Read Diana's Hound: Bloodhounds, Book 4 for Free Online

either.”
    Emmett stared at him for a moment, then finished his drink and grunted. “Fine. The two of you can handle it well enough…assuming Diana agrees to it.”
    He’d given in quickly enough, which made Nate wonder if this had been Emmett’s original plan before he’d gotten a good look at the tenuous state of Nate’s self-control.
    Something told him convincing Diana wouldn’t be as simple. “I pissed her off.”
    “That’s always been a singular talent of yours, Nate.”
    “I’d actually mellowed with old age, you know. It’s humbling to imagine a man’s tendency to enrage women is directly proportional to how much time he spends with an erection. Vigor is wasted on the vigorous.”
    Emmett snorted. “Spoken like someone who’s gone too long without pussy.”
    A crude but undeniable truth. “Hiding from the Guild in the basement has certainly limited my options. Though you might have trouble comprehending this, I’ve had other things on my mind.”
    “Something you’ll regret when they’re parading Diana around in her unmentionables, showing off her pretty bite marks.”
    Bite marks. He shuddered at the thought of her blood. Oh, that was hunger. A keener, more dangerous kind of hunger than lust for her body. “Even if we leave immediately, we’ll be stopping before we reach the Deadlands. I’ll have plenty of time to attend to personal needs.”
    “One of those stops should be Crystal Springs.” Diana spoke, the words clear and firm, even as she opened the parlor door.
    Oh, fuck. Nate felt the heat in his cheeks and wondered if half-vampire bloodhounds could blush. An interesting biological question he would spare himself from answering. “Have you been listening for a while, Diana?” Hopefully not too long.
    “Long enough.” She faced Emmett. “I’ve been wondering something. What are these sales, these auctions, usually like? Do they favor innocence or experience? White lawn dresses or red satin? Tell me what I need to know.”
    Emmett rose slowly and fetched his hat from the end table. “Looks like you’ll be traveling with your best source of information, Miss Diana.”
    “I don’t follow.”
    So she hadn’t been standing outside the door long enough to truly understand. Before Nate could open his mouth to explain, Emmett broke the news with his usual level of delicacy.
    “Nate’s decided to throw his hat in the ring. He’ll be accompanying you to the Deadlands.” He nodded, and added a bow for good measure. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I thought I’d head out for a bit.”
    The infuriating man strode out, and Nate wished, for one very petty moment, that bloodhounds could contract syphilis. He’d wish a merry case of it upon Emmett, courtesy of the prostitute of whose services he was undoubtedly about to avail himself.
    The sitting room door clicked shut, and Nate rose to his feet. “I already owed you an apology, but now I owe you an explanation as well.”
    She crossed her arms over her chest. “Which would you like to offer first?”
    One needn’t be good with women to recognize the correct answer. “I’m sorry. I could list a dozen noble reasons behind my intentions, but my actions have no excuse. I never meant to express doubt in your intelligence, strength or resourcefulness.”
    Her gaze softened a fraction. “I don’t need you to protect me from myself, Nate. In any way.”
    He released the breath he’d been holding. Maybe this second youth would have some benefits. He’d learned enough pretty words during his old age to work wonders, when he could keep himself calm enough to use them. “I don’t have much need to protect you from yourself. It’s protecting you from me and all the other bastards in the world that I’m struggling with.”
    “Which is—” The words cut off, and she held up both hands in surrender. “I don’t want to fight, but I have to make one thing clear. If you don’t trust me, you can’t come with me.”
    He’d find a way