This time, she cried out as soon as he entered her, so Bast kept his pace slow and easy. Gentle. She clung to him, arms wrapped tightly around his body. He breathed in her scent and the scent of their union , for the first time realizing this act was not jumbled with the desires of his illness, but emerged directly from the man. And when he could no longer hold off and succumbed to a natural conclusion, feeling her cunt clench and her entire body tremble beneath him, it was with the man’s heart he celebrated.
Afterward, they lay side by side, hands clasped. “I have to go to work. As much as I want to, I can’t stay here with you another night,” he said. “It’s bad enough I haven’t contacted my men. One more night, and I’ll be crucified.”
“Go ahead if you need to. I’ll probably sleep a little while longer and then get back to the genealogy chart. I’m definitely not used to a third-shift existence yet.” She stretched and turned to face him. “And you’re sure you’re okay, right? One hundred percent?”
Bast took inventory. “I feel fine. No heat in a while. Wings are gone. I guess it was some kind of genetic aberration I’ll need to tuck away for future. Other vampires can’t get sick, but this one can. No more ignoring my hunger because it’s inconvenient. Bottom line is I need to take care of myself.”
“I just want to be sure. I can’t help but be worried about you.”
“I appreciate it, but I can’t stop. Not even for an illness. This pause is more than I should have ever dared. Either I go out tonight and come back fine, or I go out and meet my end. Regardless, I have to go.”
“Okay.”
Her voice was too timid, and Bast heard the subtle undertone of anguish beneath it. “Hey, look at me. I have no intention of dying tonight. None. I’ll be back, and you’ll be here waiting for me.”
She raised her gaze. “I’ll be here.”
It wasn’t enough to hear her say it, but it would have to do. Bast headed for the shower and prepared himself to meet the men.
For a split second it crossed his mind to find a way to stay, but then reality thumped him on the side of the head. No matter how badly he wanted to, he was sworn to the Council. To its ultimate safety, above his own.
But if he was a detriment to them, didn’t that constitute a reason to withdraw himself? He growled in response. There were worse threats to the Council than one sick vampire.
By the time he exited, Alice was buried beneath the comforter, already fast asleep. The faint circles beneath her eyes testified to a long day of restlessness, a lot of which had to do with him. Fucking her again this evening hadn’t been in his plans, but the compulsion rode him and he’d given in. Quite willingly. Still, he needed to remain mindful of her fragility.
From the solitude of the kitchen, he called Gray. “What’s on the agenda?”
“The Council’s on the move tonight,” Gray replied. Straight to the point as always. “They’re attending some political event, a fundraiser for their cause or some shit.”
“All of them?” Bast barked. That went against the first protocol, which required the men and the women of the Council never all to be gathered in the same place, at the same time. On the most recent occasion where that had occurred, there had been threats to individual lives. Bast was determined to never have it happen again, especially on his watch.
“No, Sierra is behaving and staying behind. Our biggest problem is how Gage wants security handled.”
“And how is that?”
Gray blew out a breath. “We’re to be a non-presence, modeled after the humans’ security. In the background and hardly visible. No one is to know we’re there.”
“How the fuck are we gonna do that?” Bast thought hard. Most of the six members of the team were built like linebackers. All muscle and for most of them, a generous height. They’d been chosen partly because of intimidating looks, not for their ability to blend in.
“The plan for now is to pretty ourselves up and hope we’re not asked to leave. If we are, we’ll only retreat as far as the outside of the building, monitoring any and all who go in. Gage handed over a guest list and we ran background checks. Almost everyone seems okay.”