Blood Mate: A Paranormal Romance (5 page)

Bryn felt Charlotte's hand on
her elbow, trying to pull her back but Bryn would not be held back.
She marched right up to Jett and got in his face. “Levi,
Jeanette and Scott have all been appointed to the investigation unit.
They should be, since they were the first responders at the last
murder scene. But so was I, Jett. I was there, with them. The four
of us were there. You saw us. But you weren't going to call my
name, were you, Jett?”

Jett narrowed his eyes at her.
“You're out of line, Bryn.”

“
No! I am not. I am
simply stating the facts. What is the reason for leaving me out of
the investigation unit? Why am I being overlooked? I was one of the
first Enforcers to arrive at the scene. I remember every damn detail
of that scene!”

Charlotte and Charlene had
rushed forward to Bryn's side and were trying to drag her back in
line.

“
Come on, Bryn,”
Charlotte whispered. “Don't...”

Bryn shook them off angrily.

The rest of the Enforcers were
watching in silence and with great interest. Some were smiling, not
bothering to hide their amusement. Others looked on with glee and
anticipation.

“
Fight for it, Bryn,”
someone called out.

“
You go, girl!”

“
Yeah, fight! Fight
him!”

Bryn glanced over her shoulder
at the hooting, braying Enforcers behind her. They were egging her
on, inciting her to fight.

She knew they were just
waiting to watch the show. They wanted a brawl, a fight, some action
to take the edge off their anger and anxiety. They wanted her to
fight, but they weren't rooting for her to win. They just wanted to
see her get her butt kicked.

But this was a fight she
wasn't walking away from.

Bryn snarled and shrugged off
her jacket. “Yes. I think I will fight for it,” she
smirked. “I will fight for my place. There's just one name
left to be called, Jett. If I win, I make the team. You call my
name. That's just fair. I was there with them...” Bryn
jerked her head at Scott, Levi and Jeanette. “And I'm as good
as them. Come on, Jett. Let's fight!”

Jett took a step back, keeping
his eyes locked on her. “You really want to fight?”

“
Yes!” She
bounced on the balls of her feet and raised her fists in front of
her. “Fight me.”

Jett's eyes blazed suddenly,
but he kept his voice very low and quiet. “And if you lose...”

Bryn sniffed. “If I
lose, then you do as you damn please, and I won't give you any lip!”

There were a few sniggers.

“
No lip from Bryn? Man,
you've got to win this, Jett! We could all use some peace and quiet
around here!”

Charlotte whipped around.
“Shut up, Daichi!” She lunged towards the smug warlock,
but her sister wrapped her arms around her waist and hauled her back.

“
Kick his ass, Bryn,”
Charlene whispered as she wrestled her younger sister back.

To Jett, Charlene snapped,
“Fight her fairly, Jett.”
Or I will kick your ass.

Bryn wrinkled her nose at
Charlene. Charlene was like a mother hen with her nagging,
smothering and scolding, but she was fiercely protective of both
Charlotte and Bryn.

Through all the ruckus and
commotion, Jett never took his eyes off Bryn. Bryn found it almost
impossible to breathe under his intense, piercing gaze.

“
Fine.” Jett
smiled at last, but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Let's
fight.”

There were a couple of low
whistles when Bryn pulled out a short knife from her boot. “The
first to draw blood with a blade wins,” she said, closing her
fingers over the hilt.

Jett stood with his arms by
his side, and she heard him sigh softly. There was nothing in his
hands.

He simply followed her with
his eyes, his muscular body tightly coiled with tension.

What was he doing?

Would he refuse to fight her
at the last minute?

“
Where's your weapon?”
she whispered.

She stared up into his
gray-green eyes, and her hand shook a little.

Jett's stern face twisted
slightly in a wince. But he still didn't move.

She heard him breathe her name
very softly. “Ah, Bryn.”

She closed her eyes at the
sound of her name on his lips. There was a tender, yearning note in
his voice.

She shook her head hard and
gripped her weapon tighter.

“
Your weapon,” she
repeated, gritting her teeth.

She could hear only her own
quick, shallow breaths. She waited, swallowing painfully.

Would he really humiliate her
like this, in front of all the Enforcers, by fighting her with his
bare hands? Did he really see her as such a weak, worthless
opponent, one he could easily defeat even without a weapon?

Would he demolish her and
disgrace her like this?

Jett stared steadily, deeply
into her eyes. He flinched slightly when he saw her bite her lower
lip to stop it from trembling. He had seen something in her eyes,
something deeper and fiercer than her hurt pride and anger.

Slowly, he pulled out a short
silver knife and held it out.

The Enforcers all moved back
to widen the circle for them. Bryn heard some bets being made, but
she forced herself to block out all the background noise and
movement.

She would win this.

“
You will call my name,”
she murmured, staring straight at Jett.

He twirled the knife through
his fingers and took a step forward.

The fight had started.

Jett watched Bryn circle him
slowly. Her face was flushed, and her dark, black eyes flashed with
determination and anger. She was gripping her knife so hard her
knuckles gleamed bone white.

Jett held his knife at his
side, pointing the silver blade down. The silver would burn her
badly. Even a shallow cut would hurt like hell. But he had to give
her a fair fight. She deserved it.

“
Bryn,” he
murmured her name very softly.

He saw her breath catch.
She'd heard him. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut for
an instant, her body swaying slightly as she fought some internal
battle. Jett held himself absolutely still. This was her decision
to make. Fight him, or walk away.

