Lord Cato’s head snapped up. With a bite in his tone, he griped, “Lord Belshazzar, just go sit back down. The queen doesn’t wish to speak with you right now.”
“That’s cute and all, you coming to her rescue, but fuck off,” Lord Belshazzar hissed. “Unless you’d like to permanently lose those fangs of yours—”
“That’s enough,” Lord Pippin muttered, cutting him off. My ex-paramour, of all people, chose that moment—perhaps unwisely—to come to my aid. He flicked his dark red hair out of his narrowed eyes. “I agree with Lord Cato. I think you should sit down.”
“Don’t even get me started on you, my lord.” Lord Belshazzar growled low in his throat, the beast only I knew that lurked deep within him taking voice. “There are things I’ve imagined doing to you that would give me the sweetest dreams for years to come.”
“Let’s all just calm down,” I whispered.
My eyes hadn’t moved from the cell phone, though.
I wished I could take my own advice.
Lord Belshazzar leaned a hip against the table, trying to place himself in my line of sight. “Queen Gwynnore…”
I ignored him. And ignored the quiet in the room.
It didn’t work. Not for him, anyway.
The Overlordmoved. So fast, I couldn’t see him.
Suddenly, my chair was turned in his direction. He bent at the waist and his lovely face was right in front of mine, only an inch away from my nose. I sucked in a harsh breath and glowered, a smidge of my fire entering my system again.
I mumbled heatedly, “That is not fair.”
His right black eyebrow lifted. “I’d like to talk to you privately. Either you can come with me on your own, or I can go the ‘unfair’ route and take the choice from you. Which would you like?”
I attempted to peer down my nose at him, still shaken to my core. “I’ll speak with you. But only right outside the doors to this conference room. I’m not going all the way up to your bedroom.”
His nostrils flared in irritation, but he responded with patience. “Gwen, you never have to be scared of me. If you don’t believe anything else I say, at least believe that. So quit being frightened, get out of your chair, and come talk with me without everyone listening in.”
“I’m not scared,” I retorted quickly. It actually sounded believable too, if only my heart would slow down. “As I stated, I’ll speak with you right outside these doors. We do have business we need to discuss—”
Lord Belshazzarmoved.
I squeaked when the world turned sideways.
COLORS STREAMED PASTMY EYES.Strong arms held me possessively—safely and carefully—against a muscled chest. Voices bounced off one another, none making any sense. Air attacked my exposed flesh, so I turned my face against a heated neck, my lips pressed to a steady and strong pulse.
Eventually, the world stopped.
Or we did.
I sat on a leather couch, and a glass of blood tipped against my lips. I groaned, my body not responding to any of my commands. My head spun, whirling and whirling, the room I was in only a lump of colors—colors that moved at dizzying speed.
“Take a sip, Gwen,” Lord Belshazzar ordered softly in his deep baritone. He placed his warm left palm on the back of my head when it started to tip back on its own. “It’ll help with the dizziness. Drink.”
I swallowed the blood that flooded my mouth.
More sweet, sweet blood filled it. I swallowed again.
The world righted as I blinked a few times.
I swatted his hands away. “Dammit, Bel. I told you I didn’t want to come to your room.”
“It’s private.” He brushed a stray piece of black hair off my forehead, my long hair now windblown—the same as his. The Overlord stood to his full height, finished off the blood in the glass he held, then sat down on the chair next to the couch, gifting me the space I needed. He played with the empty glass while his eyes ran over my face. My vampire Overlord spoke with no inflection in his tone, “I’d like my question answered now. Where did you sleep last night?”
I pinched my lips together, and my heart still galloped too fast. But, fuck, I was here. In his damn room. Though, I still needed to argue a very important point first. “And I really don’t like you carting me off whenever you feel like it.”
