Vampire Assassin League Bundle Five - Loneliness Read Free

Wystan’s brows rose. He didn’t know how to answer that. She was truly lovely. Cute. Precocious.
    “I think I want to marry you.”
    She’d reached him. Her head was level with his waist. She had a mass of curly dark hair, and the fake jewels on her tiara twinkled in the light. Wystan caught the smile.
    “I think ...you’re a mite young yet, miss.”
    “I won’t always be. Will you wait for me?”

 
    CHAPTER TWO
     
    Uh oh.
    She was looking up at him. Moonlight touched cherubic cheeks, the shadow of lashes, and an expression akin to the one most women gave him within moments of seeing him. Good thing he had cell phones back at the helicopter. And VAL Headquarters on speed-dial.
    “Can we speak of such things later, demoiselle ? We need to complete your rescue first. For that, we’re going to do a bit of a jump.”
    “You can jump from here?”
    She was at the window opening, looking down approximately four stories. Good thing she was young. And might not remember such things. She turned her head to look back up to him.
    “Will you have to hold me?” she asked next.
    “Pretty much,” Wystan answered. And then he shifted to another leg.
    “Will that make us engaged?”
    Wystan looked heavenward for a moment. At least they’d put her in a tower with an intact roof. He could see the wood vaulting. And remnants of a bird nest. She sounded serious. But she couldn’t be. She was so very young. And so very cute. Perhaps she was play-acting with him, using her role of princess. And he could just play along.
    He looked back down and gave her another bow. And then had to hitch his chausses up again. Now was not a good time to rue the fact that he’d foregone the jupon.
    “I am but a poor knight, m’lady. You should truly hold out for a prince.”
    “But once you marry me, you’d be a prince.”
    That was just his luck . She had temerity, looked pretty darling, and wasn’t lacking in wits. Wystan decided on another tack. Adventure. Excitement. He elevated his voice to show it.
    “You ever ride in a helicopter, Miss Carlotti?”
    “Lots of times. Why?”
    Well. That killed the adventurous, exciting part of it. “Because we’ve got a Euro-copter awaiting us.”
    “You don’t have a horse?”
    Wystan chuckled before he could prevent it. And then he shook his head ruefully. “Sadly ...no. Apologies.”
    “I’ll buy you one.”
    “Ah. My thanks. But I do already have one. He’s...a bit under the weather at the moment.”
    ... and six feet of earth.
    “My daddy is very rich.”
    This was getting problematical. Wystan didn’t deal with women or problems very well. And nobody had said a word about just how precocious Miss Carlotti could be. He had her wrapped securely in a blanket and tucked beneath his arm before she said another word. And then they swooped out the window.
    Moments later he was bent over, ignoring how his chausses sagged, displaying a good section of his lower back to the night air, in order to deposit his bundle in a back seat. He strapped her in. And then he opened the top of the blanket, making sure she’d survived the journey. Dark eyes, set in spectacular lashes surveyed him for a moment before she smiled.
    Buggers .
    His situation had not improved. Wystan turned toward the pilot. VAL had assigned Vaughn for this hit. The fellow was their best. Or so he claimed. He’d also had a recent run-in with some sort of finger ripping apparatus. Wystan had noticed the fake skin on most of his fingertips when they’d met. It didn’t hamper his flying skill. Vaughn gave him a salute from the pilot seat. Wystan frowned.
    “Looks like everything went okay. And in less than twenty minutes. Wow. You guys never fail to amaze. I didn’t have time to finish my coffee.”
    “Fire it up. You’ve got a rendezvous with some very concerned parents.”
    “Take a seat and strap in first. Oh. Never mind. You’re a vampire. Do whatever you want.”
    The engine started up. A tremor went through the