Noah stared at the screen. He tried to feel something, but he was drawing a blank, his mind and body a jumble of muted sensations and thoughts as he watched Teresa and Reign fuck. Why there was a camera in a private guest suite, Noah pondered only for a few moments, deeming that not particularly important right now. According to the location stamp of the camera, this room was in NGR3-483, but that didn’t really tell him much…
He cast his gaze around the room with its three bodies. He could hack his way around the HQ’s network and find out, sure, but he didn’t think he had that kind of time to spare.
Right, he wasn’t going to the room then.
Noah’s eyes settled on the old-style cord phone sitting in one corner of the Cardinal’s desk. He studied it for a few minutes, a plan forming in his mind. Once he’d organized the vague idea into something more concrete, he stood up and searched his pockets for his phone, locating it in the back left one. It took him a few tries to get the password right since the blood on his fingers rendered the fingerprint sensor useless, but the numbers he was feeding the device aligned eventually, granting him access.
What he’d meant to do after that, he kind of forgot, the crunch of something beneath his feet distracting him further as the Cardinal’s office transformed into a hall without a ceiling. Blood dripped down walls of black bone and human skulls and pooled in the center of a floor made of ribcages. Above Noah’s head, a red moon stood sentry, washing everything in a sickly hue that was somehow fitting, a perfect match for his descent into madness as he took off his shoes and blood-stained coat and started dancing.
When Noah’s fascination with the blood corridors came to an end, he found himself on the roof garden, the one he’d wanted to visit as soon as he’d arrived. He had no recollection of how exactly he’d made it here, but he supposed it didn’t matter either, the scent of rosemary and lavender scattering those musings with every step he took. The concrete was cold beneath his bare feet, but he didn’t mind it, transfixed by the aerial view of nighttime Florence. Thousands of lights flickered in the dark, moonless night, fireflies cursed to remain frozen in flight until dawn ascended upon Earth and took them with it. But gazing at the beautiful scenery wasn’t why he was here, his mission coming back to him as his feet led him to the metal gazebo near the marble fountain in the middle.
Sinking into the cushioned bench, Noah dropped the carving knife on the table and pulled out his phone. He unlocked it with no issues this time, did what he needed to do, and then leaned back and gazed up at the starless sky with his eyes closed.
42
Teresa grinned at her reflection in the bathroom’s mirror, stroking the cold glass with her fingertips. To think that Reign Lennox would fall into her arms like this…of his own accordand without her having to lift even a single finger? She exhaled deeply, her skin tingling. She’d been so sure he’d been pining afterher dear Noah, but,oh, how the tables had turned.
Humming to herself, Teresa scurried out of the bathroom. The smell of sex still lingered in the air despite the open window, a reminder of how absolute her power over the sleeping Asian man was. She still didn’t know the reason behind Reign approaching her, but it didn’t matter at this point, the power of the blessed cross she had been gifted ensuring his complete submission before the year was up. With that, the crushing of ‘free’ Asia would commence regardless of how the rest of the negotiations in the morning went, marking the Church’s biggest win since the conquering of Europe.
All thanks to her.
Teresa sat on the edge of the bed, dragging her fingers along the curve of Reign’s shoulder. He was a mysterious man, beautiful in that seductive way Gabriel was,maybe even more. His skin was moon-touched with his red hair a luscious contrast to it, two opposites creating the foundation of an otherworldly beauty no eyes could ignore.
No wonder that her Noah had been tempted.
Fortunately, that had taken care of itself, his heartbroken reaction at dinner betraying as much.
Leaning over, Teresa placed a kiss on the side of Reign’s neck. Her body reacted to the heat of his skin, a buzz spreading through her as she contemplated another round of sex. Decision made, she snaked one hand under the covers in search of his cock, but before she got hold of it, her phone vibrated on the nightstand. Its screen lit up with a message notification, which she considered ignoring, but her hunch insisted it might be from Noah.
Pausing her advances, she retrieved the device and smiled at the sender’s name. It was Noah. Giddy, she walked over to the window and opened the message.
Congratulations, Teresa. For your marriage and for ensuring the Church’s win. But… I’d be lying if I said I’m not also regretful. I’ve been thinking a lot about your confession before we came to Florence and I didn’t realize until I heard about your announcement how much I was taking you for granted. As an ally and a woman. I… should be happy for you, but I just can’t. I know this is a selfish thing to do, but I can’t deny myself what I’ve realized I want, so if you hear me out, I am ready to give you my reply now.
I will be waiting at the roof garden.
Yours, Noah.
Teresa’s heart leaped, bringing a smile to her face. For her Noah to send a message like this… To be so direct and sweet and needy. She shuddered, pleasant sparks of electricity traveling down her spine and concentrating in her core. To think it would take her marrying Reign Lennox for Noah to finally come around. To realize he belonged to her. It was beyond exquisite, even if the timing was a little too convenient. But she could deal with that later and figure out exactly how everything had fallen into place on this very night.
First, she was going to get a taste of the man she’d been chasing after for so long.
Teresa made it to the roof garden as quickly as she could. The cold night seeped into her bones the moment she stepped out, her silk bathrobe and the coat she’d tossed on top of it not enough to keep it at bay. Her discomfort lasted only a few seconds though, displaced by budding excitement when she noticed Noah’s lone form sitting inside the gazebo.
“Noah, dear,” she called out, slowly approaching the metal construction.
Noah paused his stargazing and sat up. His head turned to her and even though it was too dark to make out his eyes, she knew they were following her every movement.
“What are you doing here in the cold and so late?” she asked, noticing he didn’t have his coat.
Noah tilted his head to one side, his silence keeping her on her toes. “I want you,” he said in a low, husky voice that tickled her senses in all the right ways. It excited her,turned her on, and made her glad she hadn’t bothered to put anything on under her bathrobe.
“Mm, how long I’ve waited to hear you say that,” she purred, unbuttoning the coat and letting it fall to the ground. She crossed into the gazebo and leaned over him, placing a kiss on his forehead. “Ah, but I do wonder why now, of all times, you finally realize you are meant to be mine.”
She chuckled, straddling his strong legs, and slipped her hand inside his pants. She was on fire and she couldn’t wait to touch him, Reign all but forgotten now that she was seconds away from devouring her rightful prize. To her dismay though, no matter how she tried to coax an erection, Noah stayed soft.
Why was he unresponsive? Was he drunk? Or was it…She didn’t want to go there, but she couldn’t help it as theoriesswirled in her mind, taking that sweet edge off her.Was he… disinterested?Frowning, she caressed his cheek and looked at his face.
“Dear, are you feeling okay?” she asked, studying his distant eyes as they stared at some point ahead. “We can talk about this later, but I need to know if you are unwell.”
