“It is incredible. We have dances, but nothing likethis.”
“What?” She arched a teasing eyebrow at him. “No one jumps around like they’re hooked toadrenaline?”
He laughed, his gaze still on the dancers. “Our music is different,too.”
She could just imagine, people dancing daintily in circles around a ring of flowers, or was it mushrooms? The waiter set their drinks on thetable.
“Want to give human-style dancing ashot?”
“It looks like fun. A moment—” He shifted on the chair and pulled out a cell phone from his pants pocket and read a message. Shae blinked. Heck, she didn’t know he even possessed one. He looked up. “Dagan will behere.”
Her mouth snapped shut, betrayal forming a hard lump in her tummy. “You told him?Why?”
“I had to.” A red tinge washed his grave features. “You have dangerous foes after you, Shae. If anything happened on my watch, I’d never forgivemyself.”
Realizing she could do nothing, she drank some of her vodka tonic. Apparently, all immortals were single-minded when playing guard. At least, he hadn’t mentioned she was a job. God, she was starting to hate theword.
Desperately needing a few minutes alone, she pushed to her feet. “I’m going to the restroom.” The one place her guards couldn’t trespass. Shehoped.
Angelus rose. “Where isit?”
Hell, she had no idea. Lied. “Just past the bar. I won’t be long.” She spun away and cut through the thickeningcrowd.
“Shae?”
At the unfamiliar accented voice, she looked around and forced a smile as the friendly pharmacist detached himself from thebar.
“What a pleasure meeting you here,” Vasile Petre said, stopping near her. “Are youalone?”
“No. I’m with afriend.”
Cautiously, he looked around, no doubt recalling Dagan’s aggressiveness the afternoon outside hisstore.
“I’m with friends, too.” He stuck a thumb over his shoulder. “When you’re free, call me, maybe we can havedrinks?”
She doubted that would ever happen when she had babysitters twenty-four-seven.
Prickles of awareness skated over her skin like an electrical spark. She didn’t have to look to know who it was. Still, it was impossible not to. She rubbed her arms and glanced across the club to the busy entrance. Being so tall, Dagan stood heads above the partygoers. Like magnets, their gazes connected, then his slid to her side. He went motionless, even the air around himstilled.
A hand touched her arm. “So you’ll callme?”
She looked blankly at Vasile and must have nodded because he smiled and ambled off to his friends. But at the hard set of Dagan’s jaw, she swallowed a sigh. People cleared out of his way as he strode to her. Yeah, he’d think theworst.
A woman in tight jeans and a halter-top stepped into his path, stopping him. He cut her a brief look. Though nothing showed on his face, Shae realized she couldn’t even blame him. With a double dose of god and vampire magnetism, everyone was drawn to him. Even the damnrats.
How else could a predator tempt his prey tohim?
But when the woman and held out a paper napkin, probably with a phone number, the abyss inside her deepened, knowing as far ashewas concerned, there was nothing between them. He’d made thatclear.
No matter the attraction, he was a Guardian, and she, his assignment. She was a fool to think otherwise or wish formore.
Desperate to get out of this suddenly airless place, and with no way to avoid him, Shae hurried past. Callused fingers snagged her wrist, halting her flight. “Let me go,” she hissed at him. “I’mleaving.”
“You are leaving.” His cold expression morphed into hard anger. “Withme.”
The woman glowered daggers at Shae, still clutching the papernapkin.
Dagan hauled her to the exit, the crowd instantly parting, giving them way. He strode down the cobblestone street and into the shadowy thoroughfare just off the mainroad.
