“From well over a century ago.”
“With or without Helen, we will reconvene at midnight.” Despite being out of touch, Malcolm was clearly back in charge. He looked to each of us in turn. “In the War Room. Meanwhile, you should all rest. God only knows when we’ll next have an opportunity to catch our breath.”
I wanted nothing more than a few precious hours alone with Val, but I also knew my place. “You’re certain there’s nothing I can do?”
Malcolm shook his head. “Go. I will have Karma bring me up to date.”
When Val reached for my hand, I let her lead me toward the door. “I’m so thirsty for you,” she whispered softly enough that only I could hear. “Let’s not waste another second.”
My hunger, my fatigue, my worry—they all melted away in the face of her need, and I followed her willingly.
*
An hour later I sat back in my chair, surveying the remains of my steak. Valentine had cooked it perfectly, and I was relieved to no longer be consumed by the gnawing hunger that had preoccupied me since my return to human form. Across the table, Val regarded me with an expression half-loving, half-hungry. Her own meal was similarly demolished, but I knew what she truly craved.
She moved to lace her fingers behind her head but winced as the motion aggravated her injury. Her smile was rueful. “And how was your day, honey?”
Laughing, I covered one of her hands with my own. “Probably the craziest on record.”
“There may be crazier on the horizon.”
Beneath her flippancy lurked a current of…not fear, exactly, but perhaps anxiety. Brenner’s theft implied that he was going to use the parasite for some nefarious purpose—a theory worrisome to all of us, but especially the vampires. Brenner’s agenda was very simple: genocide. He wanted to eliminate the presence of vampires on the planet. The last time he had gotten his hands on a biological agent, he had turned it into a powerful weapon that would have killed me had Val not discovered the means to create a cure. This time, it seemed far more likely that she was the target.
Just as we had sat down to dinner, Val had received a text from Solana. Helen had regained consciousness, and while she was still very weak, she would be attending the meeting later tonight. Hopefully, she would have some answers that would set us on the right track.
“We’ll find Brenner,” I said, knowing Val would hear the sentiment beneath the platitude. “We’ll stop him.”
She flipped over her hand and slid her fingers against mine. The slow, brushing strokes of her skin set my own ablaze.
“I don’t want to think about him right now,” she said. “I just want to focus on you.”
The intensity behind her words spiked my pulse. “I love the way you make me feel. Like there’s no one else on the planet but us.”
Val leaned forward, blue eyes blazing. “Tell me what you want, most of all in the world, right now. Anything. Whatever it is, it’s yours.”
Her offer was sincere. I could have asked for the thousand-dollar ice cream sundae at Serendipity, and she would have called the restaurant without a second thought. Other women might have used a moment such as this to ask for jewelry or a new pair of shoes, but all I wanted was the sensation of Valentine above me, beneath me, inside me.
First, though, I wanted to tease her. “Do you realize that I haven’t yet experienced the hot tub?”
Val’s burst of laughter did nothing to dissolve the glorious tension flowing between us. “That’s easily fixed.”
I stood and slowly removed my shirt. I wore nothing beneath it. “How about right now?”
Her breathing hitched and her eyes darkened. When I peeled off my jeans, she bared her teeth.
“Sure you don’t just want to go to bed?” Her voice was a solid octave lower than normal.
“Not yet. I want to soak for a while.” But when she moved to join me right away, I held up one hand. “Stay exactly where you are.”
After so
“With or without Helen, we will reconvene at midnight.” Despite being out of touch, Malcolm was clearly back in charge. He looked to each of us in turn. “In the War Room. Meanwhile, you should all rest. God only knows when we’ll next have an opportunity to catch our breath.”
I wanted nothing more than a few precious hours alone with Val, but I also knew my place. “You’re certain there’s nothing I can do?”
Malcolm shook his head. “Go. I will have Karma bring me up to date.”
When Val reached for my hand, I let her lead me toward the door. “I’m so thirsty for you,” she whispered softly enough that only I could hear. “Let’s not waste another second.”
My hunger, my fatigue, my worry—they all melted away in the face of her need, and I followed her willingly.
*
An hour later I sat back in my chair, surveying the remains of my steak. Valentine had cooked it perfectly, and I was relieved to no longer be consumed by the gnawing hunger that had preoccupied me since my return to human form. Across the table, Val regarded me with an expression half-loving, half-hungry. Her own meal was similarly demolished, but I knew what she truly craved.
She moved to lace her fingers behind her head but winced as the motion aggravated her injury. Her smile was rueful. “And how was your day, honey?”
Laughing, I covered one of her hands with my own. “Probably the craziest on record.”
“There may be crazier on the horizon.”
Beneath her flippancy lurked a current of…not fear, exactly, but perhaps anxiety. Brenner’s theft implied that he was going to use the parasite for some nefarious purpose—a theory worrisome to all of us, but especially the vampires. Brenner’s agenda was very simple: genocide. He wanted to eliminate the presence of vampires on the planet. The last time he had gotten his hands on a biological agent, he had turned it into a powerful weapon that would have killed me had Val not discovered the means to create a cure. This time, it seemed far more likely that she was the target.
Just as we had sat down to dinner, Val had received a text from Solana. Helen had regained consciousness, and while she was still very weak, she would be attending the meeting later tonight. Hopefully, she would have some answers that would set us on the right track.
“We’ll find Brenner,” I said, knowing Val would hear the sentiment beneath the platitude. “We’ll stop him.”
She flipped over her hand and slid her fingers against mine. The slow, brushing strokes of her skin set my own ablaze.
“I don’t want to think about him right now,” she said. “I just want to focus on you.”
The intensity behind her words spiked my pulse. “I love the way you make me feel. Like there’s no one else on the planet but us.”
Val leaned forward, blue eyes blazing. “Tell me what you want, most of all in the world, right now. Anything. Whatever it is, it’s yours.”
Her offer was sincere. I could have asked for the thousand-dollar ice cream sundae at Serendipity, and she would have called the restaurant without a second thought. Other women might have used a moment such as this to ask for jewelry or a new pair of shoes, but all I wanted was the sensation of Valentine above me, beneath me, inside me.
First, though, I wanted to tease her. “Do you realize that I haven’t yet experienced the hot tub?”
Val’s burst of laughter did nothing to dissolve the glorious tension flowing between us. “That’s easily fixed.”
I stood and slowly removed my shirt. I wore nothing beneath it. “How about right now?”
Her breathing hitched and her eyes darkened. When I peeled off my jeans, she bared her teeth.
“Sure you don’t just want to go to bed?” Her voice was a solid octave lower than normal.
“Not yet. I want to soak for a while.” But when she moved to join me right away, I held up one hand. “Stay exactly where you are.”
After so
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