But he already knew what she
would do.

Bryn never walked away from a
fight. She would give her all and give no quarter.

Jett almost smiled.

She was so small, a full head
shorter than him and her features were delicate and pretty. Long
dark lashes, a pert little nose, pouty lips, high cheekbones. She
wore her long blue-black hair in a thick braid which reached down to
her tiny waist. She was a very attractive female, tough, brave,
beautiful.

She was one of his best
Enforcers, and she hunted rogues with a vengeance. She was right.
She was one of the first Enforcers on the scene, and the first
responders at a crime scene usually picked up on subtle details and
clues. They would have access to a raw, uncontaminated crime scene,
and vital facts and overlooked details would have embedded themselves
into their subconscious.

That was the reason he had
chosen Levi, Jeanette and Scott. Yet he had left her out.

He sighed. He had left her
out on purpose. To protect her.

This was a very dangerous
case. Enforcers were being targeted. If he put her on the team, he
would be putting her in the cross hairs of the killers. She might be
hurt, caught, killed...

Jett forced a sharp, painful
breath into his lungs.

The thought of the killers
laying their hands on her almost made him snap his blade in two.

He wanted to keep her away
from them, out of danger, out of the sight of the killers and his
enemies.

He had too many enemies.

Enemies who would hurt her,
just to hurt him.

He wanted her. He wanted her
so much it hurt. But he always maintained a distance from her. He
kept himself aloof and alone.

He couldn't be close to
anyone. He couldn't love her. Loving her would get her killed.

Jett took a step back, and
Bryn's dark eyes flashed. It was clear she was not going to let him
back away from her.

With a feral cry, she flew
towards him, her knife gleaming as she slashed down. Jett dodged the
blow, and caught her wrist in his hand. He closed his fingers over
her dainty little wrist and jerked her towards him. Her face came
within an inch of his, and she glared up at him, her lips parted.
His lips brushed against the tip of her nose and hovered just above
her quivering, red lips. He could have kissed her, but that would be
a very bad idea.

All his Enforcers were
watching the fight with keen, glowing eyes. They were looking for
cracks and weaknesses. Bryn couldn't afford to look weak. There
were young, ambitious, hungry Enforcers waiting to take her down and
take her place.

And there were Senior
Enforcers who would challenge him for leadership.

This was a test, for the both
of them.

He would have to fight her
fairly, but he would have to be very careful.

Bryn's eyes widened when he
released her abruptly. She staggered back and swallowed. With a
deep breath, she squared her shoulders and bent her knees slowly,
adopting a fighting stance. She was going to fight to the end.
Until one of them drew blood.

Jett flicked the blade between
his fingers, his eyes assessing her. She seemed distracted and
irritated by the twirling of his blade. Jett shook his head subtly
at her.
Focus, Bryn.

She was breathing too fast,
her eyes darting in the wrong direction as she watched him play with
his knife. Jett spun his knife in front of him, letting the silver
blade somersault swiftly through the air before catching the hilt in
his palm. Bryn was staring at his spinning knife, not at him.

Mistake.

Without warning, Jett crouched
and swept his leg out. He kicked her feet out from under her and
sent her toppling to the ground.

Bryn grunted and rolled
quickly to her side. She broke her fall gracefully and was fast to
get back on her feet.
Good girl.

And now she looked mad as
hell.

Her eyes narrowed, and she
stilled her breathing. She was marshaling her rage, focusing her
anger, sharpening her wrath to a fine point. She wasn't about to
attack madly and blindly. Her next move would be well-planned and
well-timed.

Jett quirked a lopsided smile.

He knew she could do this.

That's my girl.

His smile vanished and his
heart froze as soon as the thought formed in his mind.

No, she wasn't his girl. She
could never be his.

Bryn spun towards him and
kicked out. He ducked. But immediately, her knife came down,
missing his shoulder by inches.

Jett swore softly as her fist
whistled past his ear. Her blows were sharp and quick. She attacked
relentlessly, pressing her advantage, pushing him back.

When she aimed another punch
at his chest, Jett grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back.

She gasped when he yanked her
to him. He locked his arm around her neck, pressing her back tightly
to his chest.

She squirmed against him, and
he almost lost it. Now was not the time to have a hard on.

Jett felt her fangs sink into
his forearm, and he let her go with a hiss.

“
No biting!”
someone shouted.

Others applauded and cheered.
“Give it to him, Bryn! Bite harder next time!”

Bryn stumbled back, looking
shocked. A drop of his blood clung to the tip of her fang. She
touched her fang with a trembling finger and stared down at the red
smudge on her fingertip.

With her unblinking eyes on
him, she brought her finger to her lips.

Jett saw her throat move as
she swallowed. Her entire body jerked and she let out a pained,
strangled cry.

Jett moved forward to grab
her, but she staggered back, staring at him with wide, wild eyes.

“
No, it can't be...
you
,”
she whispered. “You...”

Jett moved towards her. She
looked like she was in pain. She had one hand over her heart, and
her lips trembled as she forced sharp, shuddering breaths into her
lungs.

Jett tried to read the
conflicting emotions in her eyes. He saw pain and ecstasy, disbelief
and denial, rage and yearning. She was staring at him with longing
and resentment. It was almost as if she was staring at something
that she so badly wanted but knew she could never have.