Chapter 23 #3
“Do you think she’ll hold a grudge because you were doing your job?”
He grimaced but remained silent.
Talk about blood from a stone.
“You must know she’s being treated well,” Selene said. “That makes me wonder if you have a personal interest in how Natalie is feeling?”
His snarl was so sudden and ferocious, Selene took a step back.
Jackpot. But also a very touchy subject.
“I don’t want to lose a hand,” she told him. “So I’ll make you an offer.”
He scoffed. “I’m not going to bite you.”
“Maybe less scary face then, Gabriel,” Selene replied tartly. “Here’s my offer: I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine.”
Eyeing her with suspicion, Gabriel asked, “What’s your question?”
“As a show of good faith, I’ll answer yours first,” she said. “Natalie is as well as I think she could be given the circumstances. She’s calm, not sad, which surprised me.”
“She’s strong,” he murmured as if to himself. “Brave.”
Since he didn’t appear to be looking for a reply, Selene moved on. “Here’s my question . . .”
She waited for him to make eye contact, needing to gauge as much of a reaction from this guarded wolf as possible.
“Do you think Natalie should die for her crime?”
He almost covered it, but it was there. A flinch. Less than a second and it was gone.
“The law is the law.”
An evasion. That was an answer in itself.
“Seems to be the popular opinion,” Selene muttered. “I must be a renegade.”
The glimmer of a smile teased his lips.
That slight break in formality prompted Selene to push further. “May I ask you another question, Gabriel?”
He took so long to reply, Selene decided he was ignoring her and it was time to leave, but then he nodded. It was the tiniest of nods, but definitely a nod.
Carefully, Selene asked, “Did Fenris ask you to stand guard here?”
Gabriel’s jaw clenched, and he glared at her before he answered. “He did not.”
Selene’s curiosity was beyond piqued, but Gabriel’s body language suggested it would be in her best interest not to investigate further. He’d obviously dedicated however many centuries he’d been alive to perfecting the whole intimidation thing. It was effective.
“Is there anything else you want to know?” Selene asked, mostly to be polite. His expression made it quite clear he did not want to continue their conversation.
But he did glance at Natalie’s door before he shook his head. “Thank you for answering my question.”
“You’re welcome.”
He stepped aside, and Selene walked to the stairs. A few steps up, she turned. Gabriel remained in the hallway. Not at Natalie’s door, but nearby. Lurking? No, she didn’t get any creepy vibes from him. Keeping vigil. That’s what it felt like.
As she watched the solitary man at his self-appointed post, there was a sudden tightening around her heart, followed by a lightning bolt of sympathy.
“Gabriel.”
He turned to look at her.
“You didn’t ask for my advice, but I’m going to give it,” Selene said. “If you want to talk to Natalie, you should. You may not get another chance.”
That last sentence felt like sandpaper in her throat, but instinct compelled her to say it.
Gabriel didn’t quite nod, but he inclined his head the slightest bit before his gaze slid back to Natalie’s door.
Come to the room at the south end of the hall.
Selene stood in front of the door, debating whether she should knock. Fen didn’t tell her to knock, but he didn’t say she should walk right in either.
The third floor had fewer doors than the second, which she assumed meant fewer rooms. The wide breaks between the doors displayed exquisite medieval tapestries.
At another time, Selene would have enjoyed gazing at the intricate weaving and fascinating images for hours, but tonight she’d barely slowed her steps as she moved past them.
Considering she and Fen were at odds, Selene opted to knock. Then knock again.
When there was no answer after the third knock, Selene turned the doorknob. Unlocked. She opened the door a few inches.
“Fenris?”
She raised her voice. “Fenris, are you here?”
I should leave. If he’s not here, I’m wasting my time.
Curiosity stomped on that logic, and she entered the room.
While Fen was conspicuously absent, the room was welcoming, gilded by soft lamplight and flickering candles.
Thick rugs cushioned her feet as she moved farther inside into what appeared to be a spacious living area.
The decor was warm and comforting rather than formal.
Polished wood, velvet upholstered chairs, and silk pillows.
A long, deep-seated leather sofa faced a fireplace.
Did all the rooms in this house have fireplaces? Given that the manor predated central heating, the answer was likely yes.
As she explored the room, a pleasurable feeling of welcome and familiarity wrapped around her.
She walked to the tall windows on the far wall.
