Chapter Thirty-Three
Vanessa
Paralyzed by shock, I couldn’t force myself to get up. Instead, Liv raced past me and down the small hallway to the front door, which she cracked open a hair.
“Can I—hey!” she yelped as a giant filled the frame and pushed his way inside.
“Where is Vanessa?” he demanded.
I stood, tears streaming down my face. “I’m here, Vil,” I said as he made his way to me, clearly worse for the wear but there nonetheless.
Without hesitation, he wrapped me in a hug, spinning me around as he kissed me hard and hot.
My body burst into flames as I hung from his neck, his tongue prying my lips apart as he explored my mouth.
For a single second, I thought he would carry me to the nearest room with a door and rip my clothes off.
Judging by the firm bulge in his pants, he was considering it.
“Ahem,” Liv said, interrupting the moment somewhat.
“You’re okay,” I whispered as Vil and I broke apart. I nuzzled his face, looking deep into his eyes, and blinked back a fresh wave of tears. “You’re actually all right. You survived. You’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” he said.
“But I don’t understand. The bomb. What happened?” I asked as he set me down. I didn’t let go, still stroking his face and hair, needing to touch him, to continually reaffirm to myself that he was real and not a dream or hallucination.
“It’s a long story,” he growled, glancing off to the side as my sister came around.
I got what he meant.
“Liv, this is Vil,” I said, finally releasing my near stranglehold around his neck to let the two shake hands.
“Hi,” my sister said, looking him up and down. “So, you’re the guy my sister is mad at, are you?”
She crossed her arms angrily, glaring hard at Vil.
The dragon shifter didn’t wilt but instead faced Liv head-on.
“You must be the sister who mostly raised her and took care of her. I can see why she respects you so much. What you should know, however, is that yes, I screwed up big time with Vanessa, but also that I know it. I should never have withheld things from her, and I will never do that again. No more secrets between her and me. Ever.”
I could tell that Liv, who’d been ready for a confrontation, was caught completely off-guard by Vil’s open and apologetic nature. I knew because I was, too. To my knowledge, I wasn’t sure he had ever apologized for something.
Then he turned to me. “And you. You’re okay? You weren’t hurt or anything?”
“No,” I said, still processing his apology. “We were halfway down the driveway when it went off. All we got was a rattled car. No damage whatsoever, other than my fear that you’d died.”
“Because bombs do that,” Liv said suspiciously. “So, why was there one in your house?”
“Business disagreement,” Anvil rumbled darkly. “Something that will be rectified soon and quite permanently, I assure you. Vanessa will be in no further danger.”
Liv snorted. “Of course not, because she’ll be staying with me for a bit. And you are not.”
“Liv,” I said gently. “Can you give us a moment?”
At first, I thought she would argue, but when she looked at me, she must have seen something in my face.
“Okay,” she said, still unhappy about it but leaving the room anyway.
Vil didn’t wait until she was gone before picking me up by the waist so I could wrap my legs around him and kiss him again. I was letting my body guide my decisions, but I didn’t really care.
“What happened?” I asked, holding on tight. “How did you survive?”
“I was going home to go for a flight,” he said in a low tone to ensure my sister didn’t overhear.
“I walked into the Rift room just in time to see someone duck through it, leaving a large crate behind. There was ticking coming from it. I knew what it had to be. I thought about going for you, getting you to safety, but I had no idea how much time I had. So I grabbed one handle and was in the process of dragging it through the Rift when it went off.”
I gaped. “You were right next to it? How are you alive?”
He held up one hand between us, the skin turning silver. “Built-in protection,” he said, the armor coating from his fingers to his elbow before fading once more. “Still hurt like a bitch, though, and knocked me out.”
“I can only imagine,” I said, shaking my head, letting myself be set down on the floor, though I stayed tight to his chest, one hand resting over his heart.
“When I came around, some of Adamantine’s lackeys were there, holding me prisoner, threatening to kill me if I didn’t give up my position to him.”
“How did you escape?” I asked, worried.
He winked. “I’m born of royalty, Vanessa. My blood is descended directly from the God-King himself and is stronger than most others. They weren’t ready for me.”
“Oh,” I said.
“The next thing I did was come looking for you.”
“Well, you found me,” I said lamely, giving him a weak smile.
“I did. And now, I must swear to you that I’m holding no other secrets, at least none that I can think of. Nothing that I am omitting or not telling you. The Test was the last of it.”
“That’s still quite the doozy,” I told him, cognizant of my earlier thoughts.
Vil was alive. And if I wanted to be with him, I would have to take the Test. Expose me not just to danger but quite possibly death. Was I ready for that? Did I feel that strongly?
I didn’t know. I wasn’t ready to face that decision. Not yet.
“What happens from here?” I asked him, not ready to commit to him but also not willing to pull away. It felt too good to be in his arms and at his side. Things felt … peaceful there.
“I’m going to end it,” he said gravely.
“How?”
“I’m going to go back to the Iron Fortress, and I’m going to confront Adamantine. There’s no other way this can end. He must be removed from power.”
“You against the Nine?” I asked. “Those numbers don’t favor you.”
“There are only six of them now,” he said matter-of-factly, staring stonily into the distance at something only he could see.
“That doesn’t exactly make it a lot better,” I pointed out.
He smiled. “I have a plan. But for now, I need you to stay here, where it’s safe. I need to know you’re okay while I’m doing this. Don’t go to the house unless I say so. The Nine won’t find you here. Once they’re dealt with, then you and I can … sort things out.”
“So, now I have to go back to sitting around and worrying if you’re okay?”
He grinned.
“What’s so funny about that?” I asked.
“It’s nice to know you care,” he told me.
“Of course I care,” I fired back, then paused, realizing what I’d just admitted.
“Good,” he said, leaning in and giving me a slow kiss that was much more thorough than any of the others, ensuring that when he pulled away, I was a little bit lightheaded, courtesy of the thoughts running through my head and the blatant urge pulsing between my legs, begging me to submit to him right then and there.
“I’ll be back for you,” he said, heading toward the door as I trailed behind, unsure what else to say. “I intend to show you that while fate may have put us on a collision course, I want to be here as well, Vanessa. I care for you. A lot.”
“Okay,” I squeaked.
“I want you to be mine,” he growled heartily, kissing me one last time. “And I’ll do everything in my power to show you that.”
Then he was gone, leaving me flailing uselessly for the door handle to try to close it.