Chapter 26
Sorcha
Trying to slow Shane down when he was in a headstrong mood was like trying to stop a runaway train with my bare hands.
It was true, Bal had avoided mentioning anything about the witch thing, but I wasn’t blameless; I hadn’t wanted to ask.
I sighed. When would I stop being so cowardly and start confronting things that affect my life?
Bal wasn’t in the luxurious living room, or the shiny modern kitchen, nor was he in any of the extra bedrooms or the tastefully decked out study. He wasn’t even in the sauna or gym area.
I blinked as Shane barrelled into Bal’s private space.
I’d sneaked a look into his masculine bedroom before.
Of course I had. I wasn’t a saint. The apartment was small compared to the castle, and the door was right there, begging to be opened.
Decorated in a deep maroon and grey with a splash of turquoise colour on his black silk bedding and pillows, the whole room reeked of sensuality.
The lingering scent of spice tickled my nose.
Whether it was aftershave or the shower gel he used, I had no idea, but it was heady and undeniably him.
“Maybe we should just wait until he comes back?” I could feel Shane vibrating under the hand I rested on his forearm.
I didn’t understand why he was so angry on my behalf.
It wasn’t as if I’d had a massive epiphany and was suddenly hit with a tsunami of powers and spells and witchyness. I was still just me.
“No, he owes us an explanation.”
I frowned. “What do you mean, us? What happened when you ran after those men, Shane? Who poisoned you?”
“Mades.” His voice was short as he turned around and stormed out. There was obviously far more to what had happened than could be explained by one word, even if that one word encompassed a whole race.
“Gods save me from stubborn men,” I muttered under my breath.
If he heard me, he didn't acknowledge it or slow down. There was no point in insisting on more than a one-word answer anyway, not right now. He was on a mission to find Bal, and as I’d discovered over the months that I’d grown closer to Shane, there was no stopping him once he had his mind set on something.
Bulldozing ahead, Shane threw open the main door.
“Whoa there, Wolf. Where are you going in such a hurry?” Vito masked his surprise at our sudden exit with a grin on his face.
“None of your goddamn business.”
Vito’s face remained a mask of pleasantness, though I saw the steel slam into his eyes as he stood right in front of Shane.
“Well, I hate to disagree, but it kind of is. You see, if I just let you and Sorcha run off into the night without keeping you safe, the Count will remove my head from my shoulders. Which, obviously, I’d rather avoid. So where ya goin’?”
“Get out of my way, vamp.” Shane’s shoulders squared, and his spine straightened, his voice dropping to a deep growl.
He was holding back his wolf, but just barely.
He was out of bloodlust, but that didn’t mean his temper was in complete control.
Yet I got it; he wasn’t used to being questioned or held back.
He’d been Alpha of the Canadian shifter pack right up until the Mades had kidnapped him, and he’d been dangerous then. Now, he was something far more savage.
Vito clearly knew that, and, despite his smile, his tight muscles told me he’d do his job and stop Shane if he insisted on leaving. Dammit, this was going to end badly for them both.
“Hi, Vito.” I stepped out from behind Shane’s broad body and gave the guy a smile, hiding my nerves at being between two posturing, towering males.
I’d gotten to know the guard a bit while I’d lived at the castle, and he didn’t frighten me anymore. He was a really nice person, who’d always been fun and upbeat, when I’d only ever seen a broody Count or stony-faced Dav day after day.
“Hey, Sor. I’m glad you’re okay. You're looking much better than the last time I saw you.”
I pushed the flat of my hand against Shane’s chest and stepped forward so I was right between him and Vito. Vito raised a brow, his eyes sparkling with amusement, like he knew exactly what I was doing.
“Yeah, thanks for that, by the way. I don’t think I’ve ever had a man in my bedroom who needed to hold my hair back while I vomited everywhere.”
He laughed. “It was my pleasure. Always happy to help a lady in distress.”
I blushed at him calling me a lady just as a growl rumbled through my palm.
I shot a chastising look up at Shane. “Don’t be grumpy.
Vito helped me get over the poison while Bal was with you.
You should be thanking him, not behaving like he’s the enemy.
