Bulletproof Damsel Read online

  I slid my soapy hands over my body, remembering the look of liquid heat pooling in his eyes as he’d discovered me taking him hungrily between my lips. He was surprised with a hint of worry banked in his eyes, but that heat I’d seen caused my body to clench hungrily for his thick cock. He hadn’t feigned shock, and he’d tried to warn me, but I pushed his hands away because I had wanted to taste him. When reality crashed down on my head, it rendered me speechless that I’d done something so brazenly sexual, and was angry at myself for being naïve.

  My fingers pushed against the swollen nub, gasping at finding the flesh so sensitive. I worried my lip with my teeth as my eyes fluttered open to find Rhys leaning against the counter with his arms folded over his chest. His narrowed gaze followed my hand, and I stalled my movement, as those fiery-blue eyes lifted to lock with mine, his smile turning wicked as my knees weakened.

  Rhys tilted his head toward the music, hiking one brow up in silent question before he vanished from sight. The music changed, and I shifted nervously as he reappeared naked. I Put A Spell On You by Nina Simone started as he stepped into the shower without an invitation while jazz filled the room.

  “That’s a good song,” I groaned, stepping back, sliding my eyes over his hard, muscular body with a hunger that I couldn’t hide.

  “It is, and rather fitting considering what you’re thinking about in my shower,” he smirked, turning toward the showerhead, letting the spray of the water sluice down his immensely powerful body before he turned, smiling as he moved closer to me.

  “What happens now, Rhys?” I asked, grabbing the soap as I started washing my arms.

  “Between us or from here?” he countered, turning facing the shower to wash his chest.

  “From here,” I amended.

  “You’re going to show me where your mother lived, and why you think something happened to her.”

  “No, I am not!” I scoffed, staring at the smile curving his generous mouth. “I’m not taking you to my mother’s house. She’d murder me.”

  His eyes darkened with heat pooling in his gaze as they slowly slid over my naked flesh. “I will scan every inch of this place for that cabin with or without you, Remi. I will find the location now that I know it’s here. This is my town, and your mother was here the whole time without me knowing. I already have runners searching every alpha house for any news of her whereabouts,” he stated, grabbing the soap from my hand. “Turn around.”

  “Believe it or not, I can wash myself, Rhys.”

  “I wasn’t asking, woman. I like touching you. Unfortunately, you’re entirely too delicate to do what I really want to do to you. Not to mention, you still think fucking is something more meaningful than just two people needing release. This is me meeting your sensibilities halfway, trying to give you time to adjust to what is happening between us.”

  “And what is it that you think is happening between us?” I asked huskily. I swallowed hard as his smile deepened, and he turned me around, running his hand that held the soap over my skin.

  “What do you think is happening between us?”

  “I think its mutual attraction and chemistry in play.”

  “You think because our parts fit together that it’s some kind of flirtation happening here?” he chuckled darkly, which sent a shiver of unease rushing up my spine.

  “I do,” I replied in a whispered breath. His fingers found my shoulders and massaged them, causing a moan to escape my lips. “Sometimes it isn’t the universe intervening, and it’s just mutual attraction. I don’t think there’s something cataclysmic happening here. You’re a man, and I’m a woman. Our parts do fit as you’ve pointed out. Sometimes it is just as simple as that, Rhys.”

  I, of course, didn’t buy my explanation. I could feel the intensity of Rhys’s touch. The pull to throw propriety to the wind, giving in to the overpowering, carnal need demanding I mount him like a steed. I wanted to give in to the baser needs coursing through me. I wasn’t some bitch in heat and the universe, or some pre-ordained curse, didn’t get to decide who got to dance in my vagina. It was as simple as that. I was the boss of my body, and I wasn’t created like Nyx. I needed some sense of something more before I gave in to the needs of my body.

  “Maybe you’re right, Remington,” he growled against my ear, pressing his large erection against my spine. “Maybe five-hundred years of being cursed to become besotted to any Silversmith woman with a working womb has left me jaded. Finish your shower and get dressed. I have other shit to do today besides trailing through the woods to look for your mother.”

