Christian stretched out his arms. “Raven was awake most of the night, but she nodded off a while ago. I didn’t want to wake her, so here I am.”
When a woman screamed from a room down the hall, Viktor said, “Maybe this place was a bad decision.”
Christian chuckled softly. “We’re a hundred times safer here than in the Breed district. And that lass has been screaming for the past two hours. It’s not what you think. Have you got your powers back?”
Viktor’s wolf stirred beneath his skin. If he didn’t do something about it, his wolf might take matters into his own hands. “Da. I will need to shift for a while before we leave.”
“I don’t know that we should leave. Where else can we go without identification or credit cards? We’re better off staying out of the Breed district.”
Viktor stared at a crushed cigarette butt on the carpet. “These accommodations are unacceptable for a woman such as Miss Parrish.”
“Aye, but I’m certain she’s seen worse. Do you have a plan?”
Viktor looked at the hourglass on his hand, the light glimmering. He had considered buying their freedom with all his money, but he remembered Sparrow’s warning that he wouldn’t accept bargaining. Could enough money sway him? If that were the case, Sparrow could have easily accepted bribes since some of the wealthiest immortals in Cognito were at the event.
“I must speak with Miss Parrish.” Viktor lowered his voice, wondering if her abilities were restored. “In private.”
Christian inclined his head. “Since you’re here, may I take leave for a short while? I want to change clothes so I’m not so… conspicuous. I can guard the building and do any work you desire, but not while looking like tinfoil.”
Viktor nodded. “Be quick about it. I have no way to reach you. My phone does not work.”
After Christian entered the stairwell, Viktor smoothed back his silver hair. Because of their unique situation, the loose waves didn’t fall out of place like they sometimes did. At least he had taken off his ushanka hat before Sparrow inflicted his curse upon them. Viktor lightly knocked on the door.
When it opened, his breath caught. Lenore had the face of an angel. Her tresses, as pale as the tips of feather grass, were braided and twisted up in the back. Rarely did he see women style their hair the way she did, with such care—such precision. It hadn’t escaped his attention that lately she hadn’t been wearing high heels as often, making her a tiny bit shorter than him. Had she done it on purpose in order to stroke his ego? While he yearned to know her, kissing her thin but soft lips was as intimate as they’d been.
“You are a work of art in that dress,” he said admiringly, noticing the way it shimmered like a river across her sylphlike body. If only he could warm up to her black Vampire eyes. They were dangerously beguiling—her deep gaze a reminder of her awesome power.
She stepped out of the way. “Do join me.”
His cheeks flushed when he passed by her and felt her steady gaze. Would her perfume also linger forever? The sweet fragrance of roses with notes of basil and a fruit he couldn’t identify?
She glided to the window, arms folded.
Viktor was observant about body language. Lenore was obviously upset by their circumstances. Sparrow and his threats were bad enough, but the hotel was insult to injury.
Deciding not to intrude upon her space, he sat down in the armchair in the dark corner between the window and the dresser. “This situation— I am—”
“No need to apologize, Viktor. I don’t trust strangers, so even if you had a friend take us in, that’s where we would have parted ways. I just assumed a man like you had a second home for emergencies.”
Viktor rested his arms on the chair, unsettled by her remark, which felt like a personal attack on his sensibility. “I never planned to lose Keystone in this way.”
“No one ever expects disaster.” She leaned her back against the wall beside him. “But if you don’t anticipate every scenario, you’ll never last in this world. The only reason I don’t have a second home is because I’m still searching for a secure and suitable location. It’s not easy to do in a city with the highest Breed population in the United States. Godfrey and his men deceived me. If you had found me qualified security, this would have never happened.” This time, she gave him a pointed look.
Viktor’s heart pounded, and it felt as if his shirt was getting uncomfortably tight. “Christian promised to help you locate someone qualified, but your personal affairs arenotmy responsibility. I was being courteous, and yet you hold me to it like an obligation.”
“I see. Perhaps now it’s Godfrey’s obligation since he was the only one who declared his intentions with me. How do you think that made me feel?”
Viktor averted his eyes, pierced by her judgment. Over the past few months, his feelings for Lenore had grown stronger. Because of that, he had stalled their relationship so he could weigh it against all he had built with Keystone. What role would she play? Was it a conflict of interest to have a member of the higher authority move in with an independent team such as theirs? Would she even consider living together? His devotion to her was powerful, and he’d spent many nights contemplating their future. But Lenore did not see all he stood to lose. She only saw an indecisive man.
“Viktor, I’ve upset you.” Lenore appeared at his feet, her hands on his knees. “Last night when my powers left, I couldn’t hear properly, let alone read anyone, and you can be a reticent man. Now that I have them back, I see your doubt. Your body says more than you do. Please forgive me.”
“You have no need to watch me so closely. I am not deceiving you.” Viktor wasn’t sure if that was the right word or phrasing, but he left it alone. “I am angry with myself.”
“Why are you so”—she circled her finger on his thigh—“distant? Have you never considered settling down? These are different times, and we are both wise enough to appreciate the value of a good match. I can’t have children, but something tells me that’s not what you desire. So why the hesitancy? Does this have to do with the house? Not with Godfrey occupying it, but the murders that took place there. What exactly happened?”
“I cannot discuss.”
Lenore shifted to the side and rested her hand back on his knee. “I’m old, Viktor. Older than you, and I’ve experienced my share of tragedy. Nothing you could say will shock me. But how could something that happened so long ago still have such an effect on a man so stoic? Unburden yourself. Tell me.”
