When the time came, he was going to kill them all.
One by fucking one.
Chapter Eighteen
Sadie woke but didn’t open her eyes. She studied her surroundings using her other senses, her nose homing in on Trey’s scent. The rhythmic ticking of a clock sounded like a drum, voices drifting to her ears from the other end of the house.
She and Trey were alone in the bedroom.
It was safe to reveal that she’d finally healed.
Warmth spread through her, a love like no other speeding the beat of her heart. Trey rested in the chair, his chin nestled against his chest. He was too large for the furniture, his long legs sprawled out. Shadow spread over his chin and jaw, the dark circles under his eyes proof of his fatigue.
Flexing her muscles, she assessed her injuries.
No pain. Zero stretching in her torso. The wounds had closed and mended.
Sleep was just the thing she needed.
How long was I out? A day? Two possibly?
She didn’t want to move and disturb the peace but she knew Trey would want to know she’d finally come around. Her limbs were shaky but as always they adjusted quickly, allowing her to peel back the comforter. Trey’s eyes shot open, his face brimming with alarm. Then he saw her and his brows relaxed, relief smoothing his features.
“Hey stranger,” she murmured, rising to a seated position.
“Don’t move.” Trey jumped from the chair, hurrying to the bed. He ran trembling fingers down her cheek, his eyes drinking her in. “Take it easy, darlin’. Do you need more blood? Do I need to get anything for you?”
His sincere concern melted her.
“Trey.” She captured his hand with hers, pressing her face to his palm. “I’m fine.”
“Your chest closed yesterday.” He tried to hide how nervous he’d been but she could see past the image he tried to project. “I thought you’d wake up but you didn’t.”
Yesterday? “How long have I been asleep?”
“Two days.”
Shit. That was two days too long.
“What happened with the pack?” She hated shoving him to the side but she needed to get out of bed. There was a lot to do. If things had gone badly they needed to discuss where they were going to go. “What did they decide?”
“Should you be getting out of bed so soon?” He balked at the idea of her getting on her feet, trying to still her by grasping her arms. “Don’t you need to take it easy for a while?”
“I’m not human,” she reminded him, swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress. “And I’m not a shifter.”
Her rate of recovery was better than others’. That’s why vampires used healing caverns. There they could sleep off their wounds. All they needed was an ample meal and a good rest. She’d been shot, stabbed and nearly had her head sliced off. None of those things had put her in the ground. It’d take more than Aldon’s claws to keep her on the sidelines.
Spying her bag on the dresser, she rose. “Tell me about the pack.”
“Sadie…” Trey growled.
She stopped, lifting her head, really looking at Trey. The poor man had been through hell. Getting dressed would have to wait. He needed to be comforted and reassured. Winding her arms around his neck, she pressed her chest to his. The heat from his body radiated against her, the hands he placed on her hips were almost painful as he snatched her closer.
“I told you,” she skimmed her lips over the deep hollow of his throat, “I’m fine.”
“You have no idea how petrified I’ve been.” It almost sounded like an accusation. As though she’d made him suffer on purpose. “I could see you breathing but you didn’t move. Not even when Diskant came to talk to me. You just kept sleeping. You’ve been in the same position. You didn’t even shift your arms and legs. Every hour that you didn’t wake up I thought…” His fingers dug into her skin, his body shaking hard. “I thought that maybe…”
“I might not wake up at all?” How could she not love him when he was like this? There were no barriers, no lies. He was like an open book, revealing everything. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you what to expect. A healing sleep is just that. We don’t wake up. That’s why we have to do it in a safe place.”
“Is that what the caverns are?” He’d stopped shaking, gaining a hold of himself. “The place you heal?”
The fragrant aroma of his blood tempted her. She tried to stifle her hunger, pulling her head from the enticing curve of his throat. “Yes.” But she couldn’t return to the caverns. Not until she knew what Geneva was up to. She put away that concern, fixated on the here and now. “Tell me about the pack.”
“They had a lot of questions.” Nuzzling the top of her head, he said, “Some of them I could answer. Some of them I couldn’t. When I told them about Aldon they responded better than I expected.”
“You told them everything?”
“I did.” His fingers drifted from her hips to her lower back, his touch leaving behind a fiery imprint. “Diskant thought it was best.”
“What about Leigh? Did you tell them about her?”
“I didn’t think I should but I told them about her. They aren’t pleased but they adore Nathan. With everything going to shit they want him to come back. They’re willing to give Leigh a chance if she and Nathan agree to the same terms we did.”
“The same terms?” she echoed despite knowing precisely what he meant. “They’ll kill her if she pisses them off?”
She could live with a target on her back. Unfortunately Leigh wasn’t as capable of protecting herself, not until she learned how to control her magic. Maybe it would be best for Leigh to stay where she was, out of reach of the pack and Aldon.
“Yes,” he answered softly, pacifying her.
There wasn’t much else he could do, really. She’d never like placing Leigh in harm’s way. Trey was smart enough to know he couldn’t change her stance on the subject.
“What do we do now?”
“We call another meeting.” His shifted his feet, rocking her side-to-side. “They want to meet you. You’ll have to answer the questions I couldn’t.”
More questions. More answers.
What she wouldn’t give for a mental health day.
“I’ll do my best.”
She had a lot of knowledge but she wasn’t a vampire dictionary. As much as she knew about white mage vampires she knew just as little about black mage ones. Her kind avoided their counterparts. The Fallen were dangerous and unstable. Aside from killing a few she’d done her best to avoid them altogether.
Think about all that later. Enjoy the moment while you can.
Silencing her worries, she just let him hold her, taking him in. His hard body felt substantial against her, strong and proficient at delivering damage. But when he held her like this—gently, reverently—she knew he was far more than he seemed. He could destroy walls with his fists yet those same hands were tender with her. His fingers were capable of working her body like the strings of a guitar.
How could I ever have thought I could hate him? If he keeps this up, I’ll happily wrap myself around his little finger. I’ll be his to command. A hot lick of heat slithered from her stomach to her pussy. Or maybe I’ll wrap my entire body around his. See how many positions we can figure out.
“Damn,” he growled, rolling his hips. “You are feeling better.” He took a deep breath, drawing in the air. “I love the way you smell when you’re turned-on.”
“I should probably take a shower.” She’d have to face the members of the house soon, as well as the pack if her hunch was right. There was no way she was doing so in nothing more than a shirt and panties. “I need to change into my clothes.”