  Rhys placed the soap into my hand and vanished from the shower, leaving me shivering without his warmth. I quickly washed my hair and body before climbing out of the shower, finding my pack on the counter. I withdrew my white camisole, knit shirt, and a pair of tight-fitting jeans. Slipping into a pair of panties, I pulled on the jeans and top before stepping closer to the mirror.

  I peered at my tired reflection, braiding my hair into a tight updo. I added mascara and a light coat of clear lip-gloss before dabbing on a tiny amount of perfume behind my ears. Pushing everything back into my bag, I exited the bathroom to find Rhys fixing his slacks, lifting his eyes to pin me where I stood. His gaze dipped to my exposed midriff before leaving me cold as he turned to grab a white long sleeve shirt.

  Starting toward the opposite door, he snorted, and I narrowed my stare on the tight smile that was anything but friendly. He looked like sex personified with his dark hair messed up and out of place, as if he’d slid his fingers through it in frustration. He glared at me as his jaw hammered against his cheek, angrily.

  “What?” I asked, and he stared at me without looking away. Something had pissed him off between him leaving the shower and now.

  “You’re wearing jeans and a knit top to go into the mountains?”

  “You’re wearing a suit.” I crossed my arms over my chest, raising one brow in irritation.

  He paused, looking down at the expensive Italian suit he wore, and frowned. He started undressing, and my eyes studied every inch of flesh he revealed to my greedy stare. Once he pulled off the white shirt, he vanished into his walk-in closet, dispelling my blunt eye-raping, as Nyx called it.

  Rhys returned a moment later wearing relaxed jeans and a dark, tight-fitting button-up, which hugged his muscular form like a second skin. Instead of his Italian loafers, he wore black boots that hardly made a noise as he made his way to where I stood. He grabbed my bag, withdrawing a zip-up sweater, and tossed my things to his bed without a word. Threading his fingers through mine, he pulled me with him from the room.

  My stomach churned at the idea of taking him to my mother’s cabin, deep in the mountains. If she knew I was bringing a Van Helsing home, she’d have my flesh taken from me in a heartbeat. I was betraying our family’s biggest rule: Don’t bring a Van Helsing home under any circumstances. The thing was, Rhys was my best shot at finding my mother alive.

  Chapter Eleven

  The drive to the cabin was in awkward silence. I wasn’t just bringing one Van Helsing home, but rather three brothers, who all glared at me. It was such an uncomfortable ride that even Nyx was surprisingly silent. Chewing my lip, I leaned over Rhys’s lap to look out the window as we passed one of the curves in the bend. If he minded, he kept it to himself. I sat back, wondering why the brothers looked as if they were expecting a fight.

  We pulled into the driveway of the cabin, and the car rolled to a stop. I paused, silently studying the house. The chair had been righted and sat further back on the wraparound porch. I kept that tidbit to myself, praying my mother didn’t come out with bullets flying toward the Van Helsing, who sat next to me. Rhys opened the door, and I grabbed him back, noting his raised eyebrow as he allowed it.

  “Problem, Silversmith?” Rhys asked pointedly, hiking one brow higher than the other before he slid his eyes to the house to scan the area.

  I worried my bottom lip with my teeth, considering what to say, if anything. His attentio
n settled back on me, and I exhaled, releasing my lip with a pop.

  “My sister may or may not be here. It would be unfortunate for you if Winchester is on the property.”

  “You think I can’t handle a Silversmith hunter?” Rhys studied my face before snorting and exiting the vehicle without fear. “I’ve hunted your people down for over three-hundred years, Remi. I smell blood.”

  His abrupt change in subjects caused my brows to shoot toward my hairline. I climbed out, standing beside him. I lifted my nose in the air, confirming what he’d said. Today the blood was more pronounced, and the coppery tang had turned putrid.

  “Maybe you should wait in the car, Silversmith.”

  I snorted, rolling my eyes heavenward, stepping around his hulking frame. “You wait in the car, I don’t need to be protected—” Power entered the clearing, halting the words that sat perched on the tip of my tongue.

