Page 58 of Blades and Bone

“I think you need to call Vivian, and I need to call Garrick. I don’t think we trust anyone else. Not even your previously trusted security staff.” His hand was getting sticky from pressing the tea towel, and the towel was turning red.

“I don’t know either of these men.” He glanced up. “Feed. We’ll put some clothes on and then make calls.”

He didn’t really want to feed on the man who’d attacked him, even though it was the smart thing to do. He’d drunk so much blood over the last couple of days, more than he usually did in a month, but he also didn’t want to be leaking blood everywhere, or walking around with a stab wound, as they drew attention.

Hamish sank to his knees and bit the man’s neck, sucking to draw out the blood since his heart was no longer beating. When he’d taken what he figured was enough, he wiped his mouth and sat on the floor.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Brodie asked, still naked and using tea towels to tie the man’s hands and feet behind his back.

“Yeah, just the post-adrenaline slump.”

“How did you know they were in the house?”

“I was awake…couldn’t sleep, and I was listening to all the weird noises. Then I heard something that didn’t seem right, so I got up. I saw one of them, but not the other. They came in through the sliding door. I got jumped. That was when I flicked on the light, hoping it would wake you up.”

“Why didn’t you call out?”

“Because he had his arm around my throat, and before that I didn’t want them to realize I was standing there. Do you think I let them in or something?”

“No, if they had red hearts, maybe.” He gave the knot binding the man’s hands to his feet a tug, then walked over and pulled Hamish up off the floor. “I have a first-aid kit in the bathroom, so let’s find a proper bandage to keep it covered while it heals.”

It was already burning uncomfortably. It would be a scar by dawn, so it wasn’t worth the fuss, but he let Brodie lead him to the bathroom, and then undo the tea towel, tossing it on the floor of the shower, and cover the ragged stab wound with an oversized dressing.

“You did well, but we will need to put that body out for daylight.”

“You don’t have a cleanup kit?”

“I’m concerned that your family does… Did they bring it?”

“If they did, they didn’t tell me.” He straightened his arm and rotated his wrist, feeling the pull as muscle fibers knitted together. “I’ll ask.”

Brodie washed his hands and ran his fingers through his hair. “I want to say it’s safer to meet at the bungalow and get everyone together, but… that’s probably what they’re expecting. I need to defer to your expertise.”

“I’ve been on exactly one job, and we all know how that ended.”

Brodie smiled. “From what I hear, you took Frankie Orlan hostage, saved a human reporter, took out several Orlan recruits, and were rewarded with a marriage to the wealthy Ashby family.”

Hamish laughed and shook his head. “I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

Brodie captured Hamish’s chin, so he had to meet those hazel eyes. “It’s the way I see it.” He leaned in and claimed his lips, slowly like they had the rest of the night, and no would-be assassins tied up in the living room. “Mmm, we should definitely get dressed before I get distracted and show you how much I enjoyed watching you fight.”

“I didn’t think you were looking; you were too busy swinging that dick.”

Brodie took another kiss. “I told you, anything can be a weapon, and that one has some serious weight. I’m pretty sure glass would’ve shattered when struck with a knife.”

“Are you dissing my selection?”

“You can give me your expert opinion when it arrives.”

“If you’d told me I was shopping for toys that double as weapons, I’d have made different choices.”

“Just remember, the important part of that sentence is double as weapons—that means it also is a toy that you enjoy.” He sighed. “That one will never be used again. Took too many cuts.”

“At least it wasn’t you.”

Brodie nodded. “You got lucky.”

Getting stabbed anywhere else would have been a lot worse. “I have a horrible feeling they didn’t want us dead.”