He moved onto the bed, lay down beside her, and held her in his arms, cradling her against his chest. Instead of fighting him, Sydney laid her head across his chest and allowed him to hold her, to care for her. She was safe with him. She needed this. “Kade, I’m sorry. You need to know that this is who I am. I'm a fighter. And what just happened...I just can’t forget it. I plan on finding this bitch and taking her out. The dead girls, and now this. I have a feeling that it will only continue. Killers like Simone, they don’t usually stop. They hone their craft, believing they are smarter than the cops, but we usually get them. She will make a mistake, something...I sure as hell hope we get some clues about where she is down in New Orleans.”
Kade kissed the top of her head. His heart swelled at his brave warrior’s words. She’d just been attacked and here she was ready to get back in the fight. He knew that telling her ‘no’ would be useless. He would put a security detail on her once they got home. Home? His home. Their home. He would protect her, so this never happened again. No matter how tough she thought she was, a vampire could easily kill her. She had gotten lucky back in the condo. She wasn’t even trained to fight with vampires; a few stakes didn’t make a human safe.
Kade felt Sydney start to doze off as he held her. It felt so right to have her in his arms. Soon they would land and they would begin the hunt for Simone. He heard a knock at the cabin door. “Come in.” Kade continued to lay motionless in the bed with Sydney, not wanting to disturb her. He wasn’t ready let her go yet.
Luca stepped in and raised an eyebrow at Kade. He had known his friend for a long time and knew Sydney was changing him. Still he was wary of the human. They could not always be trusted, and they were so weak, easily broken. “Kade, we are landing in about thirty minutes. How’s the detective?” Luca preferred to keep it professional. Even if the woman was tough, it didn’t mean she would survive the impending fight.
“She’ll be fine tomorrow. Right now, she needs rest. I will make sure she sleeps so she heals. Is security in place for when we land?”
“Yes, it’s all in place. Etienne and Xavier are meeting us at the airport to help with the transfer. Dominique is at the compound securing things.”
“Thanks, tell Dom that I will need her help with Sydney when we get there. Make sure they all know she is arriving. Also, make sure they understand that she is under my protection and must not be touched. Am I clear?” Kade knew the other vampires might feel tempted with a new human on site. While they often had human donors and staff work at the compound, he did not want anyone to think she was available for their needs. She was his.
“Yes, it will all be ready. Do you need help with Miss Willows?”
“No thanks, I’ve got her. Just make sure Etienne and Xavier are ready to go. I don’t want to waste time at the airport. Simone could have minions anywhere at this point. We need to get to a safe location. Any word from Ilsbeth?”
“Yes, she has been in seclusion with her coven. I summoned her to the compound, and she is expected to arrive tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Luca. We will need her assistance locating Simone. We also need to get details on what kind of magic is being used...why the girls were killed in the manner they were. Something is off.” As Luca left, Kade pulled the blanket up over Sydney’s shoulders. Finally, they’d be back in New Orleans. He could feel his power increasing, thrumming throughout his body as they got closer to the city. No one was going to hurt Sydney again and live to talk about it.
Chapter Ten
Sydney woke in the middle of the night to find she was naked in a strange bed. Nice. This was turning out to be a fine damn week. Not that she generally had a problem with nudity, but it was a little disconcerting to know someone undressed her somewhere between thirty thousand feet and here...wherever 'here' was. She guessed she was at Kade’s house...well, she sure as hell hoped that’s where she was. She looked around at the benign setting. Sydney was surprised to wake up in such a girly room. The violet bedroom was decorated with cream, shabby-chic furniture. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought she was in a Vermont bed and breakfast.
“Hey, Sunshine, ‘bout time you woke up. My ass is getting sore sitting here playing nursemaid.” Sydney looked over to see a beautiful, tall, red-haired woman sitting in a large, white, leather chair.
“Nursemaid? Really? Okay, number one, I’m fine.” She winced as she sat up in bed, keeping the sheet up against her chest. “Number two, where is Kade?” She was still feeling like shit, but she wasn’t about to let 'Ginger' think otherwise. Between her unearthly beauty and pale skin, Sydney guessed the stranger in her room was a vampire. Show no fear.
“Yeah, okay. Well, Kade says you are not fine. And with Simone looking for your pretty little ass, I would be a little more grateful for a personal guard.” The woman walked across the room, opened a large wardrobe, and held up a dress. “I guessed your size and brought over some clothes. Your purse is in the bathroom. Luca brought it...thought you might need it, shoes are in the closet. As for Kade, he should be here soon. So you might as well know that you really don’t look so great. Might want to go take a shower.” She put the dress back into the wardrobe and opened another door. “Bathroom is here. Robe and slippers are in there too. Just like the freakin’ Hilton, huh?” She coyly smiled at Sydney. “So, guess that is about it. As soon as Kade gets here, I’m done. Xavier will be on next.” She walked over to another door and put a hand to her hip.
Sydney had just about enough of the welcome speech. She felt as though she was in a bad horror movie. “Thanks for the tour. While it is true that Simone sent someone to attack me, I do not need a guard. You can ask the last vamp...oh, that’s right, you can’t, because he’s now a pile of ash. That being said, thanks for the clothes. I don’t intend to stay here long, but I appreciate something to wear.”
The strange woman zipped across the room and was face to face with Sydney within seconds. “Sydney darling, I work for Kade, not you. If he says you need a guard, you get one. If you have a problem with that, take it up with Kade. I follow orders...that’s how this goes. And if you like living, human, you should accept it.” And with that, she strode out of the room and slammed the door.
Sydney shrugged. She was getting sick of this vampire shit. She wanted a shower, food and then she fully intended to leave. There was no way in hell she was spending her days living in a house full of vampires. Even though she remembered the wonderful feel of Kade’s strong arms on the plane, she wanted no part of his world. It wasn’t going to work. She reasoned that she could get a room at the Hotel Monteleone and work with Kade from there. She was willing to continue her partnership with Kade until they found Simone, or another dead girl showed up in Philly. There was so much to do. She needed to call into her office.
Her weapons? She ran over to the wardrobe and found her purse. Well, at least something had gone right: wallet, cell, charger but her weapons, that she’d so carefully prepared, were back in her condo. She felt naked, and it had nothing to do with her nudity. She clicked through her contacts and pressed the call button for Tristan. He picked up. “Tristan! Thank God.”
“Hey, Sydney. You okay? Kade called me and told me about the vampire. Listen, Syd...I need to talk to you.” There was a period of silence as if he was seeking the right words. “Kade told me that he told you everything about Simone. I know I should have told you, but I was just hoping that it wasn’t her.”