44
The Hospital building retained its shadowed beauty, yet Amelia found it much more welcoming now. Welcoming and alive.
Mikhail was on the phone, his back to her, giving her the chance to admire him unnoticed. His broad shoulders were relaxed, his voice steady and calm.
When the call ended, Mikhail faced her. “Presiyan will dispatch his agents to capture the general. Petrov is a significant figure in the human world. It must appear like he’s suddenly gone on holiday.”
“Where will they take him?” she asked.
“To a safe place.”
Amelia clenched her fists, recalling the general’s face. After looking through more photos of him online, she had confirmed he was indeed the man from her vision. Wherever this “safe place” was, she hoped he would pay for everything he’d done to the creatures.
But something else was troubling her. She fidgeted with the edge of her clothes. “Mikhail, did you mean what you said? Do you truly trust Presiyan?”
“Completely,” he said without hesitation.
“I don’t like him.”
“Why?” He stepped closer, making her tilt her head to meet his multicoloured eyes.
“Presiyan found you interesting. Seems you managed to impress him when you told him he should release me. I take it the woman with white eyes and golden hair is you, right?” Mikhail’s gaze swept over her face before he added with a slight smile, “Or is there another beauty who stood up for me?”
Her pulse quickened under his intense stare.
Mikhail touched her chin with his finger in a gentle caress. “You’re the reason I was released so quickly, Amelia.”
She froze at his words, needing a moment to process them. Her lie had worked…
Air filled her lungs, flooding them with satisfaction. “I can’t believe it,” she said through the smile forming on her lips. “I… I lied to him.”
“You did brilliantly, little beast.” Mikhail kissed her. His solid body pressed against hers, igniting a fire from which there was no escape. Not that she intended to do so.
Then he pulled back, cupping her face in his hands.
“Amelia, I want you to know that what we have isn’t just about satisfying primal needs.
” His eyes burned into hers with a deep, golden intensity.
“I could have been with many women over these years, but I didn’t want any of them.
I need you to believe me when I say you have me entirely. ”
A disarming wave passed through her body. “Entirely…?”
He nodded. “I’m your friend, protector, and only lover.
I may not be easy, but I promise to give everything I am capable of, to be the best for you.
If you accept me by your side, I’ll only ask a few things of you.
If anything happens, you don’t walk away from me or withdraw into silence and foolish thoughts.
You come to me, and we sort it out. If you have a problem, you come to me.
And most importantly – no secrets between us. None at all.”
Amelia didn’t dare breathe. Had he really said the words she’d been yearning for? A promise of companionship in the solitude of the immortal world?
She closed her eyes, needing a moment away from his hypnotic gaze. To allow herself to wake up, if this was just a dream. Her lips burned with the desire to merge with his, her body pulsed for him, and her heart longed to accept his offer of… a relationship?
She tried to regain her senses, but she couldn’t remember why she had denied her need for Mikhail for so long.
To avoid confronting the demons of his past?
Because she believed he was a beast, incapable of true emotion?
Because she thought she could touch him and then walk away as if nothing had happened?
He couldn’t mean it. He wasn’t actually offering what she thought he was.
“Mikhail, you don’t know me…”
That was a lie. He knew more about her than she would have liked.
“You’re very mistaken if you think that,” he said.
“I don’t know you .”
Here, she was right. Mikhail had lived for four hundred years, and she would never fully know him.
He raised his palm in the air. “You know what matters.”
She fell silent, but her thoughts raced. Yes, I know what matters… That you haven’t let go of your past. That if I let you in, you’ll soon be another unbearable loss in my life.
That you kill traitors.
The gold in his eyes darkened. “Is there someone else, Amelia?”
“Someone else?”
“Another man. A lover. Were you with someone while I was away?”
How could he believe she would desire another after she’d seen him?
“Of course not.” The absurdity of his suggestion made her lips curl.
Yet the darkness in his gaze remained. He pulled her close and ran his hand down the curve of her spine with deliberate slowness. “Do you remember what you told me before I was arrested?”
Her skin prickled under his touch. “No,” she lied.
“You told me that someone else would satisfy you since I’d already tried once and failed.
