Vampire Mine - Kerrelyn Sparks [76]
She gasped, no doubt surprised by his vampire speed and strength. She attempted to move, but he kept her pinned.
“It was you, aye? Ye’re the one who painted my nails.”
Brynley grabbed his arm and tried to shake him lose. “Let me go, you undead creep!”
He slid his hand up to circle her neck, then leaned closer. “Doona ever mess with me while I’m in my death-sleep.”
“Fine!” Her eyes blazed with anger. “And you stop pawing the angel.”
He released her and stepped back. Holy Christ Almighty, was that what this was about? The women didn’t want him touching Marielle? He glanced at her. She looked miserable, with red-rimmed eyes. She’d gone along with their ridiculous plan. That could only mean she wanted him to stop touching her, too.
An icy cold wave swept through him, chilling him to the bone. “Agreed.” He walked outside.
Pain expanded in his chest, so sudden and so sharp it stole his breath away. Bugger. He’d thought he was too much of a coldhearted bastard to ever get hurt like this. Marielle had certainly proved him wrong.
He removed the shells from the shotgun and laid the weapon on the porch next to the house. The blue tint to his vision was completely gone now. No more rage. Just pain. And sadness.
He retrieved his cell phone from his sporran and called Ian. “Are ye coming to pick up Brynley?”
“Aye, in just a few minutes,” Ian replied. “I—uh, Vanda asked me to spend the night there as Marielle’s protector.”
“Nay. The job is mine. Just come and take Brynley. And . . . bring me some nail polish remover.”
Ian paused. “Some what?”
“Nail polish remover! I assume yer wife has some.”
“Aye. I’ll be there soon.”
Connor rang off and dropped the phone back in his sporran. Bugger. Ian was going to get a big laugh out of this.
“Connor?” Marielle’s voice sounded soft and hesitant behind him.
His heart squeezed in his chest. He didn’t turn around, didn’t want her to see the pain on his face. “Go back inside.”
“Are—are you still going to train me?”
“Aye. We’ll continue yer training and practice teleporting. We should be ready to face the Malcontents in a few more days.” He gritted his teeth. “Ye willna have to put up with me for much longer.”
There was a long pause, and he wondered if she’d gone back inside.
“Thank you for the glass angel,” she whispered. “I’ll treasure it . . . for as long as I’m here.”
Dammit, she made his heart ache. “I guess ye canna take it with you to heaven?”
“No.” She made a sad noise that sounded like a cross between a sob and a sniffle. “I’m sorry.”
The door closed, leaving him alone on the porch. “I’m sorry, too.”
For the next few hours, Marielle remained determined not to cry. Connor stayed true to his word and continued her training, but he was cold and distant, barking out orders and never making eye contact.
He set up the wooden clock in front of the cabin. When she teased him that it looked more like a henge, he didn’t respond.
She worked hard for several hours and learned to knock down only one log. Her efforts were rewarded with a grumbled “Good.” No smiles. No pats on the shoulder. No twinkle in his eyes.
He held her stiffly when they teleported close to a hospital in Cleveland where a woman was dying in surgery. When he encouraged her to widen her scope and search out multiple deaths accompanied by horror, she led them to what turned out to be a violent shoot-out between two drug cartels along the southern border. With bullets flying around them and innocent bystanders falling in the street, he’d teleported them quickly back to the cabin.
She was visibly shaken, so he set her on the couch, brought her a glass of water, and told her to rest. She tried closing her eyes, but each time she did, the violent scene replayed in her mind. The screams of the innocent echoed in her head. The human world could be so cruel.
Dear God, how she wanted to go back to heaven! She missed the peace and love that had permeated her soul, the constant stream of praise and support that had always filled her mind. She missed her friend Buniel and her beautiful white