Micah felt his frown furrow deeper. “It’s not Phaedra’s kind of place. Trust me.”
“Nathan didn’t think it was my kind of place either,” Jordana argued. “Besides, Phaedra and I haven’t had a chance to talk yet, and she’s going back to Rome tomorrow.”
Why the reminder of her departure should put a twinge of regret in him, Micah didn’t care to know. Her gaze met his and an unspoken acknowledgment of the desire still crackling between them made her golden eyes dusky with awareness.
“I should probably stay here,” she said. “I’d love to spend some more time with you, Jordana, but Jenna wanted me to tell her more about the incident in the Deadlands before I have to leave with Zael and Brynne.”
“I can wait,” Jenna said, stepping out to join the small group in the corridor. “I’m actually feeling a little tired right now, anyway. If you don’t mind, we can meet again tomorrow before you have to go.”
Micah might have suspected it was only an excuse, but Jenna did look a bit piqued. “Is anything wrong?”
“No. Just par for the course lately. I’m just going to close my eyes for a while. You all have fun.”
As Jenna headed for the elevator up to the mansion’s residence, Jordana smiled. “I guess it’s settled. Shall we go?”
“Tell you what,” Eli added, turning all of his easy charm on Phaedra. “If you decide you don’t like the place at any time after we get there, I’ll personally see you back here to the command center.”
“Like hell you will,” Micah muttered.
Phaedra sent him an uncertain, questioning glance.
With Jordana and his comrades staring at him now, too, he scowled and exhaled a low curse. “If we’re going, let’s get on with it.”
He strode past the group, hearing them all fall in behind him, Phaedra included.
Although he didn’t like the idea, he had no right to dictate what she did or didn’t do. And while it put a boil in his blood, if she decided to take Elijah up on his offer—or any other one the handsome Breed male might have in mind—there was nothing Micah could say about it.
He had no claim on Phaedra at all, even if the persistent thrumming in his veins wanted to balk at that fact.
CHAPTER 11
Slake was packed and pulsing with activity. No surprise, given that the elite club was the pinnacle of Breed gathering places in the city.
Expensive, exclusive, and exceedingly luxe.
Stepping off the elevator from the underground VIP parking garage, Micah and his companions turned a lot of heads despite the crowds already filling the main floor. Being a member of the Order, and dressed in black patrol gear like the other warriors accompanying him, Micah was used to drawing attention. Inside the elegant club, human blood Hosts—male and female alike—and civilian Breed males from area Darkhavens paused in mid-conversation to watch the group of five warriors and the pair of stunning women in their company cleave a path through the crowd on their way up to the second-floor suite that belonged to Darion.
Micah hardly noticed the stares, except for the ones that followed Phaedra. She was damn hard to miss. As beautiful as Jordana was, with her graceful bearing and long hair the color of moonglow, it was Phaedra’s sultry, understated beauty that attracted even more attention. Far more than Micah liked.
He told himself it was only the protector in him—not the stab of sharp possessiveness he felt—that made him place his hand at the small of her back while they ascended the black marble stairs leading up to the higher level of the club. Although she was a powerful, immortal being as well as a gorgeous woman, that didn’t mean he wasn’t honor-bound to keep her safe. Especially when he was walking her through a pack of vampires who’d all come to Slake in search of a juicy carotid to tap, along with whatever other cravings they wanted to fill.
No one would dare make a move on her or Jordana, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t broadcast the warning anyway.
Yeah, he had a dozen rationalizations for letting his touch linger on her now, but the truth was his blood hadn’t stopped burning for her since their interrupted moment outside the archive room.
It was all he could do to keep the embers in his irises from sparking into fire when she looked at him as they reached the second floor of the club. His fangs throbbed in his gums, the sharp points grazing his tongue as he fought to keep all of his unwelcome impulses in check.
Darion entered the unlock code for the suite and invited them all inside. Although neither Micah nor any of his Breed brethren needed artificial light to see, lamps and chandeliers flicked on as the group entered, illuminating the private four-thousand square-foot suite. Open-concept except for the four big bedrooms at the far end, the place had two separate lounge areas with cushioned sectionals and roomy club chairs, a fireplace, billiard table, theater room, and more.
Jordana led Phaedra farther inside. “What do you think?”
“It’s bigger than my entire house back home.”
The two women walked over to one of the living areas, already chatting like the best of friends as they settled onto the sofa together.
“Who’s up to get their ass kicked at the pool table?” Eli asked with a grin.
Micah smirked at his cocky friend. “Sounds like you are.”
