I attempt to move again, but darkness’s greedy fingers yank me back into the void. The last thought that crosses my mindbefore unconsciousness claims me is that whatever carries me through this realm of shadows isn’t my friend.
I awaken with a jolt.
A troubled mind lingers outside the door. I wince. Their thoughts are so loud and clear, it’s as if they are screaming into my ear. Seriously?
I rub my eyes with a groan. Ijustfell asleep. Vampires are not used to sleeping at night, but we need to be awake for tomorrow’s wedding.
Seriously, does he have to think so loudly? Usually, I have to actively use my gift to compel people to open their minds to me, but there are times, like now, when someone accidentally directs their thoughts at me like they’re using a megaphone.
There’s no point ignoring him; he’s already made it clear he is here to stay.
Witches and their fucking egos.
I shift to get up, and Desiree stirs beside me. Her naked body presses against me. The thin sheet barely hides her delicious curves. Burying her face into my side, Desiree inhales as if she can never get enough of me, awake or asleep. Her arousal has the sweetest scent. It fills my nostrils, tempting me to stay in bed. Is she dreaming of me? Of us? Her unconscious desire sends heat scorching through my veins. She’s my perfect match—her darkness, her insatiable hunger for me, the way she tastes like sin and feels like home.
It takes all my strength to distance myself from her weblike embrace.
I yank the door open. “As a lawman, you should know that loitering is a punishable offense.”
Jaxson frowns. “I wasn’t loitering.”
I say nothing, and he squirms beneath my stare. His discomfort is satisfying. I fight back a smile.
Jaxson inhales a deep breath. His thoughts are a jumbled mess, all focused on me—how insufferable I am, how I could have had the decency to put on a shirt before answering the door, and whether vampires need to exercise to stay in shape.
“Can you stop staring at me?” he finally says. “Or at least blink? It’s creepy.”
“Jaxson, say what you came here to say, or leave,” I reply, but his attention drifts past me to the sleeping beauty in bed. His thoughts instantly soften. Beneath the surface, however, there’s a pungent taste of fear.
It’s not fear of me, but Desiree. He has things he wants to say to her. Things that could change the course of their friendship. I get why he’s hesitant to speak up; I know all his secrets, but it’s not my place to intervene. This matter is between them, even if what I’m seeing sets my nerves on edge.
I block his view of Desiree with a low growl. “She deserves to know,” I say.
Jaxson narrows his eyes at me. “Stay out of my head, Vane.”
I laugh. He’s about as much of a threat to me as a blind basilisk. “If you stopped projecting your thoughts so loudly, I wouldn’t have a front-row seat to the melodrama of your life.”
Jaxson crosses his arms over his chest, and the metal buckles on his Blade uniform glint in the dim overhead lights like cat’s eyes protruding from darkness. “I’ve been trying to tell her.”
I lift a brow. “Don’t try. Do.”
“It hasn’t been the right time.”
“Make time. She deserves to hear it from you, not someone else.”
“Is that someone else you?” he challenges.
I maintain a neutral expression. “Believe it or not, Jaxson, I don’t sit around talking about you all night and day. I am an immortal king, and you are just a minor detail in my very long life. I tolerate your presence because you mean something to Desiree.”
Jaxson shifts uncomfortably in the doorway, and my annoyance fades. He is caught between the joy of having it all and the fear of loss. What a conundrum.
“Whatever, you don’t have to be such a jerk,” Jaxson responds, his citrus scent souring. “I just came to tell Desi that Wilder’s missing.”
I run my tongue over one of my fangs, waiting for him to continue. I already know Wilder is gone, and so is Leigh. It’s all been playing out in his mind like a film reel.
Jaxson takes a deep breath. “Wilder and Leigh went through the portal to Mictlan after?—”
“I know about the child.” Shock ripples through me. Having the gift of foresight usually means nothing surprises me, but this is disturbing. Desiree is not going to handle this well.
