Immortals After Dark 05 - Dark Needs at Nights Edge

looked like he’d hung the moon. Damn, he could get used to looks like that.
    Would she think him ridiculous if he asked her for more? They’d only known each other for a short amount of time. She was experienced and he... wasn’t. To hell with it—he had to know. “Would you want to be with me? If you could? For more than sex.”
    She gave him a sad smile. “You have a destined Bride out there awaiting you.”
    “Néomi, you might be... mine.”

    At his words, her heart skipped, but she forced herself to ask, “Then why haven’t you been blooded? Your heart hasn’t started beating, and you still take no breaths. You don’t... react to me in a physical way.”
    “I think my vampire instinct doesn’t recognize you as my Bride because you’re not technically alive,” he said. “I need to know if you’re merely playing at this, with me, because I’m here and you can.”
    “I am not playing with you. But Conrad, even if we had no physical limitations, I don’t know that we could make this work between us. We’re too different.”
    “How the hell are we too different?”
    “All I’ve ever wanted is life. I covet it so much I feel like I’ll scream. But you... destroy it. And you’re so cavalier about it.”
    “I kill. It’s what I’m best at.”
    “If it was in self-defense or for a cause you believed in, then I could understand. But to extinguish life for money? I could never accept that.”
    “What if I... stopped? What if I told you that when I’m near you, I want to be a better man? Does that count for nothing?”
    “It counts for everything!” She raised her hand to her forehead. “This is a moot point anyway. Unless you know of a way to resurrect ghosts... ?”
    “No, I don’t. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way. I’d search for centuries if I had to.”
    Centuries. Hundreds of years more of sliver moons and monthly torture.
    “And understand this, Néomi—I’ll do it whether you want more with me or not. So don’t let that affect your answer.”
    “Conrad, do you really mean that?” Words bubbled up—I need to be with you... I want us to try...
    He opened his mouth to answer, then stilled. “Someone’s outside.” Crossing to the window, he cracked open the drape. And scowled. “Excellent. My sisters-in-law are dropping by.”
    Néomi sidled up to him to peek out. Two petite women were hurrying out from a sports car into the stormy night. “Those are Valkyrie? They’re stunning. Is that what Lore women look like?”
    “Some. The redhead is Myst the Coveted. She is Nikolai’s. Kaderin the Coldhearted is Sebastian’s blonde.”
    Néomi had heard so much about those two that she felt as if she knew them—
    “I’d planned to kill them, too.” When Néomi glared up at him, he raised his chained hands. “Past tense. See? Already I’m improving.”
    Lips thinned, she studied his expression. He seemed earnest.
    The Valkyrie began arguing in the muddy drive, drawing Néomi’s attention back to them. Myst seemed intent on keeping Kaderin from the manor. When the clash turned physical, Néomi went wide-eyed. I don’t know them at all. “They’re punching each other,” she said in disbelief. “I figured they were fierce since Kaderin is an assassin, but to hit each other?”
    Conrad shrugged. “Nature of the beast, I’m afraid. They like to fight.”
    “I won’t let you do this!” Myst struck out with a jab that connected with Kaderin’s mouth.
    Kaderin swiped her sleeve over her bleeding lip. “Just like that first Talisman’s Hie—still sucker-punching me!”
    “I’ll do worse. If you turn Conrad over to Kristoff, deep down the brothers will never forgive us. If they wanted him given up, they would’ve done it themselves!”
    With a shove, Kaderin said, “I don’t know about you, but I want my husband back!”
    Kristoff had imprisoned them? And wouldn’t free them until he had Conrad? Néomi glanced at him. His expression was inscrutable as he said, “And that answers the question of what has happened to my brothers.”
    “I want mine as well!” Myst said, returning the shove. “But this isn’t the way. For ages, Nikolai has searched for Conrad. All that worry, all that effort, for nothing?”
    Apparently, Nikolai was still putting forth the effort—he hadn’t turned Conrad over.
    “Wait a second.” Myst narrowed her gaze. “What in the hell are we doing? We’re Valkyrie—we take what we want.”
    “What do you mean?”