and was walking back to my place when I heard the fight. I don’t know what started it, but these three were all over him. I finished them off, but one of them had already stabbed him.” All of my practice with partial truths comes in clutch, making me sound the perfect amount of innocent, surprised, and reluctantly heroic.
“Mmm.”
I study Luca. His brow is furrowed, and I don’t miss the tired but loaded look Alistair gives him. Irritation flares up as I realize they’re hiding as much information from me as I’m hiding from them.
“I’ve never seen this many angels in one place,” I say. I’ve earned the right to do some fishing. “Is Vegas some sort of celestial hot spot?”
“Mmm,” Luca hums again noncommittally.
“Cool,” I drawl. “I’ll shut up and think about how close I am to ruining my favorite pair of jeans.”
“Mmm.”
“If you say ‘mmm’ again, I’m going to lose my shit.”
“How did you kill them all without getting hurt?” Luca is prying now, not even bothering to hide his nosiness.
