Chapter 7 – Layla
It’s been a week since the party and possibly the best sex of my life. Vara hasn’t been around, and Thorne has barely spoken to me, let alone touched me, since the day he lost control while interviewing candidates for my security team.
When he returned to the room, he brought in two other guards. Assurances so we wouldn’t be alone together.
The next day—with the same two guards babysitting us—we went over all the candidates we interviewed and liked and made our final choices.
My team will have fifty guards total, thirty who will be on duty at night and the rest will keep watch during the day, rotating shifts to allow each guard to have at least two days off.
Most of my team consists of vampires with griffins, shifters, werewolves—including Carigan, who surprisingly accepted the job when Thorne offered it to him—and a handful of witches mixed in.
Thorne also hired Isa, the fae warrior, which I found interesting that a fae even wanted the job since they’re selfish creatures.
A vampire guard was assigned to stay in one of my guest rooms. The young vamp takes his job seriously and barely talks to me, which is fine because I’ve been in a bad mood.
I’m cranky because I’m frustrated and horny as fuck and it feels as if I’m going to suddenly combust if I don’t get some relief. Even my trusty vibes haven’t been able to help.
The only thing that’s kept my mind off… them, is the fact that I’ve been busy with meetings and appearances.
The day after selecting my security team, I met with supernatural leaders from across all species to discuss who will be representing them on the committee for the Supernatural Unveiling Plan.
Supes who can’t emerge at night, or are bound to their environments for whatever reason, were included via video conference.
Another day, I spent handing out sentences to vampires for violating our laws. Most were minor infractions, but a handful were major, like breaking our compulsion rules:
No compelling for sexual pleasure.
No compelling a human to commit a crime.
No repeat compelling as it could cause brain damage.
Another day, I met with concerned vampires about various things like the lack of blood donors—there are only hundreds compared to the thousands of vampires in New York City. I’m hoping that number will go up with humans volunteering after learning about our existence.
Last night, I had a networking event with human politicians: A fundraiser for a children’s charity that I donated a million dollars to—some of my money, most from WOVE.
The moment Thorne spotted me in my red strapless dress, he marched out of my penthouse and Erebos arrived to let me know he’d be escorting me.
Thorne set a boundary between us, but I could see how desperately he wanted to break his rules. It’s why he limited how often he’d escort me to meetings or wait outside of the room, away from me, while another guard stood inside in his place.
It’s as if the more he held out, the more frustrated and agitated he became.
Now it’s Friday, and tonight is the first meeting for SUC—I chuckle at the irony of the acronym for Supernatural Unveiling Committee being SUC since vampires literally suck blood from necks.
I slip on a pair of high-waisted black trousers and a purple short-sleeve blouse.
My loose curls have been tamed in a ponytail with a few ringlets framing my face.
I add a gold necklace with a simple purple diamond and matching gold hoop earrings to complete my look before turning and leaving my bedroom.
I nearly stop in my tracks when I spot Thorne in my living room, sitting on my couch with one leg propped on his knee reading the romance book I’d left on the coffee table last night.
Oh, God… which part is he at? Some of my romance books are absolutely vile. I fucking love them though.
He closes the book—one of my mafia romances—and sets it down on the table. Thorne reading is sexy as fuck, but Thorne potentially reading about a knife play scene between rivals has my fangs wanting to drop.
I manage to control my lust and head to the kitchen. Thorne stands and follows, hands tucked in the pockets of his black cargo pants. I scan his body, trying not to drool over the way his muscles stretch the black short-sleeved tunic he’s wearing.
His long black hair falls around his face and over his broad chest.
Goddamn he’s sexy.
He smiles, flashing me his fangs. His wings are tucked to his back as usual, but they flutter as he checks me out. His tail also reacts, whipping back and forth behind him.
“You look beautiful. Powerful.”
I dip my head and smile, but Thorne reaches out, clutching my chin and lifting it back up. I ignore the way my body lights up when his skin touches mine.