  “Get inside the damn vehicle, Remi—”

  A blur of movement caught my eye. Turning, I cried out as something rushed toward me, but a flash of silver intercepted it, and something wet splattered my face. More blurs entered the small, cramped space between the car and the house. I was grabbed and held against a solid chest as Rhys moved with one arm around me, the other holding his sword while he protected me. It felt like we were dancing, my arms wrapped around his body while he deflected blow after blow from an unseen enemy. Rhys moved toward the car, depositing me back into the door while Nyx laughed, her eyes flashing with approval.

  “That was one of the hottest things I’ve seen in my life!” she exclaimed, hooting and hollering as Rhys deftly swung his sword again in a high arch. Spinning around, he struck out in a wide swing, slicing the attacker into three pieces before I’d even noticed he’d swung again, let alone three times.

  Watching Rhys Van Helsing fight was like watching dancers who were skilled and elegant. Only Rhys was lethal, and his moves were eerily proficient in the way he dispatched the creatures attacking. Every wide swing of his blade was timed perfectly. The attackers lunged with inhuman speed, and Rhys swung before they reached him. Men in dark tactical clothing moved into the fight, making a complete circle around the car.

  My gaze slid to Acyn, who had exited the car with Rhys. He used dual blades, slicing and dancing as he killed the vampires. My attention slid to the sun and then back to the vampires who were attacking at noon. They shouldn’t be awake yet, but here they were, attacking in broad daylight!

  “It’s daytime,” I yelped, jumping back from a head that slammed against my thigh. Reaching down, I grabbed it and held it up. Gagging on reflex as blood dripped from the severed neck, I tossed the poor vamp back out of the car while fighting the churning in my stomach.

  “That is rather peculiar, isn’t it?” Nyx said, her eyes still locked on Rhys’s ass, covered in tightly fitted jeans. “You landed a hottie, and I think for the first time in my life, I’m jealous of you.”

  “For once, maybe think with your brain and not your vagina? Why would vampires chance becoming a pile of ash to be out in the daylight?”

  “They’re wearing sunblock?” I scrubbed my hand down my face as she chuckled. “I’m guessing they’ve yet to finish their change. Rhys is now taking down three in one blow, and I wish he was fighting in much less clothing. I bet his muscles constrict with every subtle move he makes. Is his cock large? Please tell me he’s the full package deal.”

  I turned away from the fight, peering at Nyx’s hopeful gaze. “Very large, and considering he’s an incubus, I’m going to guess he is confident enough to know where that spot is. I could get my first real orgasm.” I wiggled my brows, turning to stare into azure eyes that narrowed on me as he cocked his head to the side.

  “You didn’t tell him that the others never got you to the end of the danger zone?” Nyx snorted, but the sound was one of pity. “You’re already one up on them, Van Helsing. Since you made her come on the table and she broke it!”

  “Indeed,” he grunted, turning to take in the sizzling corpses. “Remi, I thought you said your mother had hidden this place? You seem to have a pest problem here.”

  “Now do you believe me that something happened?” I asked, slowly climbing out of the vehicle. Staring toward the house, Rhys grabbed my arm and pulled me back as Cole and Acyn stepped in front of us.

  “Check the house,” Rhys ordered.

  “Send a knight in first,” Cole snorted, crossing his heavily tattooed arms over his chest. “I don’t intend to die by entering a Silversmiths home without an invitation. Their wards are nasty, and I don’t intend to writhe in pain because we fell for some bullshit excuse of a missing mother.”

  “If you would be so kind as to stop this primitive caveman act and release my elbow, I could drop the wards so you wouldn’t need to sacrifice a knight. I assure you, the wards are very active.” Rhys snorted, but he listened, releasing my elbow with a warning look.

  My hands lifted, and the glowing symbols that surrounded the house became visible. The men stepped back, eyeing the cabin as if it were alive and utterly terrifying. I memorized the wards, closing my eyes, and whispered the spell to disarm them, then smiled coldly. The wards shot outward, and I exhaled.

  The Van Helsing men, along with the knights, dropped to their knees, howling in pain. Watching them for a moment, I let the small victory slither over me. I peered down at the brothers, smirking as I grabbed Nyx, and started toward the house.

  “Hurry,” I urged, turning the moment we were inside, and sealing the door closed with another ward. Exhaling, I opened my eyes to find Nyx glaring at me.

