Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
SEBASTIAN
The woman is oblivious.
Holding myself back, fisting my hands at my sides, I stride into the living room.
I can feel April’s bare feet padding softly behind me.
I am acutely aware of her every breath, of each beat of her heart that is fluttering like a hummingbird in her chest. Yes, she is oblivious to the effect she has on me, but Marcus and Andrei are not.
Two sets of eyebrows hit hairlines when I appear.
The males are smart, keeping to themselves whatever comments were swirling behind the stunned looks on their faces.
Pouring whiskey in the glass I left earlier, I slowly lower myself in the chair.
April is standing at the entrance of the hallway, unsure of what to do.
I should’ve let her stay unwashed, grime and dirt covering what is now revealed to my hungry sight.
An oversight on my part. One for which I’m paying dearly now.
She’s not a girl. Oh, no. Very far from a girl, in fact.
Dressed only in my t-shirt, her pale arms and legs are contrasting perfectly with the black color of the fabric.
April is all woman.
Even malnourished, that fact is evident to me, and everyone else.
The swell of her breasts and the dip of her hips cannot be hidden, however.
She fidgets where she stands, and with each movement, she taunts me.
Aware that I’m staring at her, ready to pounce and devour her—like the monster she accused me of being—I glance at the drink in my hand.
No deep breaths can stop what she has awoken in me.
A groan passes through my firmly pressed lips.
A snicker, followed by a cough, comes from Andrei, and I turn the anger at my own inability for control on him.
“Enough!” April startles, taking a few steps back when I snap at Andrei. Clearing my throat, collecting myself, I point at the sofa across from me. “Sit, April.”
“Nah, I’m good.” Her drying hair swings around her face when she shakes her head adamantly.
“I can hear whatever you have to say from here. I don’t need to sit, really.
I’m fine.” With an audible snap, she closes her mouth to stop the nervous blabbering.
Crossing her arms over her chest in what I assume is an attempt to look more convincing, she nods at me once.
Blowing a deep breath through pursed lips, I press my thumb and forefinger over the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes.
Everything is going to shit. Everything I had planned for when I found her went wrong.
I’d looked at every step, every move, to the most delicate details, for centuries.
Everything was set in motion, only waiting on her to appear.
Rubbing my forehead, then scrubbing a hand over my face, I take a gulp of the whiskey. The damn thing is not doing what it’s meant to do. Eyeing her through the rim of the glass. Not yet, I remind myself.
“Marcus, report.” Not looking away from her, I hold her captive with my gaze.
“There is talk that one of the Guardians managed to escape when the human brought April to the hotel.” Frustration makes him growl low in his throat.
“It’s impossible, we were thorough, making sure no witnesses were left.
That leads me to believe that either we were not as careful as we thought we were…
or, we are missing something.” I glance at him and see him frowning at Andrei.
“We removed all devices from this place, right?”
“Of course!” Glaring at Marcus, Andrei turns to me next. “Everything was removed and replaced with our own. We are sending them recordings occasionally, so they think that the listening devices are still in place. I’m sure of it. I made no mistake.”
“You have spoken to no one about April being here.” Watching them both intently, I don’t miss Marcus when he flinches slightly. “Who?” My question is growled through clenched teeth.
“I called Bran, to notify Mary on my way to the Council Towers.” Mary is a master vampire in France.
She is one of the first I recruited after finding that parchment.
She’s been helping with organizing spies, covering our tracks, and everything that has been delivered as information to the Council to keep them off our trail.
I know she has been losing hope, but having the girl in my possession is the only thing that has prevented me from contacting her.
Marcus has obviously overstepped his boundaries.
When my glare deepens, he lifts both hands in surrender.
“I only told them we found one runner. I know she will understand what I’m trying to say.
They needed motivation, and it had been too long since they’ve had any.
Their hope was dwindling, so I did what I thought was best in order to help. ”
“Idiota!” Andrei burst out in Italian.
“Shut the fuck up, asshole! At least I care that we keep the hope alive, and our allies that got us this far. We need everyone, especially now that she’s finally here.
” Marcus squares off with him, both males glaring and trembling in rage.
My own hand, the one holding my drink, trembles too, the ice cubes clinking on the glass.
Peals of laughter make all our heads snap towards April.
She is leaning one shoulder on the wall, her eyes dancing on her beautiful face with mirth.
When she gets our full attention, she slaps a hand over her mouth, but chuckles and giggles pass through her fingers.
Shaking her head, she pushes off the wall and almost prances to the sofa she didn’t want to sit on a few minutes ago.
Curling her legs under her, she pulls the t-shirt over them.
“I understood that part.” Pointing the finger at Andrei, she turns it towards Marcus.
“Idiota.” As soon as she says it, another burst of laughter echoes in the space.
We watch her, stunned. It’s a beautiful sound, transforming her face into something breathtaking.
“And I’m sorry to tell you guys this, but this is actually wonderful news! ”
“What are you talking about?” Maybe Andrei was right. Maybe she is mentally damaged.
“I’ve been hunted my entire life, not just by the Council, but everyone else, too.
That does not exclude the humans that worship your kind like the gods the Council says you are.
” Shrugging a shoulder, she tucks her hair behind her ear.
“I’m laughing because I’m a baby compared to all of you, but I can tell you know that Hope is the cruelest bitch ever.
If you have her to depend on, you are all screwed.
And that makes my day. While the Council is occupied with you lot, I’m planning to be so far from here that not even a memory will be left behind.
” She looks at me with hope lighting her beautiful eyes.
“They can’t hold anything against you if I’m not here, right?
” I watch her with my mouth hanging open.
“You really think that will actually work, and we will let you leave?” Andrei looks at her incredulously.
She sighs, shrugging unapologetically at all of us. “It was worth a try.”
“So, they know we have a runner, but not if she is the one we were looking for.” Ignoring April’s attempt at slipping through my fingers, I turn my attention to Marcus. The woman will be the death of me. I can tell. And I’m immortal.
“That is correct.” Tilting his head, he watches me intently. “I didn’t see it that way,” he tells me after he has given more thought to his words.
“Exactly.” Nodding in agreement, I turn to April.
“You will stay here with Andrei. Don’t try to do something stupid.
He will not hurt you, but that doesn’t mean he will not tie you up if there is a need.
” Lifting myself up, I place my unfinished drink on the small table by the chair. “I will not be long.”
April says nothing, her stormy eyes telling me more than any words she has spoken.
Striding towards the front door, I don’t turn around to look at her, resisting the urge with only the control I have been mastering for centuries.
The woman is too cunning for my sanity. If I give her a finger, she will chew off my head.
Marcus is right on my heels, his anxiety pulsing through our bond.
His punishment will come later for jumping ahead of himself.
Now, I must stay calm. April will fight to her last breath, unaware that her last breath will soon come to pass.
I can’t allow her womanly curves, the pull she has on me, or her mesmerizing eyes to persuade me to give in.
This horror we are living needs to end, and she is the only answer.
But that’s a worry for tomorrow. Right now, I have a Council to deal with.