A black van with tinted windows was parked down the end. I pointed toward it, and Kade drove up and parked beside it. We'd barely stopped the engine when the door of the cabin in front of us thrust open and Rhoan spilled out, red hair gleaming like fire in the sunlight.

Grinning like an idiot, my vision blurred with tears, I somehow climbed out of the car and fell into my brother's arms.

"God," he said, his voice as hoarse as his hug was fierce. "I'd thought I'd lost you."

Tears crept down my cheeks. "I'm sorry."

He laughed softly. "Try it again, and I'm going to chain you up and never let you out of the apartment."

Kade came up behind us. I kissed Rhoan's cheek then pulled away. "Rhoan, meet Kade. I wouldn't have escaped if Kade hadn't helped me."

"A situation that was mutual," Kade said dryly, and offered Rhoan his hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Rhoan gave me a look that said, "bitch," and shook Kade's hand. "Thank you for keeping her safe."

Kade laughed, a warm, rich sound. "Another situation that was entirely mutual. Your pack-mate is an amazing woman."

"Isn't she just." He threw an arm around my shoulder. "Let's get inside before any patrolling bugaboos spot us."

Rhoan motioned Kade forward, but his grip on my shoulder tightened a little, holding me back. "There's something I need to tell—"

I didn't hear the rest of his words. Didn't need to.

Because a second figure had moved into the doorway.

It wasn't Jack.

It was Quinn.

My heart did an odd little flip-flop, and for several seconds all I could do was stare. He hadn't changed any—though given it had only been a month or so since I'd last seen him, that was hardly surprising.

But oh, he looked good.

His body was athletic, lean but powerful. His burgundy sweater emphasized the width of his shoulders, while the tight fit of his jeans drew the eye to the long, strong length of his legs His hair was night dark, longer now than it had been when I'd last seen him, and so thick, so lush It was also unkempt, as if he'd thrust his hands through it many times Those hands were currently in his pockets, and looked clenched His skin was not the white of most vampires, but a soft, warm gold, simply because unlike most vampires, he could actually stand a lot of sunlight. His face.

I swallowed. He was beautiful, truly beautiful, in a way that was anything but effeminate.

His gaze touched mine, eyes obsidian stone, and his expression shuttered Yet something passed between us, an awareness that made my heart stutter and caused goose bumps to tremble warmly across my skin It was an awareness that had been present from the very first time we'd met, and it was stronger now than it had ever been.

Kade suddenly stopped, his gaze swinging from me to Quinn and back again Understanding dawned in his velvet eyes, followed swiftly by bedevilment He took a step back, and twined his fingers through mine.

His obvious intention was to provoke a reaction, and he certainly got it But it wasn't anything dramatic, just an almost imperceptible tightening of expression.

In some ways, Quinn's reaction amused as much as it annoyed The slight shift in expression told me exactly what he was thinking, and it was annoying to realize he was continuing to judge me by human standards Which was crazy, because no one here was human in any way, shape, or form But I couldn't help seeing the funny side of a vampire with over twelve hundred years of living under his belt getting ticked off by such an obviously fake challenge.

But it was an interesting reaction, no matter what emotion it evoked. It suggested that no matter how many statements he made about never getting involved with another werewolf, he wasn't entirely ready to walk away. I mean, if someone like Kade, someone who was just a bit of friendly fun, could draw a response from Mr. Emotionless-face himself, then no matter what Quinn said, part of him still wanted to be in my life.

And I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about that little revelation—if it was indeed true. I mean, I'd tried.

Maybe it was time for him to put in a little effort. Do a little chasing.

"It's nice to see you again, Quinn."

Surprise flickered through his dark eyes. Maybe he'd figured politeness would be beyond my capacity given all the brush-offs he'd accorded me over recent months.

"And it's nice to see you whole and in one piece." His voice was rich with the lilt of Ireland, and far sexier in life than it had been in my dreams. Just listening to it again made me want to sigh in pleasure. "We'd all feared the worst."

The comment warmed places deep inside. Which just proved that no matter what I'd said to Kade earlier about finally walking away from Quinn, there was a part of me that hungered for the relationship to continue. Still, he didn't deserve to get me easily. Not this time.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why were you worried about me?"

It was a somewhat snarky thing to say, but hey, he deserved at least that given all the rejections. And if that was all the attitude he caught, then he could count himself lucky.

"Guys, can we take this mushy little meet and greet inside?" Rhoan said, voice dry. "Just in case there's spies in the air?"

Quinn glanced at Rhoan, then turned around and disappeared inside. I disentangled my fingers from Kade's and looked at my brother. "Gee, thanks for the advance warning."

Rhoan grimaced. "I did try. But even if I had warned you, would it have made the shock of seeing him again any easier?"

No, and he knew it.

"Play the game," Kade said softly. "Trust me. It'll work."

I looked at him, amusement twitching my lips. "And that suggestion isn't more than a little self-serving now, is it?"

He held up his hands, merriment dancing in his dark eyes. "Hey, I am a randy old stallion who has been locked up for four months, remember."

"And has the randy old stallion forgotten we've got bad guys to round up?"

"No. But there's no rule saying you can't combine business with pleasure."

"People," Rhoan said. "We really need to move this inside."

I leaned sideways, and dropped a kiss on my brother's cheek. "If you'd stop gripping my arm so tight, I'd be able to move."

He squeezed a final time then released me. We walked inside. The cabin was small and, with all of us in here, crowded. Jack was sitting at the table down at the far end, the bright glow of the com-screen in front of him casting a bluish light across his weatherworn features and bald head. As bosses went, he was so damn easygoing it was often hard to remember that not only was he the Vice President in charge of the whole guardian division—one of the four main departments in the Directorate—but he was also one of the most powerful vampires I knew.

The other just happened to be Quinn. He'd parked his butt in a nearby armchair, cross-legged and elegant. The only other seats were the two sofas near the TV. Kade and I took one, Rhoan the other.

Jack glanced up, and gave me a toothy grin. "Good to see you alive and well, darlin'."

I smiled. "It's good to be alive and well. Jack, Quinn, this is Kade."

"I know who Kade is," Jack said. "I have his files."

Kade raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

Amusement touched Jack's green eyes. "There's no place the Directorate can't go if we so desire."

"Well, that's a little tidbit kept well away from the general population, isn't it?"

"And with good reason. Why were you in that place?"

"He's one of the shifters they were milking," I said, and added, just a touch impatiently, "I don't suppose you want to share Kade's background with the rest of us?"

"Right now? No. There's more important matters to discuss." Jack's gaze narrowed a little. "What do you mean by 'one of?"