Chapter 76
Chapter Seventy-Six
APRIL
“There you are, Tesoro.”
Mutt proceeds Sebastian’s words, running to rub against my legs.
My breath hitches when I watch Sebastian walk toward me down the hall, his long legs eating up the space between us with solid thumps of his loafers.
As if seeing him for the first time, I stare, sinking my fingers in his shaggy fur, which he displays proudly.
Impeccable as always, the dress pants and button-down shirt are painted on his body.
The fabric shifts with each movement, drawing my eye to his breathtaking physique.
Scanning him from head to toe and back up, I lock my gaze on his when he reaches me.
“Here I am.” I don’t try to hide the speeding of my heartbeat from him. Eshe’s nearness does nothing to dispel my desire for Sebastian. “Were you looking for me for a reason?”
Those phantom-less eyes search my face, or maybe he is checking to see if I’ve finally lost it.
While he does that, I can’t decide if I want to hold his gaze or watch his full lips, my eyes flicking from one to the other.
Sebastian checking my sanity is not a surprise.
I can’t blame him for it. To say that I don’t take the death of my friend and attack on us with much dignity will be the understatement of the century.
The mages are lucky I am frantically searching for Andrei, plus dizzy from the damn magical bomb they snuck in the throne room.
None of them would’ve escaped with their lives if that wasn’t the case.
“I didn’t think I needed a reason to see you.” Long fingers reach out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, grazing the side of my face. “I like to have you close where I can hear you breathe.”
“And that’s my cue to get out of here.” Eshe inches around me, but not before giving me a pointed look to remind me we have revenge to plan. “Find me when you are done.”
“How do you feel?” I turn to him when my friend disappears around a corner in the hallway.
“Much better now that I have you in my sight,” Sebastian mutters, cupping my face and bringing my lips to his.
Lust surges through me when his tongue parts my lips, diving in and swirling with mine.
Sebastian oozes sensuality from his pores, and everything he does only emphasizes that fact.
Like the hand gliding up my side before strong fingers circle my breast, kneading it gently.
He swallows my moan, our breaths mingling as he devours not just my mouth but my being.
Everything in me responds to him like a fine-tuned instrument in the hands of a master musician.
My fangs slide out of my gums, but before I sink them into his flesh, my brain catches up, bringing me out of the daze.
The second I nudge his chest with my hands, he pulls back, looking down at me with hunger burning in his gaze.
His lips are swollen and wet from the kiss.
“Sebastian, wait.” Fuck, I am horny as hell. “You’re trying to distract me. What are you hiding?” The muscle jumping on one side of his chiseled jaw tells me I’m correct in my assumption.
“You think I’ll only kiss you if I want to distract you?” Hurt flashes through his dark eyes, and his hands drop to his sides.
“Don’t be absurd.” Taking hold of his fingers, I bring them to my face, nuzzling his palm.
“If I thought that were the case, we’d be playing dodgeball with your head now.
” A giggle escapes me at the incredulous look on his handsome face.
“But I also know you won’t molest me out in the open where any of the guys can see us.
” My wink earns me a sigh from him. Busted.
I laugh.
“Come now, Sebastian. You didn’t think it’d slip my notice. Did you?” Tucking my arm around his elbow, I turn him around. “Tell April what you are hiding.”
“I do not like it when you refer to yourself in third person,” he grumbles but the fingers of his other hand curl over mine, which is resting in the crook of his arm.
We walk in silence for a long moment, me breathing his scent and him deciding what to tell me, or maybe how to do it without me losing my shit.
These days, my temper is a wee bit unstable, to say the least. A couple of our people slink around us, going who knows where.
It never fails to amaze me that everyone looks so busy but I have no clue what any of them are actually doing.
Apart from kicking ass when we need them to.
“We found a link to the mages—”
“Where?” I flinch when he gives me a side-eyed glance. “Sorry, go on. I’m listening.” My nails are digging into the fabric of his shirt, so I unclench my fingers with effort.
I had all of them turn this city inside out looking for the mages.
No house, no business, no building of any sort, including those barely standing on their foundations, were left unchecked.
We found nothing to point us in the right direction.
It was as if killing the Council released them from whatever chains were holding them and they disappeared from the face of the Earth.
That last thought is like a hot poker stabbing me right between my eyes.
I stop in my tracks, tugging Sebastian when I don’t take another step.
“Let me guess.” I can’t be so stupid to fall for Sara using my own tactics and cleverness to trick me, can I? “The link leads to the tunnels and sewer lines underground.”
“You know?” A line bisects his forehead as he looks down at me.
“No, but I should’ve checked there first.” Clenching my jaw only gives me a headache, so I blow out a breath and link my hand with Sebastian’s so I can drag him with me. “Let’s find Eshe and Marcus. I know where I’m going to find that bitch.”
“April.” One second, I am storming down the hall, breathing fire. In the next, my back is pressed to the wall and Sebastian has me pinned to it.
“I need you to stop focusing just on Sara. There is a whole community of magic users in this city, and tunnel vision is a sure way to get yourself killed. I’m all for revenge—he was my friend too, after all—but not at the cost of your life.
” Holding my head between both of his hands, he keeps my gaze locked on his.
The fear I see there makes my knees buckle.
“I dedicated my life to finding you. I will not lose you now. Not for anything. Do you understand?”
“I’m not easy to kill, Sebastian.” Anger and hurt stab me through those intense irises, and I latch onto his forearms when he tries to step away. “I love you, too.” I let him see it clear in every line of my face and every blink of my eyes. “But I have to do it. Surely you understand that.”
“And I will help you do it.” The hard lines on his face soften just as he presses his forehead on mine, closing his eyes. “But not by rushing in blindly and getting ourselves killed. We will scout, make a plan, and follow it. Promise me.”
“Okay.”
His deep, husky chuckle makes me melt, and I’m grateful he is holding me up with his body. “I need a promise, not an okay.”
“It’s not my fault you are older than dirt.” Grinning, I pull back and kiss the tip of his nose. “In this century, okay is a promise.” I’m going to burn in Hell for this, but I push the guilt down, keeping eye contact.
“If you lie to me, I will throw you over my knee and spank you.” Hunger burns bright in his gaze. “Just so we are clear.”
“Promises, promises …” My breathless snicker is silenced by the mushing of our lips.
My back bows off the wall, and I press harder on his chest, clawing at his shoulders.
Even in the heels I’m wearing, I have to stand on my toes to reach him, but it’s worth it judging by the hard erection poking my lower belly.
His deep groan vibrates from his chest to mine, and I have to push him away or we will be fucking in the middle of the hallway.
That bitch Sara couldn’t wait just long enough to let me enjoy Sebastian before betraying me?
Especially after getting my full memories back and the fight with the Council?
His snarled protest pools heat between my legs.
“I’ll tear those mages apart for this alone,” Sebastian informs me, and I snort.
“Cockblocks, all of them,” I sass, and butterflies burst to life when one side of his mouth tilts up. “Not for long though, right?”
“No. Not for long, tesoro.” With one long, lingering look at my swollen lips, he tugs me from the wall and leads me to wherever Marcus must be hiding.