They will haveto go through me first.I hear Egan’s words in my head, and I know the smug response is, in fact, his.
I blink at the realization. I am not exactly surprised, since I suspected this, but I’m still thrown for a loop that it’s a reality and not just a concept. Then there’s the truth to his words. He is my sergeant, so if a challenger can’t best someone under me in my appointed inner circle, they won’t have the right to face me.
I saunter over to Egan. Modeus was right to be frightened by the smile on my fallen’s face. I stroke my hand over his bare chest, feeling his heart thundering under my touch. He’s excited. “You have to promise to let me handle Adder.” I gaze up at him. He starts to shake his head, but I widen my eyes and tilt my head, so he stops before ever really getting started. “I need to do this, Egan.”
His smile slips, but the calculating look in his eyes doesn’t falter.
“What are we missing?” Cyrus asks Modeus.
“He’s my sergeant, so they will have to get through him to get to me,” I answer.
“Shit, I don’t know why I didn’t think about that.” Cyrus pushes his hair back from his face, and he’s smiling now too. “You need a VP,” he reminds me.
“Are you applying for the job?”
“Hell yes!” he exclaims quickly, motioning to Egan. “There’s no reason why he should go at it alone.”
Another wave of relief washes over me, which I fight not to show. Deekhil and several others are still watching us, but hell, it’s nice not to have to deal with this shit alone. Why was I so opposed to letting people into my life sooner?
I look over my shoulder so I can see my secretary. “Make sure the Syndicate and the rest of the club is informed of his new status. I want the open challenge put out immediately, with detailed instructions on when and how to enter the territory. Have Sabastian set up the route so all participants are funneled through one entrance. They will need to register with the club when they arrive. All Syndicate and Obsidian rules must be followed, or they will meet with a swift and brutal death.”
“When should they be allowed admittance into the territory?” Deekhil questions, not at all bothered that I’m instructing him to send out an open call that could result in a new president. He either has a lot of faith in me or doesn’t care. I’m banking on the former.
“The day of the fight. They can camp at the estate until the evening when the trials will begin. There is plenty of room, but I don’t want any of them in the house or behind it near the north end of the property. Make sure we have sentries posted.” We’re going to battle in the shadow of Harlow’s effigy. I’ll saturate the soil with the blood of our enemies in his honor.
* * *
Lore
The minutewe make it home, I head straight for the shower. It takes me two washes to get the dried blood out of my hair. My fingertips are still red, but not with blood. It’s from the heat of the shower and the scrubbing I did that made my skin all rosy.
When I open the door to my room, Modeus is lounging on my bed with his boots off and jeans unbuttoned but still in place, looking like the god he is. His eyes start on my face, but then his heated gaze travels down my body. He crooks a finger, luring me over to him, and I’m helpless to resist.
He stays completely still, waiting for me to come to him as I crawl onto the bed. I don’t stop until I’m curled up on his lap. The rough feel of his pants against my inner thighs isn’t what I want, but I don’t need instant gratification tonight. We have plenty of time. I didn’t even realize how badly I needed him until I found him waiting for me.
Modeus runs his hand down my bare back, and I arch into his touch. Every nerve ending comes alive under his fingers, making the simplest of caresses seem so erotic. “I missed you,” he mumbles against my skin before letting his lips and tongue explore my neck.
“Missed me? I was just in the other room.” I wrap my arms around his neck and thread my fingers into his hair while tilting my head back to give him better access.
“If I’m not touching you, if I can’t feel you under my fingers, I miss you.” He tightens his grip on my waist and pulls me against him to prove his words.
I lower my lips, and he lifts his mouth to mine. Our kiss is slow and warm. His tongue slips around mine in a way that has my breath catching and my stomach tumbling with butterflies.
Even as lost as I am to his kiss, I feel his fingers trace up the center of my back, making me shiver. When his hand tunnels into my damp hair and jerks my mouth away from his, I’m left panting at the ceiling as he continues licking and tasting my throat. The more he tugs, the more I arch back, until I feel him lean over me and latch onto one of my nipples. When his tongue swirls over my tip, my pussy clamps down as if he’s already fucking me.
He trails his free hand around my hip and slips his fingers between my legs before I feel him tease my opening. I’m torn. I want him to slide his long, thick fingers inside me, but I don’t want to come too fast and I know I will. I already feel like I’m on the edge, and he’s just getting started.
“Not yet,” I manage to say, even though my body is at war with my need to prolong this.
“You don’t want me to touch you here?” Modeus asks while still placing kisses on my nipple and grazing his fingertips over my labia, remaining just shy of allowing his fingers to touch my clit.
“I do.” My voice is needy, nearly a whine, but I don’t give a fuck. “I want it to last.”
“Oh, princess.” He groans, and I’m rewarded with the slightest touch of his finger over my clit. Every thought of wanting to wait shatters, and the need to come sends a jolt through me that straightens my back and has me grinding down in hopes to find his touch again.
Modeus chuckles darkly and dances his fingers away until I can barely feel his touch skimming my lower lips. “I changed my mind,” I blurt out, swiveling my hips. “Touch me.” He sucks on my nipple hard, and I lift from his lap, pushing my breast farther into his mouth. When he releases my nipple, it throbs, mimicking the ache in my pussy.
“Not yet.” He uses my own words against me. Damn him.
