Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) by Karen Michelle Nutt Page A

that he could drown in and
he'd gladly dive right in.
    He'd truly lost it. And the funny thing was:
He didn't give a damn.
    "What decision?" she asked.

Chapter Eleven
    Sloane frowned, wondering why Derek stared at
her as if he'd never seen her before, but then something intense
flared through his entrancement. She recognized the look because
she'd experienced something similar at Dr. Sinclair's place. Desire. Heat rose to her cheeks and spread down her body
like a fever. She tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.
"Uh…" She shifted her gaze, knowing it was the only way she'd be
able to string two words together and have it make sense. She
cleared her throat and fixed her eyes on Cassandra. Looking at
Tremayne would only intimidate her. "Is anyone going to tell me
what decision I'm suppose to make?"
    "It doesn't matter," Derek bit out. "It's not
going to happen." He opened a drawer behind him and shoved what she
thought might be a dagger into it. Had he been holding it when she
walked into the kitchen? Funny, she hadn't noticed anything but the
way his eyes caressed her.
    Cassandra spoke up, ignoring her brother's
remark. "We need to find Tim."
    "I said she's not going to do it," Derek
barked louder, turning his heated gaze on his sister, only this
heat was one of anger.
    Tremayne chuckled, which won him the lethal
glare from Derek. The vampire lifted his hands in an apologetic
shrug. "Sorry, but I thought vampires were possessive, but it
appears hunters are just as controlling."
    Sloane lifted a brow and placed her hands on
her hips. "Will someone please let me know what's going on?"
    Derek leveled his gaze in her direction again
and she flinched at the fury radiating off of him. He didn't seem
to notice his affect on her as he grounded out each word. "They
want to use you as bait. Tim wants you and only you and he'll stop
at nothing to have you. Is that clear enough for you?"
    "Why are you snapping at me?" She threw
back.
    Silence hung in the air for a long few
seconds.
    Derek closed his eyes as he took a deep
breath and let it out again. When he opened them once more, he
seemed to have gained some control over his temper. "Sorry. I'm
pissed off at these two eegits." He motioned toward them with a
quick jerk of his thumb. "I didn't mean to take it out on you."
    She regarded Derek curiously, not
comprehending what had set him off. So they wanted her help. Why
did he care? Then it dawned on her. He cared. That was what
this was all about. He cared about her. God, why did he have to
look so good with temper flaring in his catlike eyes, turning them
greener as they blazed with passion? Sure, the passion was anger,
but he wore it so well, like a knight-in-shining-armor coming to
her rescue. Would those eyes look as captivating as they did now
when making love? She frowned at where her thoughts had taken her
and her lack of control to stay on the subject. They were
discussing taking down a killer and she stood here fantasizing
about getting naked with Derek. She looked at Cassandra and
Tremayne. "I'll do it. If we can stop Tim from killing anyone else,
I'll do whatever it takes."
    "What?" Derek sputtered in disbelief.
    "Splendid," Tremayne said with an amused
smile plastered to his face as if he were watching a humorous
sitcom and was anticipating the next punch line.
    "Sloane, you don't understand." Derek took a
step toward her, but she held up her hand to halt him. She met his
stare head on.
    "I said I would do it. End of discussion. I
don't want anyone else harmed. If this is the only way to stop Tim,
I'm all for it. You should be, too."
    "It's not the only way," Derek argued.
    "But it's the best plan, isn't it?" Sloane
shot back, knowing the answer already.
    Derek's intense eyes held her prisoner, but
then he blinked, releasing her, and without dignifying her question
with an answer, he stalked out of the room.
    "Don't mind my brother," Cassandra said,
breaking the awkward silence.
    She glanced at Derek's sister. She