It was too dark to see whatever the view was, but Selene imagined something beautiful.
Perhaps the garden Fen mentioned when he brought her tulips.
She took a deep breath, remembering their spring-laden scent.
That night felt like a lifetime ago. She breathed in again.
The room itself smelled wonderful. It smelled like . . .
Fenris.
She whirled around, expecting him to be there, but the room was empty, save herself. Yet Fen’s forest-and-rainstorm scent was everywhere.
This is his room. Not one room. Rooms.
Wary, yet even more curious, Selene surveyed the space again, noticing another door, slightly ajar, at the end of one wall. Before she could think too hard about it, she went to the door and peered through the opening. With a slight hitch of breath, she pushed the door fully open.
His bedroom.
Fen’s scent was even stronger here. Beckoning. Hypnotizing.
Once again Selene thought, I should leave.
But her feet were already moving, and she walked into the bedroom.
Dark wood paneling clad the walls, reminiscent of Tudor England, which he seemed to favor. A massive four-poster bed of intricately carved dark-stained oak dominated the space and was framed by two windows. A smaller fireplace was set in the wall opposite the bed.
Selene saw another door on the far side of the room and assumed it was an en suite. Curious as she was to continue exploring, the bed had a magnet-like pull, and in the next moment she was standing beside it, running her hand up one of the carved posts.
Had things been different, she might have shared this room with Fen. Not his bedroom, but theirs.
He asked me to meet him here. Is this why? Did he want me to envision what life would be like if I became his mate? Or did he simply want to share this side of himself with me? An intimate glimpse into his home. A place no one else would see.
With one hand still wrapped around the bedpost, she trailed the fingers of her other hand over the deep-blue velvet that clothed the bed.
Her eyelids drifted down as she allowed herself to drink in sensation and possibility.
Fen’s scent rolling over her as he bore her down onto that luscious fabric.
His hands covering hers when he pinned her to the bed.
This is where I belong. With him.
She bit down on her lip hard, shaking away the temptation to drift further into that dream.
That future no longer exists. Not when Natalie’s life is at stake.
“Selene.” Fen’s voice was a low rumble.
Jolted into the waking world, Selene spun around to find Fenris watching her from the bedroom doorway.
Embarrassed to be discovered standing beside his bed, stroking his blankets, Selene spoke quickly. “I’m sorry. You weren’t here, and I got curious. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy.”
“I’m the one who invited you to my rooms,” he said. “I intended to be here before you arrived but was called away. I apologize that you had to wait. Thank you for coming.”
I need to get out of here. Her heart rate spiked.
The bed, the soft light. It was not a good idea to stay in this room with Fen. The living area would be much, much safer. Okay, not that much safer, with its velvet chairs and silk pillows, but still.
Too late. Fen was already crossing the space between them and then he was standing in front of her. So close. She could feel the heat of his body. Every fiber of her being wanted to close those last few inches. To melt against him.
“Are you all right, Selene?” he asked quietly. “Tell me what I can do.”
Fenris intended the question to be kind, she knew that. It didn’t stop her outrage from boiling up.
“Are you being serious right now?” she snapped. “You know what you can do. You know exactly what I need you to do.”
“Please, Selene.” He cupped her face with one hand. “I don’t want to argue. There’s no point.”
No point for you, maybe, but I won’t drop this.
“If you won’t change your mind, there’s nothing else for us to do.” She grabbed his hand and pulled it away from her cheek, but when she tried to tug her fingers free of his grip, he only held them more firmly.
“Yes, there is.” When she brought her other hand up to his chest to shove him, he captured it, then pinned both her hands at the small of her back.
Selene gasped at the sudden thrill and surge of desire that overtook her in his show of strength, the power of his restraint on her wrists.
He leaned down and nuzzled the sensitive spot where her ear met her jaw.
“You’re hurting. Let me take care of you. ”
Her body quaked, and she felt the unmistakable rush of hot, silken desire between her legs. “You’re not playing fair.”
“I’m not playing.”
Selene moaned when his hard body molded against hers, and he kissed her, teasing her with subtle touches of his mouth before nudging her lips apart and laving his tongue over hers. Sparks erupted beneath her skin, setting fire to her veins.
He broke their kiss to scrape his teeth along her jaw before moving to her neck, licking, tasting, nipping.
“Fen, please.” She writhed in his grip. “I need to touch you.”