Chapter 21 Corvinus
CORVINUS
My love is a natural in the playroom, as I knew she would be.
Destiny certainly knew what she was doing with her little matchmaking game.
I watch as she gets dressed, ready to take her out into the public areas of the club to visit her friends.
“I have a little surprise for you,” I tell her, adjusting my tie back into place.
Embry gives me that half-dazed smile that she saves for when she is sated and well-nourished after sex and fresh blood. “Could the night get any better, vampire?”
I close the distance between us and step behind Embry to zip her little skirt up before kissing her neck from behind. She laughs throatily. “Well, that’s a first.”
It is indeed. Who would have ever thought taking care of Embry in such small ways would be so satisfying in itself.
Certainly not me. I turn her to me to watch the expression on her face when I tell her what I need to say.
I glance down at my watch. “Lucianna, Delilah, Angel, Raven, Willow, Delilah, Alyssia, and Madria should be here soon. The other masters’ mates wanted to come but had other commitments.
” I laugh. “They didn’t really get much warning. ”
Her wide purple eyes close softly and then reopen, attempting to hide her concern from me.
We both know I’m not going to allow that though.
I tip her chin so that she has no choice but to look me straight in the eyes.
“They wanted to be here. You need the connection, Embry. You love those ladies, and they love you. It’s time to talk it through and put things in the past, okay? ”
She swallows daintily and I track the gentle movement down the length of her creamy throat. You’re not giving me a lot of warning either, are you?” she asks, slipping into her little shortie boots.
“Sometimes it’s better not to think about things too much. Just jump right in when the opportunity presents itself, love.”
Embry inhales a deep breath, straightening her hands down the short length of her skirt.
“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s get this over with, vampire.
You’re right. It’s time. These women and I have been through so much.
They weren’t the ones calling me names or any of the other hurtful things.
” She nods as though affirming it to herself. “Let’s do this.”
I kiss her lips softly. “I am so proud of you. It takes real courage to face everyone after all that you’ve been through but you’re right. All they want is your happiness and every one of them miss you like hell.”
Embry grins, a big wide grin. “I hope they suffered too!”
I narrow my eyes. “You don’t mean that.”
She shrugs. “Maybe a little bit.”
“Come here,” I tell her, drawing her close. “I want you to spend the rest of the night not worried about anything except getting right with your friends, okay? Dance, drink, talk, whatever you want to do. If you need to leave, you just let me know and I’ll take you home.”
She reaches up on tiptoes and kisses me on the lips, wrapping her hands around the back of my neck. “How did I ever get so lucky, vampire?”
Thinking the very same thing, I close my eyes and hold her face close to my chest, just inhaling her scent and basking in our closeness. “Mine,” I whisper, sending a shiver down her spine.
“If you’re not careful my dick’s going to get hard again and your friends are going to get a big head start on the drinks tonight while I have my way with you again.”
She laughs, a melodic sound that I’m starting to hear more and more. “Friends first, and then we play again when we get home. I have this new position I want to try out on you, vampire.”
“I’m in charge of your pleasure, love,” I growl teasingly.
She shrugs. “You let me have my way sometimes.”
Embry’s not wrong. Embry can have anything her little heart desires as far as I’m concerned, within limits of course, because both of us know that I’m only going to allow her control so far.
It’s just how I’m wired and while she loves to tease about taking control, we both know she loves to hand the reins back over as soon as she’s had her fun.
We walk out of the private suite and down the hall, and our friends are at a large rectangular table that’s been created out of three small square tables pushed together for the size of our group.
Embry’s mind starts going a million miles a minute, trying to decide who to talk to first, what to say, how to say it, if she should hug them first. I stop her midstep and she turns and looks up at me.
“What’s the matter,” she asks as though her mind’s not running full throttle.
I take her hand. “Quiet your worries, love. We’ll just walk over to the table and let them take it from there.”
She inhales a deep breath and gives me a nervous smile. “Okay.”
I give her a gentle nod and place a supporting hand on her back as I guide her to the table. Her friends don’t even wait until we get there. They jump up in unison, all closing the distance with big smiles and arms outstretched to embrace her.
Embry’s eyes fill with tears as they tell her one after another how much they’ve missed her, worried about her, and couldn’t wait to see her again.
She glances up at me and winks, swallowing through her emotion.
Lucianna has stayed back, allowing the other ladies their chance to talk to Embry first, but now she leaves Descallia’s side and walks to Embry, her bright green eyes flashing as she pulls her best friend in the world into her arms. “I missed you so much!” she tells Embry.
She looks to Descallia. “This calls for drinks for everyone.”
His eyes don’t leave his mate, our queen, for a moment. It’s clear he’s as infatuated with her as I am with Embry. “Drinks it shall be,” he says, as a waitress standing close by moves our way to take the order.
She reaches the table, and Embry gives her a grin. “I’ll save you the trouble of asking everyone what they want. All the ladies want margaritas, big-ass margaritas, like a fishbowl of the stuff.”
Overmaster Descallia and the masters and I exchange a glance and grin while she’s taking the guys’ orders. Master Tuscano smiles down at Delilah, the blue-eyed blonde who looks up at him with adoration. “This may be one of those ladies’ nights for the books.”
“Got that right,” Embry says, taking the seat I hold out for her. She looks at the ladies and then at me. “Perhaps we should introduce Lord Corvinus to how we party, ladies?”
The masters around the table laugh, looking at me. “What am I missing?” I ask, mildly amused at the way their mates have the formidable masters eating out of the palm of their hands.
Master Campania gestures to the drinks. “They drink this when we have our consulate meetings. We’re off hard at work, strategizing and solving the problems of the vampire communities across the globe, and we often have to go pick them up at Overmaster Descallia’s and take our loopy little ladies home.
They drink, dance, and laugh while we slave away at work,” he says, trying to keep a straight face as Willow gives him a good elbow to the ribs.
She rolls her eyes at him. “Don’t make me get out my little wand.
Then we’ll see who gets the last laugh.”
Master Sardinia grins, placing his arm around Madria. I’m not sure if it’s to ward off an elbow to his own ribs or not but she snuggles into his warmth and seems happy to just listen to the others banter with each other.
Embry looks at me and gives me a wink. Thank you, vampire.