"No," he said and nipped her. "I'll always do what I think is best for my vamps. What's best for you."
"That's kind of arrogant."
"It's who I am now, Ash. Get used to it. You're under my sphere of influence, which means I have the final vote."
She gave an exasperated sigh. "You're worse than Xander!" She touched his face with cool fingers. "I feel fine. I don't feel weak, and I don't feel like I'll have an episode any time soon."
He assessed her body. She retained some exhaustion, but her ability to regenerate quickly was serving her well. "You can go," he said. "And you return right back here. To me."
Her breath caught. "I really am stuck with you, aren't I?" She displayed the palm with his brand on it.
"That was our agreement." He felt her tremor of uncertainty. He had long since identified the thought of escape in her mind. She was there for Brandon and when this mess with Valon was over, Jonny suspected Ashley was headed straight for Xander.
But … it was a good thing. It would save him the trouble of figuring out his own emotions.
"C'mon. Charles will want you ready to leave soon." With some reluctance, Jonny disentangled himself from her warm body and climbed out of bed.
Ashley trailed. He listened to the sound of her getting dressed and lifted his hands to his face, breathing in her scent. The combination of blood and sex was beyond intoxicating, and lust lit him on fire from the inside out.
"Thank you."
He didn't expect to hear the words and turned to face her. "For what?"
"For being gentle." Unaware he could see her troubled expression in the dark, he studied her.
"That bothers you?"
"Sometimes I wish you weren't. Sometimes I wish it always hurt." She was touching her neck.
So you can leave when this is over. Jonny kept the words to himself. He couldn't risk getting too close to her, not again. And in truth, turning the other cheek when she made her attempt to escape seemed a safer long term option than keeping her around. Emotions made him vulnerable, and he couldn't afford to be weak.
"Means to an end, Ash," he said as much for his benefit as hers. He had done a great deal in the name of his greater purpose, but he sensed Ashley didn't have that same ability. She loved too fast and fiercely, and her heart guided everything she did. He envied her ability to feel without consequence. He had always thought her pretty, but in the afterglow of their lovemaking, and the knowledge of how she was everything he had lost, Jonny found her more beautiful than he had ever thought possible.