I tapped my finger against the rim of my plate. “How many women have you courted?”
“None.”
“Why? Were you not up to their standards, or were they not up to yours?”
The energy in the room shifted, and I inched my left leg around the chair in preparation to bolt.
The motive against Vampires seemed clear to me. One snatching his woman out from under him must have been a blow to his ego. No wonder he seemed threatened by Christian as my partner. Was this some sort of sick game of pursuit in order to relive his past and come out the champion? Still, it didn’t explain why he was killing women in the first place.
Glass drew in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before turning to face me. He put his hands in his pockets, a mechanical smile on his face. “Would you like to see something?”
I jumped in my chair when the doorbell rang.
Alarm flickered in his eyes, and he grabbed the knife off the table before heading to the door. “Stay here,” he said. “I never have visitors.”
Chapter 24
Dear God, Christian was going to murder my date.
How else would a man react after being accused of a crime he didn’t commit, only to find out the accuser was the perpetrator? I shouldn’t have told him that Glass was the killer. Now he was probably on the warpath, and I didn’t feel like burning down another house to cover up his dirty deeds.
As Glass stalked toward the front door, knife in hand, I jogged behind him and grabbed my purse.
When he opened the door, I stopped in my tracks.
Christian was leaning against the doorjamb, his legs crossed at the ankle and a jaunty smile on his face. “Did I miss the appetizers?”
Glass half turned and gave me a sharp glare.
Before I could say anything, Christian spoke. “I’m here on official business, Chitah. My partner and I have been summoned by our boss, so I’ve come to collect her. But I’m not going to stand here and pretend it doesn’t bother me that my partner is romantically involved with a business acquaintance. That’s a conflict of interest in my book. Raven, let’s go.”
I slowly approached the door, keeping my eye on the knife in Glass’s hand. “Sorry, Will. My boss sent me a text earlier about a kidnapping, and I didn’t want it to ruin our dinner. That’s why I haven’t been myself.”
Glass turned around to face me, his voice low. “I can drive you.”
“’Fraid not,” Christian interrupted. “We’re in a rush, and something tells me a law-abiding man such as yourself would follow the speed limit. This is life and death we’re talking about. Raven…” He inclined his head and held out his hand.
Glass gave me an icy stare. “I can’t let you walk out of here with a Vampire. He’s a suspect.”
“Can’t you?” Christian said. “Unless you can supply more evidence than a borrowed scarf and an old candy wrapper, I’m afraid you can’t slander my name by calling me a killer.”
Ignoring Christian, Glass seized my wrist. By the way his nostrils were twitching, I could only imagine what he was smelling. Probably a mixture of bathroom deodorizer and adrenaline.
Christian edged into view and gripped his arm—the one holding me, not the one with the knife. “Take your hands off her.”
I got butterflies in my stomach when a dark look flickered in his obsidian eyes.
Glass snarled at Christian, and his canines punched out. “Did I invite you intomyhouse?”
“Whoa.” I stepped between them. “Let’s not end this date in bloodshed. Christian, I’m coming. Will, I’m sorry, but when my boss calls, I can’t ignore him. I’m sure you know what that’s like, working for the higher authority.” As much as I wanted to tell Glass that he had shitty taste in beer, I decided to play it smooth and maintain our relationship. “I’ll text you when I get back to let you know I’m okay. Unless you want to call me?”
Please don’t want to call me.
Glass retracted his fangs, making him look less like a saber-toothed tiger. He scratched the side of his nose and then shook his head. “Go on. I don’t want any trouble in my house.”
“Don’t be mad.” I touched his arm, gazing up into his golden eyes rimmed in black.
He brushed his knuckles across my cheek, and I suddenly felt Christian’s hand on my back.
