“Yeah, thanks for that, by the way. I don’t think I’ve ever had a man in my bedroom who needed to hold my hair back while I vomited everywhere.”
He laughed. “It was my pleasure. Always happy to help a lady in distress.”
I blushed at him calling me a lady just as a growl rumbled through my palm. I shot a chastising look up at Shane. “Don’t be grumpy. Vito helped me get over the poison while Bal was with you. You should be thanking him, not behaving like he’s theenemy. He isn’t. He’s here to help us both. So show him some respect.”
Shane’s eyebrows rose, and he blinked before a slow smile stretched his sexy mouth, followed by a chuckle. I released a gentle breath as the overwhelming feel of his Alpha power in the air diminished.
“Well, okay then, little bird.”
He shuffled me to one side and held out a hand to Vito. “Thanks for looking after my mate while I couldn’t, man. I won’t forget it. Even if you only did it to keep your head where it should be.”
Vito chuckled and shook Shane’s hand before stepping back. “My pleasure. But I didn’t just do it for that. Sor’s been dealt a shit hand by life.” He looked at me. “And you’ve fought to overcome your past. I respect that. Plus, the Count wouldn’t protect you, or look so devastated after the other day, if he didn’t truly care for you.” He shrugged his big shoulders. “He deserves some fucking light in his life. And I’d do anything for my lord and those he cares about.” He looked at me. “So, if that means holding your hair back, or escorting you to where you want to go, then that’s exactly what I’ll do.” He gave Shane a lopsided, almost apologetic, smile that made him look unfairly handsome. “Whether you want me to or not.”
I blinked. It really was uncalled for that all the vampires around me were built and gorgeous. Yet, even Vito’s model-like face didn’t make my stomach flutter like Shane’s smile, or Bal’s intense look when he fixed me in his sights.
“We need to find Bal. Where is he?” I asked gently, glad I was able to defuse their standoff.
Vito grinned. “All you needed to do was ask. He’s at the club. There is justice to be served, and you know how he loves to make an example of his enemies.”
“You’ll take us to him?” I tried to make it sound like a question and not a demand. He was right. I was braver now, just not quite courageous enough to make demands of an ancient vampire warrior.
“Of course. I haven’t been instructed to keep you prisoners. Only, it’s probably wiser to stay here. Sometimes the Count’s court is boring as hell, but other times, even vamps manage to piss him off. He can get…” His shoulders rose and fell, a wry smirk curling his mouth.
I smiled back. “We understand.”
Shane’s muscles relaxed under my touch, and he wrapped an arm around me as my hand slid from his chest.
“We’ll be fine. He won’t hurt us.” He tucked me in close before leaning down to kiss me thoroughly. As always, I melted against him, forgetting in an instant that we had an audience. When he pulled back, he shot a possessive smirk Vito’s way. My face burned. He was claiming me, and while part of me remembered that I’d promised myself I’d not become anyone’s possession ever again, another more primal part of me loved knowing I was his. Because if I were his, then that meant he was mine. Where Bal fit into that dynamic, I didn't think either of us knew. Shane had feelings for Bal; that was obvious. So did I. It was time to figure out if Count Balthazar Rossi felt anything more than lust for either of us.
I raised my chin, my heart racing. It twisted my stomach in knots to think that he’d been playing games, and likely had another reason for keeping us close, but I needed to know. His words the other day had seemed so sincere. Still, I had so many questions: about our dynamic, his feelings and plans for us, why he hadn’t told me about my heritage, and even what being a witch meant. So I put my hand in Shane’s and smiled at Vito. “Please take us to him.”
Vito nodded. “Okay, but when this all goes tits up, remember that I advised you to stay here. The Count always has his reasons behind what he does. You should wait for him to come to you.”
Shane snorted. “That’s not gonna happen. I appreciate the warning, and I appreciate everything you did for Sor. But if he’s just fucking with our feelings, it’s time for us to know that, and for us to find a way in this fucked up world without him.”
