Page 94 of Grayson’s Challenge

“Don’t!”

But she ignored his protest, and licked over the large gash on his stomach. A hybrid’s saliva had the same healing properties as that of a vampire. It could seal lacerations and cuts, closing a wound to prevent further blood loss. While Orlando would heal eventually by consuming sufficient human blood, the revelation that William was the traitor made it necessary that Orlando get back on his feet swiftly. She was doing this for the good of her family, because in the fight against Abel, every man counted, and an injured member of the team could become a liability.

The fact that she was tempted by Orlando’s blood, wasn’t a factor in her calculations at all. Nevertheless, she couldn’t deny that she liked the taste of his blood as she lapped it up and swallowed it. There was something forbidden about this. The big brutish bodyguard who’d come out of nowhere a little over a year earlier and started working for Scanguards was an enigma. He never talked about himself, never spoke much at all, never seemed to do anything for fun.

Beneath her lips and tongue, she felt the shape of the wound change. Her saliva was starting to close the cut, stemming the blood loss. Less and less blood was seeping from it, but she continued to lap it up, and swallowed it. The blood did something to her, as did the fact that she was licking his skin. His masculine scent awakened everything female in her.

“Stop,” Orlando ground out, his voice gruff.

Did he hate being touched? Reluctantly, Isabelle lifted her head and met his gaze. She had expected his eyes to glare red to match the displeasure in his voice. Instead, they shimmered golden.

“Isabelle?”

At the sound of her mother’s voice, Isabelle spun around and stood up as if caught doing something she shouldn’t be doing.

“Oh my God, what happened to Orlando?” Delilah asked and rushed into the living room.

Orlando groaned as he sat up on the couch. “I’m fine. I’m healing.”

When he tried to stand up, Isabelle put her hand on his shoulder and pressed him back down on the couch. “Rest!”

Then she looked at her mother. “He got ambushed. Somebody warned Matt Smith that he was coming. We think it was William. Have you seen him?”

Delilah shook her head. “No, not in a little while.”

Striker suddenly appeared in the door to the living room, Faye behind him.

“No sign of William,” Striker reported.

Isabelle approached him, craning her neck to look past him, when the entrance door was opened. Faye and Delilah turned toward it.

“Oh, thank God,” Delilah gasped in relief. “Samson.”

42

Together with Patrick, Grayson helped their father over the threshold. Samson was still weak and in pain, but he was getting better with every minute. Behind them, Cooper and Zane were helping Cain into the house.

Delilah was the first to reach them. “Oh, Samson, my love!” She wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself to him, while Grayson and Patrick continued supporting his weight.

“Sweetness,” Samson murmured.

Teary-eyed, Delilah looked at Grayson, then at Patrick. “Thank you for bringing him back to me.” She gestured to the living room. “Bring him in here.”

While they helped Samson onto the loveseat in the living room, Grayson’s gaze fell onto the other couch, where Orlando sat, his clothing ripped and bloody, his face mangled at the hands of a vicious assailant.

Isabelle put her hand on Grayson’s arm. “Orlando wasn’t the traitor. He got ambushed by Matt Smith.”

“Fuck!” Grayson cursed.

“Traitor?” Orlando repeated and rose, though he looked unsteady on his feet. “You thought I was the traitor feeding Abel information?” He glared at him and Isabelle.

Grayson lifted his hand. “I’m sorry, Orlando, but there was circumstantial evidence that pointed to you.”

“What fucking circumstantial evidence?” he growled.

“Your cell phone location. It coincided with that of Rufus’s a couple of days before the kidnapping. And you were the first to show up at the Russian Hill house, even though you live the farthest away.”

Orlando stared at him, stunned. He gripped the high armrest of the couch for support. “You checked up on me? What I do in my private time is my business. Fuck you, Grayson! I would never betray your father.”