“Why do you always do that?”
“Do what?”
“Hide your joy.”
My brows pinch, not understanding.
“When you laugh, you cover your mouth. When you smile, you look away or look down at your feet.”
Oh. I didn’t realize…
“Please don’t hide your smile. It’s like a bright light in a room blanketed in darkness,” Thorne says, his voice soft and quiet. “And your laughter…”
His words trail off, his eyes widening. He drops his hand, as if realizing he was about to cross that boundary line again.
“What is it?”
He shakes his head.
I’m about to demand he tell me about my laughter because how do you just say something like that but refuse to finish your sentence?
! The broody mother fucker. When I open my mouth to yell at him, a guard interrupts to let us know the driver is here.
Thorne is already on the move, opening the penthouse door for me.
The town car is silent as we head to WOVE headquarters. Thorne stares out the window while I stare at him.
He sighs and turns his head to me.
“Yes, my queen?”
I hadn’t expected him to address me so formally, and I scrunch my nose, which makes him grin.
Getting a grin from Thorne is like striking gold!
“So, are you done avoiding me?”
“I wasn’t—”
“You absolutely were, like the fucking plague. No, I lived through the plague. Even the rats got more attention than me.”
He scrubs his hands over his face. “I’m sorry, Layla. I needed some distance. I’ve been struggling to control my urges around you.”
“Have they been controlled then?”
“No, and I’m pretty sure staying away from you made it worse.”
I let his words sink in, only the sounds of the city outside filling the quiet interior of the SUV.
There’s really only one explanation as to why we’re both having these intense reactions to one another.
Why we’re both in physical pain when apart.
But I’m struggling to believe that the three of us are mates.
“Well, I’m glad you’re back,” I finally say to Thorne.
I’m also relieved. My chest has been tight for the past week. Just having Thorne here now, sitting next to me in this SUV, feels as if whatever weight that was crushing my chest has been lifted.
Well, not entirely. There’s still a pressure there. As if my undead heart is attempting to come to life, digging into my sternum and trying to escape.
No doubt for my missing piece.
Trying to find Vara.
“Tell me about my laughter,” I demand, needing to change the subject.
“What?”
“You said my smile could light up a room blanketed in darkness and my laughter…”
I wave my hand around as if that would help him spit it out.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says, still giving me that heart-stopping grin—good thing I’m already dead.
“You’re not going to gaslight me, buddy. Tell me or I’ll… I’ll…”
“You’ll what, Layla?”
He raises a brow, challenging me.
I wish I still had my knife to stab him. When I was Millie’s advisor, I’d keep it holstered to my hip. It’s infused with a witch’s spell that can incapacitate most supernatural beings. Sadly, it’s frowned upon for a queen to carry weapons.
“Fine. I have nothing to threaten you with, but I need to know, Thorne. Pleeeaaassse.”
I know I’m being childish, I even pout and give him puppy dog eyes, but I can’t help it. The gargoyle is killing me!
He narrows his eyes but relents.
“Your laughter is cute. Contagious.”
“No!”
I punch him in the shoulder; he even pretends it hurts. He tilts his head and smirks.
“What do you mean, no?”
I shake my head and ball up my fists. This brat is messing with me!
“That’s not what you were going to say!”
“How do you know? Can you read my thoughts?”
I open my mouth, then clamp it shut. He chuckles, the jerk.
“Tell me,” I say, crossing my arms.
Thorne runs his palm over his face.
“It was a thought that I had no right to say out loud.”
“Why?”
“Because it was an intense thought. It was… a promising thought. One I shouldn’t have as your head of security.”
“I swear to all the gods of the world you better tell me, Thorne Bartholomew DuPont.”
I’ve lost the conviction in my words, especially using Thorne’s middle name, which he’d reluctantly told me when I got bored during the ride to one of my meetings and wanted to know more about his life. I barely got the name out of him before he shut down sharing time when Millie called me.
