29. Chapter 29
29
“ H ey,” I said, already standing before Bastian entered Gavin’s bedroom. I had sensed him drawing nearer, awareness of where he was an increasingly apparent side effect of our bond.
Bastian paused in the doorway and scanned Gavin’s personal space—the built-in bookshelves, the simple yet sturdy wood furnishings, the stark artwork, the massive four-poster bed—before his gaze settled on me. “You okay?” he asked, shutting the door and crossing the room to stand directly in front of me.
He raised one hand, grazing his knuckles down my cheek. “That felt intense.”
I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch, and let out a breathy laugh. “It’s always intense with him.”
“But not with me?”
Sighing, I opened my eyes. I suspected managing the physical side of my own personal harem wasn’t going to be the most complicated aspect of this arrangement. I currently only had two immortals bound to me—three if I counted Javier, but who knew if I would ever see him again—and I was already struggling to juggle the emotional entanglements. How was I going to handle seven immortals? How was I going to balance all their wants and needs? How was I going to make sure everyone received the level of attention deserved by such a grand commitment as a blood bond?
“No,” I told Bastian, standing on my toes to press my lips against his. Honesty and openness were probably a good place to start.
Bastian’s lips parted with the barest amount of coaxing, and our tongues tangled in a sensual, promising kiss.
I broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. “With you, it’s easy,” I said. “I don’t have to try when I’m with you. It just feels right .”
“Mmm . . .” Bastian’s arms settled around me, the tension leaving his amber eyes. “You know all the right things to say.”
I draped my arms over his shoulders, fingering the short, faintly curled hair at the nape of his neck. “I meant every word.” I pressed my lips to his, but this time the kiss was only a peck because I could feel Gavin approaching.
I looked at the door. “He’s coming.”
Bastian released me and sidestepped to stand behind me as I turned toward the door.
Gavin pushed the door open and stopped on the threshold, his hand still gripping the doorknob. His dark hair was damp, and he wore a robe that was too fancy to be called a bathrobe. There was a bathroom in every suite, so I figured he must have showered wherever Daisy roomed instead of coming back here to wash up. His robe was more like an old-fashioned dressing gown in slate-gray silk, with a black inner lining and a thin sash belt tied loosely around his waist to hold it shut. He eyed Bastian, then focused on me.
Now that they were both in the room with me, I sensed another who was tied to me, the feeling distant and indistinct compared to them. Was it Javier? I hadn’t felt him before, at least not while my powers had been muted.
“I can feel you when we’re apart,” I blurted to Gavin. “I knew you were coming in here before you came in.”
Gavin pressed his lips together and released the doorknob, leaving the door open. “It’s the blood bond,” he said, crossing to a door in the adjacent wall and opening it to reveal a walk-in closet.
“Right,” I said, pacing alongside the bed. “But it’s not just you and Bastian.” I raised one hand to chew on my thumbnail. “There’s another—I don’t know what to call it—but it’s weaker, farther away?” I shook my head. “I don’t know. It’s hard to describe.” I stopped and faced Gavin. “Could it be Javier?”
My heart clenched at the possibility that he was alive. He had been more than just my guardian, more than just my friend. He had been my anchor, my safe haven in a world turned upside down. And now, with the possibility of his survival lingering in the air, hope flickered in my chest.
“It’s possible,” Gavin said, entering the closet without turning on the light, but he still found the clothing items he desired easily enough. “Though, I think it’s more likely Thane you’re sensing.”
I nodded to myself. I had wanted it to be Javier, but Thane wasn’t a poor consolation prize. Ideally, we could rescue both.
Gavin emerged from the closet wearing only a pair of navy boxer briefs and carrying several hangers with his clothing choices by the hooks. He hung them on the bronze knob affixed to the inside of the closet door and carefully pulled a pair of tailored dark-gray slacks from one hanger. His abdominal and arm muscles bunched as he bent over to step into the pants.
I licked my lips, recalling how savagely he had taken me not even a half hour ago. My groin throbbed with remembered pleasure and renewed desire as I imagined how he must have looked while he fucked me. He had let go of all restraint, unleashing himself fully.
Gavin froze in the middle of buttoning his slacks. He clenched his jaw and looked at me without raising his head. I sensed his own desire rising to meet mine, and behind me, Bastian responded as well. Shit, shit, shit . . .
