I pushed that thought process aside too. No need to go down that road. What Shane and I had done hadn’t hurt them or made it any worse for the mers. If anything, I felt more ready to face the vampires than I had the entire time. Even if the lack of actual sleep had left me a little tired.
“I’m thinking I might come with you.” An apprehensive tone was in his voice that I hadn’t heard since the night before on the beach.
I peered at him quizzically. “You mean come face the Vampire Cathedral with me?”
He nodded slowly. I couldn’t tell if his apprehension was over the thought of dealing with the Royals or my reaction to his suggestion.
Such a thought hadn’t even entered my mind. The idea of it was both appealing, since I would need as much help as I could get, and off-putting. “Shane, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I’m not in a place where I can offer—”
“Oh, knock it off. I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve made that mistake before. Hookups and relationships are two different things. One I want. One I don’t.” The caution had left his tone. Though not unkind, his expression left no doubt to the validity of his statement.
There was a story there; I felt certain. One that I could relate to. Damaged loves damaged.
“Then why?”
“Honestly? Sounds fun. I’ve been ready to move on from here anyway. Think I told you I was considering heading to Europe next. Why not have a little adventure before I go.” He motioned around the tiny house. “It’s not like I have anything tying me to this place. One call to the landlord, throw my clothes in a duffle, and I’m good to go.”
I considered him. I nearly shouted “Yes” at the offer but held back. I wasn’t exactly sure why. True, the obvious came to mind—this guy’s a stranger, he might be playing for the other side, he’s a werewolf. I chastised myself for this last one. Like I knew anything about werewolves. I was a demon. That was supposed to be the worst thing, so who was I to judge.
“You might need some more muscle. I don’t know who you’re going there to save…” His voice trailed off, his eyes narrowing. “Is it some boyfriend and now you’re worried about him finding out about us?”
The idea actually made me laugh. “No. Not hardly. I’ll fill you in on the way.”
His eyebrows rose. “On the way? Does that mean you’ve made up your mind?”
I hadn’t even realized I’d said that. Well, why the fuck not? So far, it seemed like the path had been laid pretty clear for me. Might as well keep up the trend. A path to the Royals. Still wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad sign.
“Yeah. I guess it does.”
If I’d had any remaining concerns that Shane was going with me for the sake of some romantic crush, they vanished at his reaction. His lips broke into a smile, and he sat up. “Awesome! I’ve been needing some excitement. Haven’t had any reason to be all wolfie since the pack, other than running.”
“Allwolfie?” For some reason, even though I’d known he was a werewolf, the thought of his body actually transforming into wolf form hadn’t entered my mind.
He paused. “That bother you?”
I raised my hands in defense. “No. Not at all. Just hadn’t thought of it.” At the notion, I felt a glimmer of hope blossom in me. Demon powers and a wolf. Maybe we could pull this thing off.
Shane smacked his hands together in a loud clap and made to slip off the bed. His excitement over the certain confrontation with the vampires gave his body a nearly electrical charge, making him seem even more powerful than before. “Great! Let’s get the fuckers!”
I reached out and grasped his arm. “Shane.”
He turned back to me. “Yeah?”
“I’m going on a rescue mission, not to take down the whole cathedral.”
He shrugged. “That sounds good to me.” Then he winked. “Besides, you never know what might happen.”
I couldn’t help but feel myself get excited at his eagerness. Again he started to move off the bed, but I held onto his arm.
“What is it?”
It was my turn to feel a little insecure. “Well, it’d been a long time before you, and I doubt we’ll actually have any time while were dealing with vampires. I was just thinking—”
That same eagerness flashed through his smile as he turned fully back toward me and rose to a kneeling position. His cock was already halfway erect as he moved to get on top of me. “Can’t think of a better way to get this thing underway.”
“Uhh, Shane?” I put my hand over his chest, keeping him from lowering all the way onto me.
“What?”