He isn’t. He’s here to help us both. So show him some respect. ”
Shane’s eyebrows rose, and he blinked before a slow smile stretched his sexy mouth, followed by a chuckle. I released a gentle breath as the overwhelming feel of his Alpha power in the air diminished.
“Well, okay then, little bird.”
He shuffled me to one side and held out a hand to Vito. “Thanks for looking after my mate while I couldn’t, man. I won’t forget it. Even if you only did it to keep your head where it should be.”
Vito chuckled and shook Shane’s hand before stepping back.
“My pleasure. But I didn’t just do it for that.
Sor’s been dealt a shit hand by life.” He looked at me.
“And you’ve fought to overcome your past. I respect that.
Plus, the Count wouldn’t protect you, or look so devastated after the other day, if he didn’t truly care for you.
” He shrugged his big shoulders. “He deserves some fucking light in his life. And I’d do anything for my lord and those he cares about.
” He looked at me. “So, if that means holding your hair back, or escorting you to where you want to go, then that’s exactly what I’ll do.
” He gave Shane a lopsided, almost apologetic, smile that made him look unfairly handsome. “Whether you want me to or not.”
I blinked. It really was uncalled for that all the vampires around me were built and gorgeous. Yet, even Vito’s model-like face didn’t make my stomach flutter like Shane’s smile, or Bal’s intense look when he fixed me in his sights.
“We need to find Bal. Where is he?” I asked gently, glad I was able to defuse their standoff.
Vito grinned. “All you needed to do was ask. He’s at the club. There is justice to be served, and you know how he loves to make an example of his enemies.”
“You’ll take us to him?” I tried to make it sound like a question and not a demand. He was right. I was braver now, just not quite courageous enough to make demands of an ancient vampire warrior.
“Of course. I haven’t been instructed to keep you prisoners. Only, it’s probably wiser to stay here. Sometimes the Count’s court is boring as hell, but other times, even vamps manage to piss him off. He can get…” His shoulders rose and fell, a wry smirk curling his mouth.
I smiled back. “We understand.”
Shane’s muscles relaxed under my touch, and he wrapped an arm around me as my hand slid from his chest.
“We’ll be fine. He won’t hurt us.” He tucked me in close before leaning down to kiss me thoroughly.
As always, I melted against him, forgetting in an instant that we had an audience.
When he pulled back, he shot a possessive smirk Vito’s way.
My face burned. He was claiming me, and while part of me remembered that I’d promised myself I’d not become anyone’s possession ever again, another more primal part of me loved knowing I was his.
Because if I were his, then that meant he was mine.
Where Bal fit into that dynamic, I didn't think either of us knew.
Shane had feelings for Bal; that was obvious.
So did I. It was time to figure out if Count Balthazar Rossi felt anything more than lust for either of us.
I raised my chin, my heart racing. It twisted my stomach in knots to think that he’d been playing games, and likely had another reason for keeping us close, but I needed to know.
His words the other day had seemed so sincere.
Still, I had so many questions: about our dynamic, his feelings and plans for us, why he hadn’t told me about my heritage, and even what being a witch meant.
So I put my hand in Shane’s and smiled at Vito. “Please take us to him.”
Vito nodded. “Okay, but when this all goes tits up, remember that I advised you to stay here. The Count always has his reasons behind what he does. You should wait for him to come to you.”
Shane snorted. “That’s not gonna happen. I appreciate the warning, and I appreciate everything you did for Sor. But if he’s just fucking with our feelings, it’s time for us to know that, and for us to find a way in this fucked up world without him.”
Vito cocked his head, his eyes narrowed on Shane. “That’s the thing, wolf. If the Count has claimed you, the only way you’ll ever leave is if he wants you to.”
I smiled, a strange coldness curling around my heart and trickling through my body.
“We’d find a way.” My voice may be shaking a bit at the thought of escaping someone as powerful as the Count, but there was steel in my words.
Even though I felt more for Bal than I should, I wouldn’t be used again.
I craved his commanding touches and the feel of his body. But not enough to follow him blindly.
Vito looked at me with one brow raised. “Really? Well, in that case, I’ll get you to the Gambit. I just hope you two know what you’re doing.”
So did I.