  “Excellent plan, Remington. Minus the part where we are stuck inside this house with no electricity, no water, and, oh yeah, no food,” she grunted, peering around at the disheveled house. “Did I mention that I’m team Van Helsing right now? Rhys is totally into you, and you just dropped them all like hot potatoes, which doesn’t bode well for us.”

  “He’s my enemy! They’re all my enemies. My mother is missing, vampires are day-walking, and the entire plan I had is now worthless. I sucked him off! Do you have any idea how damaging it is to a woman’s sensibility to suck someone off in a dream, only to conclude that I did it, willingly? Not to mention, my family is probably never going to forgive me for doing something as stupid as that, ever.”

  Something slammed against the door, and I yelped in surprise. I sent magic rushing through the wards and then groaned. I’d yet to perfect magical wards or learn to hold them, and considering I felt the lack of wards, I had probably accidentally disarmed them. The door shook again, and I stepped back, staring at it, looking around the room for the silver, finding the wall empty of the bullets that had peppered it last night.

  The door opened abruptly, squealing I backed up until my butt hit the wall. Rhys prowled into the house, entered it with duel blades in his hands while angry eyes locked with mine. The tick in his jaw hammered, and his mouth was an angry, white line.

  “Go outside, Nyx,” he hissed, barely loud enough for me to hear him.

  Nyx hesitated, but Rhys’s attention slid to her as his blades hummed with power, as if he was considering removing her head. His rage was so thick that I could taste it in the air. She started to argue, but I cut her off.

  “Go, Nyx. I’ll be fine,” I whispered, chewing my lip as my attention moved back to the angry Van Helsing. “Do not hurt her.”

  “She didn’t try to murder us,” he sneered coldly. “You did.”

  “No, I didn’t. The wards would have only hurt for a few moments. Just long enough for us to get into the house to escape you.”

  He snorted, stalking toward me slowly. “They just tried to eviscerate us. Luckily for us, you’re not skilled enough to accomplish that feat yet, Remington. Had you been more skilled, we’d have to regrow and heal organs because of that shit you pulled.”

  Maybe I should have been paying more attention to my mother’s tireless teachings instead of watching reality TV dating shows. I winced as he sheath
ed his swords before placing one large hand around my throat as he grunted in pain. Azure eyes searched mine, and his hand tightened before he tore them away from mine, looking around the small cabin with an upturned lip.

  “This shit-hole isn’t Eliza’s house. She’d never lower herself to live in such squalor,” he snapped. I started to speak, but his hand tightened as a cold smile lifted his lips. “What game are you playing at, Silversmith?”

  “This is where my mother raised me, Rhys. Behind this wall is my bedroom, and the one next to it is my mother’s room. Below us is an armory, and out in the woods is a shooting range where she taught me to shoot and ensure my guns were precisely tuned to murder anyone stupid enough to think to harm me. I am not playing a game. I may be in over my head, I will openly admit to that, but I also didn’t ask you to come here. You brought me. Your mistake was thinking that I wouldn’t run the first chance I got.”

  “No. No games, right? You stepped right into my path by chance. I brought you home with me, where you proceeded to act shy and all modest, right up until you sucked my cock. Was that to make me lower my guard against you, or to make me think you actually liked me? The first moment you got your chance, you tried to murder me, just like the rest of your murderous family, Remington Silversmith. My mistake was assuming you were different.” His hand tightened, forcing me to suck in air before he could cut off my airway. The moment he cut the air to my lungs off, he lowered his mouth to brush his against mine, smiling against my lips as a soft moan escaped. “If you try to harm my brothers or me again, I’ll slit your pretty neck, and fuck your throat while you bleed out. That is the only warning you are going to get from me, and that’s because your lips look good wrapped around my cock.”

  His hand released my throat, and my hands rubbed where he’d held me. Rhys’s dark stare held mine before he snorted, moving toward the kitchen. Cole, Acyn, and Nyx entered the house. Cole’s eyes held mine briefly, lowering to the red handprint, surely marring my porcelain skin. Nyx moved toward me silently, grabbing my hand, and her worried eyes noted the tears swimming in mine.