TJ Michaels

This week’s snippet is a fight scene, but instead of a physical fight (which is coming up soon, I promise ;D) this is an emotional rout between our hero and heroine of Serati’s Flame. Enjoy! Oh, and don’t forget to visit my fellow Snippet’ers – links are at the bottom of this page.

Serati’s Flame (Vampire Council of Ethics 2)
Copyright 2008, T.J. Michaels
All Rights Reserved, Published by Samhain Publishing

The adrenaline rush Tameth had suppressed while hunting came slamming back into her chest. Only this time it rode the waves of anger rather than pursuit and competed with the raw emotions bombarding her heart. Her head claimed there was no reason to be upset. Even as his Second it was his choice to share information with her or not, especially if Bix had been contacted. But her heart wanted him to confide in her. Share everything. Have a real relationship. His brow was furrowed with genuine confusion, the bond hummed with it. But damn it, she needed to make him understand.

“Uh, guys, would you leave Alaan and me alone for a moment?”

The team rose as a unit, then spread out to strategic spots in the restaurant. If she hadn’t been so pissed, she would have chuckled at Kenoe’s grumbled, “About damned time. I’m overdue for something stronger than this piss water beer.” The white-haired, handsome-as-sin Hatsept Seeker made a beeline for the bar lounge while a burly, surly Collins headed outside to cover the front door.

Even with her intense Seeker’s training and experience, it took considerable effort to rein in her reeling emotions. The cider, once sweet and refreshing, was now bitter on her tongue. Downing it in one gulp, she set the glass carefully and quietly on the tabletop and discreetly let it all hang out. For his ears only, of course. She may have been pissed, but she’d had plenty of practice quietly snapping Serati male heads off.

“Alaan Serati, what the hell were you thinking to keep such important information from me?”

The man had the nerve to raise one of those thick blond eyebrows at her as if she’d gone surfing in the middle of a tsunami.

“Er, share it for what?”

“I can’t believe you asked me that,” she hissed. He couldn’t possibly be that dense. No, no way would any man of hers be such a blockhead. She was his Second and he was supposed to trust her, damn it.

“You’re very good at that,” he said with a smirk.

“Good at what?”

“Keeping your expression calm. You’re pissed as hell, but you look like we’re talking about having Sunday tea.”

“Oh shut up, you…you idiot! I’m your Second, and I can’t believe you didn’t…”

“Key word, Tameth, is Second. For now, I,” he emphasized the word, “am Head Seeker, woman. Not you.”

“I’m sure I’m supposed to care but…”

“And I spoke to Bix about this. So why the hell would I run a totally unsubstantiated lead, with no facts to back it up, by you? And don’t pull the Clan Serati woman crap on me. When on duty, you’re subordinate to me, not the other way around.”

His argument made sense, but who the hell cared? Fuck him and Bix, too. She wanted to be treated as an equal. Not shut out of his and Bix’s little Head Seeker club.

Then he grumbled something about why on earth did he have to be born into the only matriarchic clan on the planet. Now that did it.

“Because!” Okay, now she felt stupid, but pushed it away quickly. Besides, no woman in her right mind would want a relationship with a man who refused to understand how much she needed to be included.

“Look, Tam, when I stand in my office as Head Seeker or Second to Bix, I’m not your mate and I’m not your friend.”

“You’ve got that straight, asshole. As a matter of fact why don’t we just say you’re neither mate nor friend, period.”

“Speaking of periods, are you coming on yours?” he questioned. For a second he looked as if the big light bulb had gone on in that giant blond head of his, and suddenly he had the answer to life. Idiot.

“And I am not PMS’ing. If I were a male Seeker you wouldn’t leave me out. I don’t want you to treat me differently just because I’m a woman or because we had sex.”

“Sex doesn’t have anything to do with it. Look, woman, get it through your head. It’s not personal. It’s. Fucking. Work! And since you’re going to be all ‘female’ about it, tell me which of our team members I shared this information with instead of you.”

Her mouth dropped so wide open she was amazed it didn’t make contact with the table. Damn, he had her there. As far as she knew he’d only shared it with Bix. And that sure as hell didn’t count, considering he had authority over the entire Seeker corps all over the planet.

“All right, Tam, what is this really about?”

Leaning forward, he took her hands and held tight while gently stroking the pulse point just above the center of her palm. Suddenly Tameth felt beyond inadequate. She’d never gotten upset before when Alaan sought council about a mission from Bix instead of her. Hell, nothing out of the ordinary about that. It was normal and had been going on for as long as she’d been a Seeker. But rumor had it that Alaan used to include Sher in everything, including Seeker business he had no permission to share. Yet he’d left her out, and while she was Second on a mission at that. Her gut clenched as the seething fog of anger lifted leaving behind a dull ache in its wake along with a realization she’d never admit to in a million years—a dead woman had her tripping.

Bottom line: She couldn’t compete with a ghost.