27. Novak
Chapter 27
Novak
I couldn’t decide which was my favorite moment of last night. The first time, with Amy perched on my desk as we took each other’s blood. Or when I convinced her to come outside on the balcony, and took her bent over the railing under the stars with the mountains in the distance. Then there was using the detachable showerhead on her clit while I had her again in the shower. She didn’t think it would be strong enough, but she underestimated my water pressure.
And then there was crawling into bed with her, dawn moments away and the two of us completely spent, naked, and tangled in each other’s limbs.
It was impossible to choose just one memory to relish in as I woke up the following dusk. Amy lay on her back next to me, still asleep for now, with the covers pushed down to her waist like she’d been hot as she slept during the day.
I couldn’t stop looking at her, my beautiful blood mate. She was completely uncovered and seemed at peace, her face relaxed with her lips softly parted. The scars she’d been so worried about were pale, jagged stripes from her navel to just under her breasts. They flushed red when she was hot, but were otherwise slightly lighter than her normal skin tone.
And I loved them because they were part of her.
I loved the dip between her collarbones for the same reasons. As well as the freckle above her eyebrow, and the shape of her lips when she tried to hide a smile.
With a sigh, I propped my elbow on the mattress and rested my head in my hand. “I don’t understand how anyone can look at you and not just… fall head over heels.”
Amy started awake with a kick of her leg and a snort. “… what?”
“Sorry.” I barely contained my laughter as I slid closer. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Mmm… ” She groaned and stretched, making her body a long, elegant arch. “Is it dusk already?”
“Yeah.”
I brought my lips to her shoulder, running my hand across her ribcage as I resettled next to her. She didn’t flinch at all when I touched the tops of her scars. It might have been because she was too sleepy to notice, but my heart swelled anyway.
“You got somewhere to be tonight?” I planted another kiss on her shoulder before nuzzling into the space by her neck.
“I should go see Tavia.” Amy sounded reluctant, her hand coming up to rest on my arm. “Texts are one thing, but she’ll be demanding proof that I’m alive at some point.”
“I’ll send her a picture of you holding today’s newspaper.”
Amy laughed, turning on her side to face me. “Now that won’t be suspicious at all.”
“Kidnappers are full of great ideas like that.” I drew her into me, already missing the full press of her body on mine. “But seriously, I understand. You should go see her.”
A smile played on Amy’s lips. “What should I tell her about… ” She trailed off, running a finger down the center of my chest.
“Anything you want. Maybe mention that you’re moving in with me.”
Her finger stopped, eyes widening. “I am?”
“I want you to.” My hand slid down her back, cupping a handful of her ass. “I want to wake up to this at every dusk.”
“You mean it?” Her galaxy eyes filled with dark tears, lower lip trembling. “Seriously, Novak. You want me to live with you, like permanently?”
“Of course I do.” I caught the tears, wiping them away before they ever touched her cheeks. “You’re the love of my life, my blood mate, the co-leader of our new clan.” I smiled wryly, remembering how we got distracted the night before. “We still need to come up with a name, by the way.”
“Hang on.” Amy sniffed. “Just so we’re clear, this is… forever you’re wanting with me? Partners for life. A new clan meaning we’re a family who will… have children?”
“Yes.” I thought last night was pretty clear but I would give her all the additional assurance she needed. “A thousand times yes, my darling. I want all of that with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” I kissed her forehead. “Yes,” I repeated, kissing her nose bridge. “Yes, yes. Do you need me to actually say it a thousand times? Because I will.”
She let out an excited sound and kissed me furiously, bringing her leg over my hip as she rolled to her back, pulling me with her. I settled over her with a groan, more than happy to sink into her soft heat first thing in the evening. Soon enough, I’d have her first thing every evening.
“No, wait.” Amy dodged my next kiss with a sigh, pressing on my shoulders. “I’ll never leave your bed if we start this now.”
“It’s our bed,” I corrected, kissing her neck. “And I don’t see the problem with that.”
“Tavia. I should go see her first.”
“We could always fall back on the newspaper idea.”
Her laughter made my chest spark with emotion, even as I rolled reluctantly to my side, releasing her from under me. “Want me to walk you?”
“No, I’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes, there’s no way I’m giving Blood ‘til Dawn the chance to harass you again. I’ll just rub it in their faces as I skip around the place.”
“Don’t gloat too hard. We want their allyship, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah. But I can’t resist a little gloating.”
I watched her get dressed, already anticipating when she’d return and I could peel those clothes from her again. “Hurry back, then. And text me when you get there, and when you’re on your way back.”