I cleared my throat and silently recited subclasses of the Library of Congress Call Number classification system, starting with A.
AC: Collections, Series, Collected Works
AE: Encyclopedias
AG: Dictionaries and other general reference works
Few things were as unsexy as a mind-numbing classification system, and the recitation quickly did the trick in taming my libido.
“Sorry,” I breathed, grateful Gavin and Bastian could only sense the shape of my emotions and not actually see my lewd thoughts. “I–” I licked my lips. “You really think I can feel Thane?”
Gavin nodded once. “You should be able to sense him for a few weeks, with the link weakening until the last remnants of his blood leave your system completely.”
“Then he’s alive,” I said, relieved. “And if I can feel him, then I can help Ash find him.”
Gavin laced a belt through the loops in his pants. “What exactly are you suggesting?”
“I should go with Ash and his team,” I said.
Bastian gripped my arm. “Soph–”
“Out of the question,” Gavin snapped.
“They might not be able to find him without me,” I said, yanking my arm free from Bastian’s hold. “If Ash wants my help, I’ll give it to him.”
Letting his belt hang open, Gavin removed a white button-down shirt from another hanger on the back of the door and guided the sleeves onto his arms. “Not with your powers crippled as they are, you’re not.”
“Then un cripple them,” I said, taking a step toward him. “You said you could fix the tincture in your labs, so do it.”
Gavin buttoned his shirt and tucked it into the waistband of his slacks with jerky motions. “You’re not going,” Gavin said, his voice ringing with all the power of his will as he stalked toward me. His will was potent, and I was aware of its influence, but it didn’t affect me anymore.
“Stop, Gavin,” I said, my own will resonating through my voice.
Gritting his teeth, Gavin halted mid-step, his entire body shaking as he fought the command.
I was the daughter of High Queen Diana, descended from High Queen Mene, who Selene had blessed with her favor. “You don’t command me,” I told him. “ I command you .”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed with challenge, and we stared at one another for a long moment. “I already have people working on the tincture,” he said through gritted teeth. “At least wait until we have a clean sample. We need to test the efficacy of the clean tincture to make sure it stabilizes your powers.”
“Fine,” I said, just as eager to unshackle myself from my body’s unsustainable needs.
“ And ,” Gavin said, buckling his belt with excessive precision and control. “You will bind Ash before taking any action to track Thane.”
My eyes bulged, and my mouth fell open. “ What ?”
Gavin tucked the tail of his belt into a loop. “You need to be as strong as possible if you’re going to leave the safety of the Moon Sanctuary.”
I glared at him. He was baiting me, testing my resolve. But Thane had sacrificed himself to save us. To save me. If rescuing him required a sacrifice on my part, so be it. And it wasn’t like I was put off by the idea of bonding with Ash. I wasn’t sure I had exchanged a single word with the hulking Viking-esque vampire, but I was drawn to him, just as I was drawn to Thane.
“ If the clean tincture works and your powers are stabilized, then you’ll carry out a full communion with all three of us, and then you can assist with the search for Thane.”
My jaw dropped yet again. “All three of you—at the same time?” Despite my lurid, possibly prophetic dream from the other night, I still wasn’t certain of the mechanics of communion –I didn’t know why they didn’t just call it an orgy, because that’s what it was, regardless of the blood exchange element–with three men, let alone a complete harem of seven.
Was it going to be a free-for-all on my holes? Would my immortals be beating each other up to get to me? There were only three holes after all. Did the slowpokes have to wait on the sidelines and watch? Or maybe they would form a line?
I stifled an inappropriate giggle.
Gavin clenched and unclenched his jaw in what I was quickly understanding to be a tick that displayed his annoyance for all to see. He inhaled deeply, blowing the breath out through his nose. “ What is so funny? Because I assure you that you leaving the safety of Sanctuary on a manhunt is no laughing matter.”
“I, um . . .” Again, I cleared my throat, my cheeks flaming. “I was just trying to figure out how it would work.” I peeked over my shoulder at Bastian, then returned my focus to Gavin. “With three of you.”
“Well,” Gavin said, the corners of his mouth tensing into a sly grin. “If you get your way, you won’t have to wait long to find out.”