” He nudged her chin up with his finger.
The gleam in his eyes might have scared her months ago, but now, knowing she was provoking it, excited her.
“One more thing to avoid if you decide you want me by your side. Never speak of others. Otherwise, you risk having me kill some random guy just for looking at you the wrong way.”
She laughed.
“Amelia, that was not a joke.”
“Mikhail, have you ever seen yourself in a mirror?”
His eyes searched her face. “Yes, of course.”
“Then you should know that, aside from being annoyingly dominant and controlling, you’re perfect. I’ve never seen a more handsome man in my life. Why would I want anyone else?”
The corners of his lips curved into a seductive smile. Amelia suddenly ached to shower him with more compliments if it would bring out his smile. Before she could, he cut her off with a kiss, his fingers tangling in her hair and tracing her curves.
“Wait,” she murmured, trying to break free from his grasp.
After a few attempts, he let her go. “What is it? Did you remember that you do know a more handsome man than me?”
“I want to show you something.” She stepped back a bit more, grabbing the edge of her blouse and pulling it over her head.
He crossed his arms over his chest, taking in the view of the full cups of her bra.
Her skin burned. She squared her shoulders and took her turn to study him.
His magnificent body filled the space, his strong biceps bulging under his shirt, the tattoo of the Council peeking from under his right sleeve.
And his perfect, tense face focused solely on her.
Realisation dawned on her. She’d always been afraid of the influence Mikhail had on her, but she also had power over him. He lusted after her. The thought ignited a pulsing desire between her thighs.
She unclasped her bra behind her back but didn’t let it fall. She liked sensing Mikhail’s eyes on her body, liked being the cause of the deep golden hue in his gaze. A hue that always reminded her of the most important thing about him – he wasn’t a man, but a beast.
She didn’t know when she’d stopped seeing his animal side as a flaw, but she wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.
“I’m an ex-prisoner standing before the woman I’ve been dreaming of for months. I won’t wait much longer, Amelia.” Mikhail’s deep voice stirred butterflies in her stomach. She turned around, letting the bra drop. Lifting her hair above her nape, she revealed the tattoo.
Mikhail was behind her in less than a second. Without a word, he traced the symbols with his fingers – slow, tempting movements from her neck to the curve of her waist. The waistband of her leggings concealed the lower part of the tattoo, so Amelia expected him to uncover it.
Instead, he placed his hand in the middle of her back and pushed her towards the bed.
His touch was gentle, but radiated a power she had no desire to defy.
He continued to press until her body leaned forward.
Her hands rested on the soft bedding, hips lifting into the air.
Mikhail’s hand slid around her waist, dragging her closer to him.
When his erection pressed against her rear, the pulsing sensation inside her intensified.
With his body, he made her kneel on her elbows and knees on the bed.
Her heart began to pound in her chest, while his powerful energy surrounded her.
She tried to crawl forward, but Mikhail held her in place.
His fingers caught the waistband of her leggings and slid them down her thighs, along with the thin strip of her underwear.
Her clothes bunched around her knees, but neither of them bothered to remove them.
Swallowing hard, she realised he was going to have her like this. He would take her from behind – as he’d warned her.
Her muscles tensed at her vulnerability. She suspected it would hurt, but even so, she stayed in place, aching to give him everything he wanted.
When Mikhail took off his shirt, Amelia glanced over her shoulder and the heat between her thighs intensified. She wanted to touch the smooth skin of his sculpted muscles and let her lips glide over each of the scars adorning his torso. The wait was agonising, and he seemed to be taking his time.
Finally, Mikhail ran his hand over the curve of her rear, leaving fiery trails on her flesh.
With his other hand, he reached for his belt.
His chest rose and fell, his arms strained with effort.
Amelia shivered. He was so close, his face a mix of divine beauty and insatiable desire.
At that moment, there was nothing she wouldn’t let him do to her.
Mikhail knelt behind her, and she held her breath. Then, his tongue slid between her thighs.
“Mikhail…” she whispered, but the words melted away when she involuntarily lifted her hips at his next stroke.
His large hand gripped her thigh, holding her still. “Trust me, little one.”