“All right, bossy man.”
She leaned over the bed to kiss me, and I made that contact linger for as long as I possibly could.
“I’ll have Jo make a meal for us. To celebrate.”
“Ooh, yes.” Her eyes brimmed with excitement. “I’ll see if Tav has a new wine I can grab.”
“Perfect.”
I pulled on a pair of pants to walk her to the door, then after a few more long, lingering kisses, I let her go.
My own well of excitement was overflowing as I went up to my office. There was so much to do. I’d have Jo make the meal several courses, at least five, all aligned to Amy’s tastes. We’d eat in the formal dining room, which I never used. There needed to be candles for a romantic ambiance. And over the meal we’d talk about plans for our future clan, our legacy, including when to start trying for a child. We had plenty of time, at least a century if she wanted to wait, but the overjoyed buzzing inside me could not be contained.
The thought was so overpowering that I had to pause tidying my desk and just bask in my imagination. Amy cradling a round belly, nourishing our child with her incredible body. The two of us as parents, giving our child all the love and validation and opportunities that neither of us ever had.
Fantasizing about our future made my chest and throat tighten with emotion. A family filled with love and acceptance was all I ever wanted and here it was, actually within my reach.
My gaze slid to the portrait of Temkra across the room. “Thank you,” I mouthed to the image of the goddess. I’d have to thank her properly soon, with offerings and prayer. The gesture would hopefully have her look favorably on conceiving a child and a healthy pregnancy for Amy when that time came.
I spent the next couple of hours organizing documents, including the box of everything related to Rathka’s Order that I would burn. Maybe Amy and I would do it together after dinner. She could burn something from her human life if she wanted. It could be a ritualistic cleansing of our pasts.
When a knock came on my doorjamb, I was so focused that I hardly looked up from my desk. “Ah, Lourna. Can you please give this to Jo? She has creative liberty of course, but these are a few ideas.” I held out the slip of paper on which I’d scribbled down some ideas for dinner courses. “And if you’d be so kind as to set the dining room for a meal to be served, let’s say three hours before dawn. Do we have candles in storage somewhere?”
“Yes, sir. Of course.” She took the list from me and hesitated before speaking again. “You have visitors in the foyer, sir.”
“Visitors?” My head lifted for the first time since she entered the room. “Amy and Tavia, I presume? They’re welcome to come and go as they please. In fact, Amy will be moving in, so?—”
“It’s not them.” My housekeeper interrupted me for the first time in both of our lives, her mouth a hard line. “It’s Baros and Inessa of Carpe Noctem.”
Everything went still upon hearing those names, including my breath and my heart.
“What are they doing here?” I asked, my voice hard.
“I don’t know, sir. I said you were occupied and they insisted on waiting. When I asked what their business was with you, they said they wouldn’t waste their breath on a human and to fetch you immediately.”
“Fuck.” I stood, my thoughts roiling. “I’m sorry about that, Lourna. I’ll get them to leave, and they’ll never speak to you like that again.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry about me.” Her mouth hardened again. “Just be careful, sir. Baros seems to be in a good mood.”
“I’ll handle him. Thank you.”
Lourna gave a curt nod as I rounded the desk, heading past her out of the office and down the stairs.
Fucking Baros. I should have killed our agreement for good on that phone call. He wasn’t a problem that would just go away if I ignored him.
At least I knew who I was now, and where I stood. I had a blood mate, a partner I deeply loved. Baros could no longer hold Rathka’s Order over my head because that clan was now extinct, a relic of the past that held no power over me. Maybe I could even convince him our deal was null and void since I no longer claimed that name.
Baros sneered as he saw me coming down the stairs. I was extremely dressed down, barefoot in slacks and a rumpled shirt that wasn’t even tucked in. It wasn’t like he could complain, calling on me unexpectedly like this. He was lucky I had a shirt on at all. I’d thrown it on just so I’d be able to make an inside joke with Amy when she returned.
“It’s extremely improper to visit unannounced,” I said when I hit the bottom landing. “I’m sure whatever you’re about to tell me could have been a phone call.”
“Not very proper to have your human staff try to needle information out of me,” Baros returned.
“She was only trying to report back to me. That’s the last time you’ll disrespect her, by the way. You are not welcome here.”
Baros’s mouth lifted in a calculating smirk. “Is that any way to talk to your ally?”
“We’re not allies.” I crossed my arms. “Our deal is off. I will not be following through.”
