“Believe me or not,” Simon says loftily. God, he’s saying more to Cody than he’s said in what feels like decades.
At the parking garage, Simon reaches for the door—and Cody catches him by the shoulder. His hand is shockingly warm on Simon’s bare skin.
“Me first,” Cody says. When he moves forward, his leather jacket brushes Simon’s arm.
Briefly dazed, Simon follows Cody into the quiet maze of cars. He doesn’t remember when he stopped hating and fearing Cody’s touch. Maybe it’s that jacket. The leather just really fits Cody’s broad shoulders.
Francisco always teased Simon’s dramatic taste in clothing.
Fifty feet from the car, Cody stops short. The garage is packed with vehicles, the nearest heartbeat across the level. Nobody in sight, so what—
The telltale footstep skids at the same instant Cody grabs him. Those large hands aren’t gentle now, but Simon still isn’t afraid. Not until Cody shoves him behind an SUV, so fast his head spins.
A sharp crack. Another. The scent of blood.
For one blazing instant, every solid inch of Cody pins Simon to the car. “Don’t move,” Cody whispers in his ear.
Simon’s hand itches for his own gun, but instead of struggling against the restraint, he melts into it. His mouth waters for the blood. He wants to trust Cody.
Then Cody’s a foot away, gun drawn, eyes closed. Listening. They hear footsteps at the same time—running away. Not towards them.
And Simon realizes the blood is Cody’s.
Chapter 14
Cody
Cody braces behind the SUV, every sense ablaze. His upper arm stings with the gunshot—nothing serious. The bullet hadn’t been silver. The pain is just the sharpest edge of his fury. His quarry runs, and Cody surges in chase.
He only caught a glimpse of the woman before she shot him. She’s wearing a black mask, and there’s something off about her movements. Like she’s never done this before.
A snarl breaks from his throat.
The echo halts him in his tracks. That was a true snarl, shaped by his lengthening jaw. Fur prickles his shoulders, stretching down to his wounded arm. His grip adjusts so he can pull the trigger even with his growing claws. The enemy’s footsteps race towards the stairs, ducking behind cars.
Cody’s every instinct screams to chase, devour, avenge. Discard his gun and rip his enemy apart with his bare hands.Not for hurting him. For threatening Simon. She has to pay in blood.
His nerves sing for him to finish the shift.
But Simon’s cold, dead scent keeps Cody rooted in place. A reminder of his purpose. He’s a bodyguard, not an attack dog. His job is protection, not revenge. Cody inhales, shaky with rage.
Then he looks over his shoulder and meets Simon’s eyes—wary. Distrustful.
Simon must see Cody as he is. An uncontrolled monster, just as dangerous as the fleeing assailant. Simon’s dark glare silences the screaming of Cody’s instincts. Cody takes a deep breath. Exhales.
His shoulders tickle with vanishing fur, and his jaw settles into place.
“Stay down,” Cody says, voice rough.
Simon folds his arms, a strangely defensive posture given his usual self-control. “I heard her running, too. She’s already gone.”
“There could be others,” Cody says. “I need to clear the area, then lead us to your car.”
Simon looks like he wants to argue, but thankfully just nods.
Time to follow protocol, as much as possible. Usually, Cody would have called the cops already. That isn’t an option when he’s guarding a vampire.
Gun held low, Cody cautiously inspects their surroundings. This floor of the parking garage is quiet. One floor up, a family bickers. One floor down, a group of drunk partiers giggles incessantly, hopefully with a designated driver.
