“What the hell?” he asked.

“Blitz attack. But I got us out in one piece. Listen, this vampire knows where Killean is right now. He may be our only chance at getting him but we have to act quickly. If they don’t show up with us in tow within the expected time Killean might cut bait and run.”

“Why the hell does Killean want you so bad?” Rafe asked, sitting up and taking in his surroundings. There was blood spatter all over the inside of the van from her having blown out the vampires’ brains. “How many were there?”

“Five total. But now we’re down to one. And they don’t want me. They want you. I think they took me to use as a means to get you to cooperate with them. They would’ve probably tortured me in front of you to coerce you into giving away information about the diplomats that are in town.”

Rafe touched the back of his head where his wound was. His fingers came away bloody.

“Those sick bastards,” he said with feeling. “They’re lucky you killed them first. I might not have been so kind as to end it quickly. But it was smart thinking to keep this one alive.”

Rafe reached out and opened the door to the side of the van. He got out then reached in for the body of the other vampire. He hauled him up over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and they left the van behind and headed for the elevators. Rafe scanned his card and they went shooting up to the sky lobby. There they switched elevators and went up to the penthouse. Meanwhile, Renee found herself having a hard time putting her gun away. She felt the need to be in a constant state of readiness, something she had learned in the academy. However, it could be exhausting to remain in that state for long periods of time. She had to behave judiciously.

She followed Rafe out of the elevator and down the hallway to a pair of grand double doors that obviously led into the penthouse apartment. Rafe rang the bell then pounded on the door for good measure. After a short while the door opened revealing a petite woman.

“Darcy, I need to see the queen.”

“Yes, sir. Of course. She’s in her office.”

To Darcy’s credit she didn’t bat an eye at the unconscious man draped over Rafe’s shoulder. She simply turned aside and let them enter the house. Rafe was obviously familiar with the place because he headed straight down a nearby hallway and arrived at a second set of double doors. He pushed them open without knocking and they entered the room.

A beautiful redheaded woman sat on a sofa in a large conversation area, her bare feet tucked up beneath her and a book open in her lap. She looked up at Rafe with a small measure of surprise. She arched a brow when Rafe hoisted his baggage off his shoulder and dropped it hard on the unforgiving wood floor in front of the couch. The unconscious vampire groaned softly at the abuse. The groan made Renee worry that he was coming out of his forced sleep.

“Well, Rafe, what have you brought me today?” the woman—Renee could only assume she was the queen—put her book aside slowly, dog-earing the page she was on as if she had all the time in the world and there was nothing to get excited over. She was a graceful woman. By her smart, elegant suit, it was clear to see she was sophisticated and fashion forward. Her long red hair was swept up into an elaborately coiffed style that lifted her mass of hair off her shoulders and onto the top of her head. Renee envied her the look she seemed to wear so easily. Her own curly hair would never behave long enough to be so beautifully styled and her figure was far from elegant.

“This sycophant and his companions just tried to kidnap me and Renee only minutes ago.”

Alarm struck the queen’s serene features. “Are you okay?” She was on her feet in the next instant and was suddenly mere inches away from Rafe, her hands cupping his head as she inspected it. She noticed the blood and gasped in a small breath. “Rafe!”

“It’s nothing,” Rafe insisted, catching her hands in his and drawing them down to rest against his chest.

Renee felt the hot lick of jealousy pulse through her before she could think to check the emotion. The queen was far too close to him. Far too familiar with him. There was clearly a lot of intimate history between them. Renee could see it in the way they met each other’s eyes and modulated their voices. The queen was precious to Rafe.

Did that mean they were intimate on a physical level? She had no idea what Rafe’s ideas of intimacy were. Was he one of those men who slept with whatever woman struck his fancy? Was she just the flavor of the week? She had not thought to ask him what the nature of their relationship was to him. If it could be called a relationship. They’d known each other a few days, they’d had sex a few times. She had no claim on him.

So then why did it feel like she was on fire with jealousy over how close they seemed to be? She wasn’t even the jealous type! What was wrong with her? There were other more serious problems to be worried about.

“Call Danton. And Halo. We’ll need every good man we can get. This phant knows where Killean is this very moment. We have no time to waste. If he doesn’t return with us soon Killean will know they failed and he’ll move on,” Rafe told her.

“I’ll call right away. This might finally be the chance we were looking for! Thank you, Rafe.”

“Don’t thank me. Thank Renee. If not for her and her police skills, we would still be held captive. Killean would have used me and killed us both when I didn’t give him what he wanted.”

“Thank you then, Renee. I cannot express to you how special Rafe is to me. You have saved one of the true treasures of this nation. Not to mention my own personal feelings.” The queen blinked her eyes rapidly and looked away, but not before Renee could see the tears wetting her lashes. Renee’s feeling of possessiveness grew stronger and she couldn’t help herself when she moved up beside Rafe and pulled at his arm a little. He stepped away from the queen and moved closer to her and she felt immediate relief. But all the same he reached out a hand and stroked his fingers over the queen’s face fondly.

“Don’t be upset,” he soothed her. “I am fine. We are all fine.”

Renee had been on the receiving end of that touch herself and she felt wickedly angry emotions roiling beneath her surfaces. Did he touch all the women he knew like that? With that intimacy that made them feel like they were the only one in the world who mattered to him?

“Now I need to focus on getting Danton here with as many others as possible,” Rafe said, moving away from the queen and facing Renee. He touched her down the length of her throat and she felt her breath catch beneath his hand. Maybe he did touch every woman he met like that. Maybe she shouldn’t assign so much meaning to it. Still, it hurt to not be special in his eyes. Especially when he had grown so special to her.