Page 17 of Grant’s Blaze

Christ. The bodies.

Perhaps it had been more than a few…

Shit. No!

Why did I have to let my mind go there? After slumping down on the end of the bed, I cradled my face in my hands. My skin was still warm from the shower because I’d cranked that sucker as hot as it would go, like I had every time I had showered since I got back from that nightmare. I never wanted to feel cold flesh again as long as I lived. Not mine, and definitely not someone else’s.

With a brisk shake of my head, I stood up again. What the hell? I’d just said I wasn’t going to do this to myself, and I’d lasted less than five minutes.

I gave the bedding a half-assed straightening and threw the pillows to the end against the headboard. Elijah’s fussy standards couldn’t be met if I tried, so he could come in and do things his way when I left.

Now where had I put that phone he’d lent me? I’d messaged Rio back last night before I went to sleep. I’d just told her to sleep well and that I hoped she dreamed of me. Uncharacteristically, she hadn’t responded. I chalked it up to her already being asleep when I turned in, but without all the technology I was used to on my own cell phone, I had no way of knowing if that was really the case or not.

Normally I could log into the app for her security system and see if she had armed the system for the night or if she was still moving around the house, but all of that would have to be reloaded once I got a new phone.

Suddenly, I stopped. Everything.

My body. My breath. My thoughts.

It was like thinking about her manifested her voice. If that were the case, I was truly losing it. But I could’ve sworn…

It was her.

I heard her talking somewhere in this house.

As quietly as possible, I opened the bedroom’s door and listened. All right, Elijah really was talking to someone. But now they’d both lowered their voices, and I couldn’t hear who it was, but I could still tell it was a female. More than likely, it was Shawna. But it had been almost two hours since I’d seen her in the kitchen, and from what I witnessed the day before, he sent her home as early as possible.

“I know he’s here. Cut the shit, Banks.”

A grin spread across my face until it physically hurt where I still had bruises. My Blaze was storming the castle walls, and from what I could make out, she was looking for me. I walked farther down the hall but did it slowly so I could catch as much of their conversation—definitely a loose interpretation—as possible before being discovered.

“Just calm down,” Elijah said.

Poor guy. I wanted to feel a tad sorrier for him, but the chance to witness my Blaze in action without being her actual target…well, that was something special indeed. Selfishly, I went for savoring as many minutes of it as I could.

“Seriously, Rio. Right now. You’ve got to breathe, woman.”

I pushed my lips together to keep from snorting in delight. Christ, he really had no idea who he was messing with.

“Don’t tell me what to do! You’re a liar, Elijah Banks. I don’t take orders from anyone, especially liars.”

A seething grunt leaked from his locked teeth. “Okay, I don’t appreciate—”

“Just save it,” Rio spat. “I don’t care what you do or don’t appreciate. I know he’s here, damn it. I tracked the phone he’s using. Either go get him, or I’ll start yelling for him. Believe me, he’ll hear me. Your neighbors probably will too.”

She’d make good on that threat. Fortunately, Elijah seemed to comprehend that too. Very fortunately, so did I—and I didn’t want to test her willingness about it anymore.

With steady steps, I emerged into the living room. The front door was about twenty feet away, and now we had a clear path to each other.

“Oh my God. Grant!” She dropped whatever she’d been holding—it looked like some sort of purse or bag—and started toward me. At first, she was slow and hesitant about it. She walked so carefully. No, it was really more of a stumble. But she gained speed as she neared. Lots of speed.

By the time she reached me and I swept her up in my arms, she had some good momentum behind her, and she nearly knocked me to the floor.

All I could do was bury my face in her neck and inhale over and over like there was a short supply of oxygen and I was trying to store up for all future breaths.

“God damn, I’ve missed you, Blaze. So much.”

I leaned back to look at her, only then realizing that I’d swept her completely off the ground. I grinned, feeling as mighty as a Titan, but I bent forward to set her back on the floor.