Thorne shakes his head, amused. I think he enjoys me being bossy. Or maybe he likes disobeying orders and being a brat.
Would Thorne let me tie him up and spank that bubble butt of his—
“Layla,” Thorne groans.
Right. I’ve turned myself on and by the look at the tent in his pants, he can smell just how wet I am right now.
“Please.”
I don’t know why I’m getting so emotional over this or why I need his validation so badly. He must have heard the desperation in my voice because his teasing demeanor falls, and he sighs.
“When you laugh, it’s as if the sun rises without turning me to stone. It’s warm, beautiful, and I want to bask in it.”
I swallow as pressure builds behind my eyes.
Fuck, I’m going to cry. I hate crying.
Thorne unbuckles his seatbelt and slides over to me.
“Hey. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. Please don’t cry.”
“I’m not crying,” I sob.
Goddamn it. Bloody tears are not sexy. I should be mad at Thorne for making me cry but how can I? No one has ever said such beautiful words to me.
Thorne cups my face, wiping a bloody tear off my cheek with his thumb. He sticks the thick digit in his mouth to lick it clean.
His eyes widen and he stills—like stone—as if contemplating his next move. I know exactly what he wants to do. He just needs my permission.
“Do it,” I say, lust taking control of my voice.
He doesn’t hesitate and leans forward, flattening his tongue against my cheek and running it up to lick away the bloody streak left by my tears.
I close my eyes as lust washes over my body. Thorne, still cupping my face in his hands, switches to the other side, and once the streaks are gone, I expect him to pull away.
He doesn’t. He kisses me instead.
It’s as if fireworks have been set off inside me, bright bursts of light fill my vision and my body shakes.
Did… did a kiss just make me come?
My body’s reaction seems to fuel Thorne on, and he slides his tongue past my lips to massage my own. I moan and squirm and grip his shirt to pull him closer. Blood fills my mouth, and I’m not sure if it’s mine or his since both of our fangs are out and this kiss is anything but gentle.
One of his hands skims down my front and behind the band of my pants. His tail wraps around my leg, pulling it open and without ending our kiss, he sinks one of his thick fingers inside me.
I arch my back, and he swallows my moan as he pumps in and out, matching our frantic kiss. My walls close around him but that doesn’t slow him down.
Thorne’s kisses move down across my jaw and to my neck where he scrapes his fangs across my skin.
“Yes, please.”
“Please, what, Layla? Tell me,” he murmurs and sucks on a spot hard enough that if I were human, it’d leave a hickey.
“Bite me, please.”
And he does.
When his fangs sink into my neck, he thrusts his finger into me one final time, curling the tip to hit that special spot.
I erupt with an orgasm.
My walls clamp down on his finger and my entire body shakes. Thorne moans into my neck as he drinks my blood like a man dying of thirst.
When he unlatches himself, he leans his forehead against mine, breathing as if he’s just flown around the world. I place my palm over his chest, loving the feel of his thudding heart.
“I’ve never came like that before,” he says. “All I did was fuck you with my finger and drink your blood.”
He sits up and glances down at the wet spot on the crotch of his pants.
A knock on my window causes me to jump. That’s when I realize we’ve stopped. We’re at our destination.
I burst out laughing.
“What?”
“The driver,” I say, consumed with giggles.
Thorne’s eyes widen, then he smiles and laughs with me.
I just let Thorne finger fuck me and drink my blood in the back of this town car… with no privacy divider… for the driver to see everything.
Now the young vampire stands outside my window, waiting for us to leave the car. A pained look is plastered on his face, his hands clasped in front of his groin.
I need to distract Thorne before he notices the driver’s erection, clearly turned on by what he unwillingly witnessed.
“I’m going to need to go to the bathroom and fix myself before we head into the meeting,” I say, opening the door.
“Same. Except, I don’t think I’ll get this jizz stain out of my pants. Every supe in the room will be able to smell us.”
“Good. Let them.” I smirk and wink at Thorne over my shoulder as we enter WOVE headquarters.