Zack narrowed his eyes, the same as he always had when he was calculating Roger’s intent. “You’re up to something?”
“You’ll know about it soon enough. I promise. For now, we have to part.” Roger brought him in for a kiss.
Zack’s touch was cool, his lips soft but chilly. His kiss was surer, his tongue pushing when he’d been pliant. It was a first kiss all over again.
Roger prayed it wouldn’t be a last.
It had to end. Zack was the one to pull away first. He gave Roger a tight hug, then gave Takashi a quick hug and lengthy kiss, and then went to the door. Before he opened it, he turned back to meet Roger’s gaze.
They’d had so many staring contests, and somehow, this was the first time Roger thought he might be seeing the true Zack.
A soft grin lifted one side of his lips, and Zack gestured at Takashi with a nod. “Our numbskull has a bad habit of thinking he’s not important to anyone. Don’t let him out of here thinking no one would ever pick him.”
Roger raised an eyebrow.
Takashi stiffened, hiding behind his persona of the consummate professional ambassador. Until Zack’s words, Roger wasn’t sure he’d noticed how often Takashi threw on that mask.
“I’ll do my best to change his mind,” Roger assured Zack.
“Good.” Then Zack zipped forward, snuck one last kiss from both of them, and then rushed out the door.
CHAPTER 50
Zack’s parting words opened the shell of Takashi’s heart, and he wasn’t prepared to deal with the oyster of pain inside of it. As Roger spun toward him, one eyebrow raised, a welling of shame made Takashi look away. Because Takashi had had a choice, and he hadn’t chosen to run away with Roger. He had remained in the mansion. Why should he expect Roger to choose him when he hadn’t run after him into the night? When he’d longed for power instead of love?
Not that Roger knew any of that. Nor did Zack know the depth of his sins.
Despite the turn of events in the last few nights, Takashi couldn’t say with certainty that he would have run away with Roger after all.
“You shouldn’t worry about what Zack said,” Takashi said quietly. “I take it you’re planning some sort of attack. When?”
“Just before dawn. Tonight.” Roger neared Takashi and hooked a finger under his chin. He lightly tugged on him.
Wishing he could resist, Takashi let Roger drag his chin up. “What will you do?”
“I’m going to burn down the mansion and liberate you and Zack from it,” Roger purred.
There was a decisiveness to his tone that he had always lacked when talking about taking the coven. This wasn’t some mere idea Roger had; he was dressed in the sort of clothing meant for battle. He had risked everything to come see them because he was prepared to gamble everything. Including his life.
I underestimated him. Takashi jerked free of him and rounded the desk to gain distance from him. Having Roger close always made him weak in the knees, and he needed his strength. Besides that, he didn’t deserve Roger’s care.
“I can tell you’re twisting yourself into knots,” Roger said. “My plan has its risks, but it has Thomas’s and half a dozen others’ approval. This will be a coordinated attack.”
“You don’t know what’s going on in my mind,” Takashi said.
“Because I refuse to break through your defenses to know exactly what you’re feeling.” Roger motioned at Takashi. “Your agony is easy to see, if one knows how to look.”
“You shouldn’t be comforting me. You don’t know what I’ve done.” Takashi folded his arms over his chest.
Roger pulled out the chair from the desk and gestured for Takashi to sit in it. Once he had, Roger leaned against the desk right in front of him, slotting one leg between Takashi’s. They weren’t touching, but doing so wouldn’t take much effort on either one’s part.
“My absence will eventually be noticed. I should be heading downstairs sooner rather than later,” Takashi said. “What do I need to know about your attack?”
“We’ll be drawing security to the northwest, west, southwest, and east sides of the property. The intention is to spread security incredibly thin, then launch ourselves through the main doors to capture Seamus’s attention. I’ll be engaging him, trying to keep him distracted long enough for the others to set the building on fire in several locations. I’ll hold out as close to dawn as I can,then make a run for our rendezvous. With any luck, I’ll manage to kill Seamus.”
“You’re counting on luck?” Takashi said.
“He might not fall for the bait, and my team will be our best shot at putting him down. If Zack is right and he has been holding back, surviving is the priority. The coven, this bullshit that we put each other through, it’s not worth preserving. Tearing it down means humiliating him first,” Roger said seriously. “It’s not a perfect plan, but he ripped away those I love and made the two of you suffer. He mademesuffer.
