Phil paused at the door, watching her. "I should make sure she's all right."
The priest sighed as he shoved his papers back into his portfolio. "Maybe we're pushing too hard." He stood and pocketed his glasses. "I was a bit worried when she blew up, but you seem quite capable of handling her."
Unfortunately, handling Vanda was about all Phil thought about these days. "You gave her a lot to think about. Let it stew for a while."
Father Andrew nodded and gathered up his things. "I'll be in touch, then. Thank you for your help." He patted Phil on the shoulder, then walked toward the banquet hall.
Phil took off in the opposite direction, hunting for Vanda. With his superior hearing, he caught the faint pattering sound of her high heels on the marble floor.
Then it stopped. She must have left the hallway and entered a carpeted room. But which room? Fortunately, he could also rely on his superior sense of smell. He followed the sweet, jasmine scent of her hair gel and tracked her to the end of the hall where the chapel was situated.
Tomorrow night Father Andrew would perform Mass in the chapel at Romatech. About twenty Vamps usually attended, more if they came for the free synthetic blood offered afterward in the fellowship hall.
Phil paused in front of the double doors leading into the fellowship hall. Vanda's scent lingered there, as if she'd stood there for several minutes, debating what to do. He glanced down at the crack below the double doors. Still dark. With her superior night vision, she hadn't bothered to turn on the lights.
He opened a door quietly and slipped inside. His night vision was excellent, too, and he saw several bare refreshment tables in the middle of the room and numerous empty chairs lining the walls. He scanned along the ceiling. No security cameras. Whatever happened here would remain private.
Across the room, Vanda stood by the window, gazing out at the stars. The door clicked softly when he shut it.
She stiffened but didn't turn around. "Go away."
He winced at the pain in the timbre of her voice. She was either crying or close to it. He moved slowly toward her. "I was worried about you."
"You never follow directions, do you? I said go away." She whipped around to glare at him. "I also told you not to snoop around in my past, but you deliberately went against my wishes. You even brought the priest into the act. How could you? You don't think I'm screwed up enough? You have to expose my old wounds for the world to see?"
He stopped by a table. "Your wounds are deep. Even Constantine, a young child, could see it."
Her eyes darkened, a storm brewing in their gray depths. "Oh yes, let's help the poor woman before she goes totally berserk. I don't want your pity, Phil!"
The energy from her strong emotions awakened his inner wolf, inciting a surge of power within him. Good God, he wanted to haul her on top of a table and show her how beautiful she was. He balled his fists to retain control. "I feel a lot for you, but none of it is pity."
Her eyes narrowed. "That's what this is really about, isn't it? Your eight years of unrequited lust. You want me mentally healthy so you can screw me."
He clenched his fists tighter. The animal inside him urged him to jump her, but he was an Alpha and master of the beast. "Don't insult me, Vanda. I want you to be happy. I want you healthy enough that you can forge your own future, instead of wallowing in your painful past."
"Is that all?" she scoffed, then strode toward him. "Here's a news flash for you. I can forge my own future just fine. I have all the confidence and guts I need." She stopped in front of him, her chin lifted in defiance.
"False bravado," he muttered.
She slapped a hand against his groin. "Does that feel false to you?"
He gulped. Her roaming fingers had quickly located his cock. Not hard to do as fast as he was swelling.
"This is what you want, isn't it?" She rubbed the heel of her palm up and down the length. "You've wanted it for years."
He hissed in a breath. "I know what you're doing. You're avoiding the meat of the matter."
"I've got the meat right here." She squeezed.
He groaned. It felt so good. But he knew she was using sex to vent her frustrations and throw him off track. It was wrong. It was glorious. He wanted more.
She unfastened his waistband. "You're getting so big." She unzipped his pants. "What an animal you are."
She had no idea. His inner beast strained to break free from the mental control he'd clamped down on it. How could he take advantage of Vanda when she was clearly desperate? What had happened to her in the past that she would rather throw herself at him than discuss it? "I think you should stop."
"Make me." She curled her fingers around the waistband of his briefs and tugged them down.
His erection sprung free. His inner beast howled. Take her. Take her now.
"Oh my." She wrapped her hand around the hard shaft. "You're magnificent."
He groaned when her thumb caressed the smooth tip. Moisture seeped from him, and her fingers glided over him, slick and urgent.
To hell with being honorable. He'd been honorable for eight years, and all it had gotten him was continuous hard-ons and cold showers. So what if she was trying to manipulate him with sex? It would backfire on her when she became emotionally attached to him. He could use sex just as well as she could. He wasn't that gangly young man with a boyish crush anymore. He was an Alpha wolf who had chosen his mate. Nothing could stop him from claiming her.
"Hmm, I bet you're yummy." She leaned over.
"Stop." He pulled her straight and captured her gaze with his own. "You want me to climax, fine. But I'm going to do it deep inside you."
Her eyes widened. Her heart pounded so loud and fast, he knew his suspicions were confirmed. He'd called her bluff and upped the ante. She'd intended to only give him a blowjob, thinking that would be enough to distract him. She'd wanted to perform a service on him, not get involved with him. She hadn't planned on having her own body invaded.
Her false bravado kicked in and she lifted her chin. "Why not? It's just sex."
It was not just sex. It was a wolf claiming his mate. It was dominance and power.
His grip tightened on her shoulders. "Fair warning, Vanda. Once you give me your body, I'm taking your heart."
She scoffed. "Fair warning to you, Phil. My body is all you're getting. Now lie down and take it like a man."
"I don't lie down." He grabbed her around the waist and set her on the table.
He removed her high-heeled sandals and dropped them on the floor, then he grabbed her ankles and lifted her legs so her feet rested on his chest. "Look at me."
Her gaze drifted upward with a wary look.
Still gripping her ankles, he suddenly spread her legs wide. She gasped.
"Relax." He rested her ankles on his shoulders. "Like you said, it's just sex."
Her eyes narrowed. "Exactly."
He skimmed his hands down her shins to her knees. "I want to see your eyes turn red. I want to make them glow." He reached underneath her knees and tickled the delicate skin there.
Her legs trembled and she closed her eyes.
"Lie back." He smoothed his hands down the back of her thighs. "Look at me."
She opened her eyes to glare at him. "Stop giving me orders." Even though she snapped at him, her eyes were tinted red with passion.
He smiled. "Sweetheart, if it's not too much of an imposition, I would be forever beholden to you if you could kindly assume a reclining position so I can screw your brains out."
"That's more like it." Her eyes glittered, bright red and defiant. "Make me."
"Gladly." He scooped his hands under her rump and lifted her hips up so suddenly that she fell back with an Oof. With one quick move he jerked her underwear down to her ankles. As he slipped the black lacy panties over her feet, he could feel how damp they were. His nostrils flared with the scent of her arousal. His erection throbbed in response, and he tossed the panties onto the table.