Now she was tired. Not at all eager for another dawn to come, for more questions her brain couldn’t answer. It was easier to remain in the bleak fog that surrounded her mind thanks to the medications they were pumping into her. Now that they’d purged the drug she’d reacted badly to, perhaps she could sleep.
As she closed her eyes and settled against the lumpy mattress, Jane blocked out all thought and attempted to focus on what the future held for her.
Unfortunately, that seemed as bleak and cold as the room she currently resided in.
Too bad liquor didn’t have the sameeffect on vampires that it did on humans.
Sure, it was a bit of a mood stabilizer, offering a semblance of relaxation, but Kaj could’ve consumed the entire bottle and would’ve felt no better. Or worse, for that matter.
Granted, the conversation with Obsidian had helped. To know the male was behind his decision helped. Not in making it, but in knowing that he would have support either way. Problem was, Kaj knew there was only one answer, and yes, if they moved forward, this would change everything. Resurrecting the original vampire would ensure his race’s survival, so Michael said, which was really the only reason behind following through, wasn’t it?
Should’ve been, but Kaj continued to think about the Fae. Releasing them from their servitude was equally important to him. The female he loved would be forever free, and that was honestly the only thing he could focus on. More so than knowing by bringing Khari back, he was ultimately sealing his daughter’s fate. He tried not to think about the fact he’d considered another race above his own, but it was impossible to deny. The question was: how long could he put it off? There was a lot at stake and he wasn’t about to rush something like this.
One day at a time, he figured. When Michael got fed up, Kaj suspected he’d let him know.
After leaving Obsidian, Kaj headed up to the second floor, making his way to Acadia’s room. Down below he could hear theheurospworking away, tending to chores, making meals, keeping everything in order. Across the way, there was laughter coming from the game room, pool balls clacking, some wagers being made. Everything seemed almost … normal.
It wasn’t until he stepped up to Acadia’s door that he realized there had been no echo of pain in his chest for the past week. Despite the fact she had yet to speak with Obsidian, he had to assume Acadia had abided by his request and had refrained from feeding the males in the mansion. Considering he’d fed from her daily—though they’d kept it completely civilized—he wondered if perhaps he’d taken more than he should have, leaving it impossible for her to provide to others.
Kaj rapped his knuckles on the wood.
No answer.
He could feel her inside the space, so he let his senses scan within until he located her. Initially he’d thought to do so as reassurance she was all right. When he heard the sound of water falling, he knew she was in the shower and that had his hand turning the knob, stepping inside.
Steam drifted from the bathroom along with the scent of cherry blossoms.
“Acadia?” he said softly when he neared the doorway.
He caught sight of her behind the clear glass wall that separated the shower from the rest of the space. It reminded him of the bathroom he’d used when he’d been healing, the one he’d had his first shower with her in. There had been no glass walls in that one, but the view was still the same for him. And the reaction he had to seeing her was the same as it had always been. He was instantly hard, his body aching for hers.
Kaj took the opportunity to admire her beautiful form, all those graceful curves. She was mesmerizing, her hair wet, clinging to her as it hung down to her hips.
And she was watching him as she stood there, her soapy hand sliding over her breast.
“Invite me in,balisra.” He wasn’t so sure he’d said the words aloud as much as thought them, but the heat he saw flash in her amethyst eyes told him she’d heard him all the same.
“Please join me,phaal.”
He stared back at her, shocked to hear her refer to him in that manner. He was not her Alpha, but she’d welcomed him as such.
The polite thing to do would’ve been to wait for her to finish, but he didn’t want to wait. Not another minute. Hell, not another second. It had felt like an eternity since he’d held his female in his arms, and he was desperate to feel her against him.
While she continued to run her hands over her slick skin, Kaj tugged his T-shirt over his head, let it fall to the floor. He toed off his boots, leaving them behind. One step forward, he began unbuttoning his jeans. Another and he was lowering the zipper. By the time he’d shed his clothes, he had approached the side of the shower, the glass partition no longer separating them.
Yet he waited.
Acadia’s gaze slid over him, his body responding to the approval he saw in her eyes.
Mine.
“Yours,” Acadia said softly, and again, Kaj didn’t know if he’d spoken aloud or projected the word.
Didn’t matter.
Time seemed to slow as he took one step, then another, eliminating the distance between them. When he was within arm’s reach, Acadia turned to face him, the spray of water slicking her hair back from her face.
“You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen,” he told her.
