Air of Seduction (Elemental Enforcers #3)

Chapter 1

Ronan

My eyes are drawn to the beautiful woman on the couch. Her heart rate was strong and even the last time I checked, but she still hasn’t woken up.

She took a serious knock to the head when the vampire threw her against the brick wall in the alley, but I pulled power from the air around me to heal her. However, the fact that she hasn’t opened her eyes yet makes my brows push together with concern.

Pulling in a deep breath, I get to my feet and make my way to the window. It’s been two hours since I brought her back to the suite I’m staying in at Aidan’s house in London. The sun has since crested the horizon, and there are already plenty of people hurrying along the street below on their way to work.

It has been years since I was last in this city, but the feel of the place hasn’t changed much. It’s still the busy metropolis it has been for centuries.

There’s one significant difference, though—the smell. Contrary to what modern people might think, the city is pleasantly scentless now compared to the old days, when the stench of thick coal smoke, unwashed bodies, and sewage filled your nose wherever you went.

The image of large dark-brown eyes staring up into mine surfaces in my mind again, and my heart clenches painfully in my chest. How is it possible that the woman behind me has the exact same eyes as Patricia, the woman I lost almost two centuries ago?

I shake my head to try to dislodge the image and the memories it conjures, memories I’ve tried to bury deep so they won’t take over and highlight the emptiness of my life.

Swallowing hard, I turn my head and let my eyes glide over the woman on the couch again. She doesn’t look anything like Patricia except for her eyes. This woman has long curly black hair, flawless brown skin, and tempting deep-red lips.

I frown at my own assessment. Her lips are not tempting. They’re just lips.

Clenching my teeth, I snap my head back around to stare outside. As soon as she wakes up, and I can verify she’s okay, I’ll deposit her on the street outside with a firm warning to stay away from any unpleasant and possessive vampires. She’ll be out of my hair, and I can return to my sole purpose of hunting supernaturals who prey on others.

I don’t know how long I’ve been standing there, staring at nothing in particular, when there’s a sound behind me. I slowly turn around, but the woman on the couch doesn’t look like she’s moved.

Leaning my ass against the windowsill, I cross my arms over my chest and wait. I’ve got nothing better to do while I wait for nightfall and my next opportunity to locate the vampire master or some of his remaining followers. Hopefully, by then I will have received some information indicating where to find them.

I don’t know how many followers he still has in London. We killed off six of them last night when we interrupted the binding ceremony in Highgate cemetery, but there are bound to be a few more that weren’t attending. Only the most trusted are allowed to participate in those horror shows, and we already established that Barry Wilson wasn’t there.

A low groan of frustration vibrates through my chest. The best time to approach and kill a vampire is during the day, but to accomplish that you have to know where the culprit is hiding.

Vampires can move around outside during the day if they make sure to cover every inch of their skin with a thick layer of clothing. But most are too terrified of the sun to venture outside during daylight hours. Which means wherever they take refuge at dawn is where they stay until nightfall.

Five more minutes go by before the woman on the couch stirs. Her brows push together when she blinks her eyes open.

I stand motionless, watching her as her eyes settle on the ceiling, probably taking in the ornate gold plaster designs bringing life to the white surface.

Aidan’s house is huge, and every room is uniquely decorated. This one has a more traditional old-English style than most of the others.

My heart does a funny kind of lurch in my chest when her gaze lowers to mine, and I’m struck again by the eerie similarity to Patricia’s eyes.

Her frown deepens, and she narrows her eyes at me. “Where am I?”

I take a step forward before I stop and shove my hands into my pockets. “At my friend’s house. You…blacked out, and I couldn’t exactly leave you lying there in the alley.” I keep my eyes on her face, trying to judge her reaction to my words.

She didn’t just black out. She was thrown against the brick wall, knocking her head hard enough that I feared for her life. But I’m not sure she remembers that part, and if she doesn’t, I’m not going to tell her. Because then I’ll also have to tell her how I healed her, and I’d rather keep that information to myself.

Her eyes widen, never leaving mine as she slowly sits up. “Blacked out?”

“Yes, while I fought the guy you were running from.”

Closing her eyes, she lets out a deep sigh. “The vampire, you mean?” She opens her eyes and spears me with her gaze. “What are you?”

I shrug, making sure to keep my expression blank. “Not a vampire.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Her gaze slowly glides down my body before snapping back to mine.

A wave of heat crashes through me, making my breath seize in my lungs and rendering me unable to speak. Shocked by her strong effect on me, I focus on pushing my lust-filled thoughts away while I make my way over to a chair and take a seat to give me time to recover.

Leaning back, I cross my arms over my chest. “No, it doesn’t, but it’s all I’m going to tell you. How are you feeling?”

Her lips press into a hard line as she studies my face, and I inwardly chide myself for being so dismissive.

Forcing a small smile, I uncross my arms and rest my hands on my thighs. “I would genuinely like to know how you’re feeling before I let you go.”

Her eyebrows rise. “ Let me go? As in if I don’t tell you, you’ll keep me here?”

Throwing my hands in the air, I groan. “I’d just like to know you’re all right, okay? Is that too much to ask after I saved you from that vampire who was chasing you?”

She stares at me for several seconds before she opens her mouth. “I’m fine.”

I examine her face for any sign that she’s lying, but she looks okay, and she clearly remembers at least some of what happened when I met her a few hours ago.

Which means I should follow her to the door and say goodbye. But for some reason, the thought of letting her go and never seeing her again makes my body feel too heavy to get up.