He didn’t look surprised. “I thought you might say that. After that phone call, it sounded like you were trying to weasel your way out. But you can’t just take back your word, Novak. You made an agreement with blood.”
I shook my head with a scoff. “I did no such thing. You don’t have my signature or my blood on anything binding.”
“That is true, yes.” Baros stepped aside, revealing his daughter standing quietly behind him. She wore a long cloak covering her from neck to foot, held by an ornate clasp at her throat. “But you took Inessa’s blood.”
“That means nothing. It was only to sample our compatibility.” I turned to speak to her directly. “I am sorry you were a pawn in this. I do wish you the best and hope you find someone who… ”
She unclasped the cloak as I spoke, letting the fabric pool on the floor around her. My words died not only because she was completely naked underneath, but also from the scent perfuming the air. The cloak must have suppressed her scent because moments after she took it off, that scent hit my brain like a stimulant, shooting blood, sensation, and desire right to my cock.
“No.” I stepped backward, fighting all the lust suddenly driving me to grab the approaching naked woman and plunge into her, and promptly stumbled on the bottom stairs.
“We did the fertility ritual early,” Baros said cheerily, as if his own daughter wasn’t naked in my foyer and stalking toward me. “It turned out the timing aligned much better with her natural cycle. She arouses every nearby male who isn’t a blood relative. But because you’ve already tasted her blood, the effect is much stronger on you.”
“Stop. Don’t come any closer.” I tried to inject all of my will into my voice, but it came out sounding like a lusty growl.
I held my palms out toward Inessa, but quickly closed them into fists and drew them back into my body. If I touched her bare skin with all this unwanted desire in my system, I might truly do something I regret.
All my effort went into looking at her eyes, not the gentle sway of her breasts as she walked, nor the lines of her waist and hips. Staring at her face wasn’t much easier. She was an attractive woman. And she was quickly encroaching on my personal space.
“Stop,” I repeated. This time I had no choice but to put my hands on her shoulders, otherwise she’d rub up against me.
“You can’t fight it, Novak,” she said in a flat tone, leaning into my hold. “You’re just making this harder on yourself.”
“Please.” I searched her red gaze, wondering if there was any sympathy in those depths or if she was just as cold and self-serving as her father. “I have someone, a blood mate,” I whispered. “Please, I love her. Don’t make me do this; it would destroy her.”
There was a flicker of warmth in her expression, but it was gone before I could fully register that it happened.
“You think you’re the only person who loves someone?” Inessa hissed under her breath. “Do you know what he’d do to me if I tried to be with the one I wanted?”
Hope broke through my lust-filled haze like moonlight through thick clouds. She didn’t want to be doing this any more than I did. That was my only move, the only angle I could play. I glanced at Baros, whose attention was on his phone. Whispering in Inessa’s ear would be risky to me, but I couldn’t let him hear me. I leaned in close and held my breath as I spoke.
“I can help you,” I said hastily, fighting the urge to suck at the curve of her neck. “I can get you out from under his thumb, keep you safe. Neither of us have to be beholden to him. You can be with your love, I can be with mine. Maybe we can… fake this right now, but don’t make me do it for real. Please.”
She stilled, quiet for a moment as if considering my words.
“Enough of this,” Baros moaned. “Quit pillow-talking and get on with it. You don’t need romance to get her pregnant. Just get it done.”
Inessa’s face hardened, like she was grimly determined to see this through. She went for the button clasp on my pants, but I stopped her with a hand on her wrist.
“Maybe we should go to a bedroom,” I suggested, loud enough for Baros to hear. “For privacy and… comfort.”
The last place I wanted to take this woman was the room where Amy and I had shared and learned so much about each other, but I had to stall. Had to convince Inessa to turn against her father, then maybe shut her in a room by herself so I could clear my head from her scent.
I had to call Amy and tell her to stay away until they were both gone. Carpe Noctem was too dangerous, and it was better if she remained under their radar.
“Comfort is fine, but there will be no privacy,” Baros said with a long, eerie smile. “This child will be the heir of both Carpe Noctem and Rathka’s Order. The conception must be witnessed by at least one head of a clan, and you don’t count.”
My heart sank, and with it, all of my hope.
Just when I thought I couldn’t get any lower, a knock came to my front door. Baros cocked his head, curious, then went to answer it as if this wasn’t my fucking house.
“Get away from the door!” I snarled, but that only made Baros gleefully quicken his pace. The door opened a moment later.
“Oh, hello.” I heard the note of surprise in Amy’s voice and wanted to scream. “Is Novak home?”