Guarding Valentina [Paladin Protection Agency 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Jase turned on him again, Aedan laughed and used his preternatural speed to cross the room, coming to a stop just at Val’s side.
    “You’re looking lovely this morning, Val,” he quipped before tugging her into his arms and shifting them both a few feet to the left, out of the way of Jase’s incoming attack. The werewolf shot past him and came to a snarling halt, only to stop dead as commanding voice filled the room.
    “Enough! Waters, put the wolf back in its cage. Now! Mr. Doyle, you’ve made your point. Would you please put down my operative and we’ll try to do this in a civilized fashion.”
    “Sorry, sir.” Jase stepped back, but Aedan could still see the promise of violence gleaming in the werewolf’s eyes.
    Val turned in Aedan’s arms and frowned up at him, her brown eyes full of irritation as well as a hint of admiration. “You aren’t making a very good first impression, Aedan.”
    “Sorry.” He was surprised to realize he actually meant it. He loosened his hold on Val but managed to keep one arm slipped around her trim waist so she stayed close. He could smell the faint, citrusy scent of her shampoo rising from her hair, and he was struck with the sudden urge to bury his nose into the soft, dark waves. Stay on target, man. Now is not the time to be distracted by a pretty girl.
    “I suggest we all take a seat.” The owner of the commanding voice gestured for the small group to head over to a conference table. He had dark hair turning to silver, and his gray eyes gleamed with intelligence and wisdom beyond his years. “There’s coffee over there, if anyone would like to fetch our guest some?”
    Aedan wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard a faint growl coming from Jase’s corner of the room.
    “That’s all right. I’m fine,” Aedan said and then let Val guide him over to a chair. He sank into it, making sure she took the one right beside him. “And I am sorry I tweaked your proverbial tail, Jase. I’m afraid I’m not exactly the diplomat of my organization, but I’m the one who is here.” He gave them all an apologetic grin. “So you’re stuck with me.”
    The apparent leader of the group spoke again. “I’m Geoff Remington, and I run Paladin. Sinjin here runs Division S, a specialized group that I believe have overlapping interests in whatever it is your organization does.” Geoff cocked his head expectantly at Aedan, who took the hint.
    “I belong to a very old group known as the Brethren. We research, track down, and destroy vampires. We try to keep our presence something of a secret, so I needed permission before I could speak to you openly.”
    He glanced over at Val, hoping she didn’t take this next bit of news too badly. “And as your resident werewolf has already sniffed out, I’m not exactly human. I’m a dhampir.”
    His confession hung in the air, and he looked away from Val, not wanting to see her rejection when it came. It was something he’d gotten used to over the years, but that didn’t mean he’d grown to enjoy watching potential friends and lovers turn away from him when they learned the truth. He was stunned when the first question anyone asked came from her.
    “So what does that mean? This is all a bit new to most of us. Hell, until a few months ago I didn’t believe in any of this hocus-pocus crap. I’ve been trying to bone up, but I’ve never heard the word dhampir before today.”
    He turned to look at Val and was pleased to see nothing but curiosity and a little bit of wariness. Wariness I can deal with. It beats outright fear.
    “There’s a long, boring medical explanation for it, but the short and dirty version is this. My mother was attacked by a vampire while she was pregnant. There’s something odd about the whole turning into a vampire thing. Hell, there are a lot of odd things about it, but specifically there’s something strange that happens when a vampire tries to turn a pregnant woman. Sometimes everything comes together in a