Page 54 of Sublime Target

And he found her all the more fascinating because if he were in her shoes, he would have blown up at someone already.

With the current situation, he was this close to blowing up, and the fact that he was in the grip of the Mating Fever didn’t help at all.

Thank the Goddess he’d given himself a shot of suppressant because if he hadn’t, he truly didn’t know what he might have done.

But it wasn’t just the effects of the suppressant. There was something else, too.

Her.

Her presence maddened him, but somehow, she also made him feel calm.

Jerik walked over to her. He held out her drink, which he’d salvaged as they’d left the restaurant.

Sienna had been mildly outraged that they were leaving so soon, but she’d quickly grasped the seriousness of the situation, seeing them off with stern orders to return when things were taken care of.

Jerik could only hope that once he dealt with this infernal hostage situation—in his own style, as always—she would still want to take a meal with him.

“Your drink,” he said gruffly, a sliver of trepidation creeping through him. “Sorry we couldn’t stay for the food.”

She looked up, regarding him for a moment, her dark eyebrows drawing together, brown eyes narrowing.

Appraising him.

Skeptical.

A little annoyed.

He found her prickliness so attractive to the point where he became hard again. His headache returned. The suppressant made the ravages of the Mating Fever bearable—only just.

He was in a foul mood too—growing fouler by the siv—but none of his ire was directed at her.

Never at her.

A puff of air escaped her delicate red lips. Exasperation. He wondered what it would be like to capture her mouth with his. Her lips were like the perfectly formed petals of some exotic flower.

He wanted to taste her so badly.

Patience. Let her come to you.

To his relief, Clarissa accepted her drink. “Now I regret not making it alcoholic,” she said dryly. “This hostage thing… it doesn’t have anything to do with you, does it?”

“It doesn’t,” he growled, somewhat affronted that she might think he would resort to such weak tactics.

In his world, there were only two options.

Mercy, or death.

“Humans are behind it,” he said coldly. “Probably the same ones that object to our presence in the building. That boss of yours… he never intended to negotiate, did he?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Garner wouldn’t…” A shadow of doubt crossed her exquisite features. “I really don’t think he’d be so reckless.”

“Seems to me a lot of your kind have a hard time grasping the reality of a situation.” Fury rose inside him, but he relented when he sensed her unease. He made a great effort to soften his tone—the last thing he wanted was to scare her. “I will do everything in my power to resolve this quickly. I’ll try to ensure nobody gets seriously damaged, but I can’t predict human behavior.”

She took a sip of her drink. He couldn’t help but stare as her lips touched the edge of the glass.

It was the most sensuous thing.

A faint imprint of red was left behind on the glass from the pigment staining her lips.