“A lock of my hair.”
“Virgin’s sacrifice?”
She blushed, looking at her hands. Her virginity, along with a couple of other quirks, amped up the power of her gifts. For the blue-bloods, gifted human virgins had become so prized that there was a growing professional guild. Part of Katya’s guardian role was making sure Sophie stayed a virgin so she could join the guild and provide DNA to vampir hired sorcerers.
Jumper whistled from the back.
“I look like I rely on sorcery to get shit done?” Micah glanced at her as he drove, one eyebrow raised. He sounded insulted.
“You don’t want it, boss, I do. I’ll drive her home, nice and safe, after we get the shit done.” Jumper spoke in Spanish, but faster and more fluid than before. It was harder for Sophie to decipher, but she played it back through her head, picking out the words she knew.It was the second most used language in Old City, no matter which side of eyeninety a person lived on. Most red-bloods from Hyde learned the basics while living in the vampir slave pens as children.
Micah responded in English. “You do nothing. You understand me?”
Jumper grunted, instantly caving to the other man.
“Please, I just want to get back to Hyde,” Sophie said.
“Do you? You sure about that? Why even take the risk coming here then?”
Sophie shook her head. He already knew more than she wanted about her.
“Keeping secrets, baby? Already? We haven’t even known each other long. It will go better for you if you don’t hide things from me.” He brushed a finger over the damp jean material covering her knee, an incidental touch to get her attention. Shifters were touchy-feely.
Sophie felt that blush heat her cheeks again. She needed to get out of this car.
“I got some shit to take care of. Guess you gonna come along. Can’t have you out there, walking around causing trouble.”
“Trouble? I did nothing.”
He barked out a laugh. “You have no clue, do you? None at all.”
She didn’t. She didn’t know what he was talking about.
He made a bearish grumbling sound. The guy called Jumper leaned forward, trying to get his head between the seats.
“Wooo-eeeee. How old are you, honey? If you are a virgin, with that face and those tits, you gotta be young and fresh. How old?”
“Jumper,” Micah growled.
“Shit, man, I just want to talk to her. Lemme get to know her.” Jumper was not ugly, but his attitude was total sleazeball. And Micah… well, he’d just forced her into his car.She didn’t want to be this close to either of them.
“Sit back, you idiot.”
With some ugly cussing, Jumper tried to make his case.
“Jumper!” Micah snapped. Sophie jumped. His eyes cut to her briefly, then back to the road. “I need to tell you again?”
“Fuck. Fine.” Jumper settled himself in the back seat, hard, like a petulant child.
“I gotta do this thing.” He pulled the car over into an alley and parked it. It was darker now, and the rain coming down harder. “You’re gonna come in with us, I think. I don’t want you running off or some shit. You do what I say, not gonna hurt you. You come into the building, stand where I tell you, and you do not speak. Fifteen minutes. Then we come back, and you tell me why you’re in this part of town and I decide what’s next, okay? Hey, gimme my coat Jumper, yeah?”
He reached an arm back, brought forth a hoodie. Shoving it at Sophie, he commanded, “Put that on.”
“I don’t—thank you. I’m fine.” She didn’t want it. Huge and distinctly masculine, the zip-front hoodie was saturated in his scent. Scent meant a hundred things to shifters, she knew. She didn’t want it near her because wearing a guy’s clothes implied ownership.
“Baby.” He pushed the hoodie at her again, his voice lowering in warning. “You do what I tell you. Put. It. On.”
She wanted to melt into the seat