Vito cocked his head, his eyes narrowed on Shane. “That’s the thing, wolf. If the Count has claimed you, the only way you’ll ever leave is if he wants you to.”
I smiled, a strange coldness curling around my heart and trickling through my body. “We’d find a way.” My voice may be shaking a bit at the thought of escaping someone as powerful as the Count, but there was steel in my words. Even though I felt more for Bal than I should, I wouldn’t be used again. I craved his commanding touches and the feel of his body. But not enough to follow him blindly.
Vito looked at me with one brow raised. “Really? Well, in that case, I’ll get you to the Gambit. I just hope you two know what you’re doing.”
So did I.
27
Balthazar
Keepingmy face impassive was a skill I’d learnt literally ages ago. But today, it was a miracle I could perform it at all. My fingers twitched against my chair arm, itching to break something. All I wanted was to drop my head back, close my eyes, and take a moment. I was immortal and could heal from illness and injury, but I wasn’t immune to fatigue.
I’d left my two lovers entangled in each other in the early hours of this morning while it was still dark. Dav had called and informed me of yet another outbreak of the Blood Lust virus in a small town in rural France. I’d gone straight to our operations hub, which we ran from a packing warehouse on the outskirts of London. It took a concentrated and organised effort to coordinate a strike with my European squad leader, but the outbreak was quickly contained.
Hensen was a good vampire, and an even better warrior, and cleanup was executed in his usual efficient fashion, except that by the time we’d wrapped everything up, the night hadmorphed into day. A meeting between me, as representative of the vampire nation, other supernatural leaders, and the human politicians who had the power to escalate mistrust at every political and military turn, had been necessary. Their accusatory questions did nothing for my already frayed tolerance. Walker acted as our official liaison and had been his usual reserved and unflappable self. Yet, he had demanded information and asked questions on behalf of all concerned, questions that he knew I had no answers to. As irritated as I was, I respected that he was performing a role that I would never touch. He mediated patiently and tirelessly with the human government envoys, keeping our tenuous peace going. His role was vital, and his long-lived experience in political machinations was necessary for keeping the peace, though I wondered how long even he could manage to perform such a job, especially when my own tolerance for their accusations and threats of retaliation was nebulous at best. I’d silently listened to the final threats of escalation against the vampire nation, nodded my respect at Walker and left, and I didn’t give a rat’s arse whether they liked my unresponsiveness. My focus was on finding those who’d started this war by developing the virus in the first place. I would rip them apart and destroy everything they stood for. Part of me hoped they’d at least managed to develop an antidote, though my own extensive labs hadn’t yet. Devoting my time to hunting down the source of the Blood Lust virus didn’t detract from the fact that some enemy factions were using technology to hack into our banks and businesses. Those covens of Mades fought an altogether more clandestine war against the Original vampires. They didn’t care that it was affecting the world economy.
On top of that, I had to deal with the political aspects of our relationship with all other races. In their eyes, the vampire race had started the slaughter, and it didn’t matter to them if it was Originals or Mades who’d developed thatdamned virus. Not only was the virus causing mass deaths and subsequent executions of the carriers, it was also destabilising relations enough to force humans and supernaturals into a war. I was under no illusions why. If the Mades succeeded in stirring up further conflict, Stefan would be removed from power. Not because humans could end the entire vampire race, but because they could kill enough Original vampires that the Mades outnumbered us. The digital destruction of wealth and influence would cement that shift in the power balance, and any remaining Original vampires would be stripped of control.
The whole damned world would degenerate into chaos.
It didn’t help that Stefan’s continued illness made him weak in the eyes of the vampire community as a whole. His frailty was only compounding the problems surrounding politics and war. There was no cure in sight for whatever ailed him, and his son was a mere boy, too young to rule with any authority. I would help him, just as I had always helped his father, but it would be too long and bloody a time until he was able to take his seat on the throne.
