50. ZARA
ZARA
“Gabriel? Are you here?” I’d found my way back to the pavilion, but I couldn’t see any sign of Gabriel.
Resigning myself to having to wait for him to fall asleep, I imagined up a cosy swing chair for myself and settled into it.
It wasn’t long before I started to doze off – which was something I hadn’t known I could do while I was dream walking – only to come to with a start when I sensed someone looming over me.
Expecting to find Gabriel, I was surprised to see Nero instead.
“What are you doing here?” I said irritably. Gabriel didn’t like him, so he probably wouldn’t show up while he was here.
He shrugged. “I was curious, so I followed you. I’ve never been in a Watcher’s dream space before.”
“And I’d be much obliged if you never came into mine again.” Gabriel’s unamused drawl brought a little smile to my lips. “Please go away. I need to speak with Zara, and I don’t have much time.”
Nero shot me a questioning look and I nodded. “I’ll come and see you when I’m done here,” I promised.
“Michael is being awkward about Seth’s visit,” Gabriel said without preamble as soon as Nero had disappeared. “He’s insisting it takes place somewhere public rather than at the manor, and for no more than thirty minutes.”
Only half an hour? My heart sank to my boots. I’d been hoping for a day at least. “But that’s not long enough.”
“It’s long enough for him to tell you he’s okay, but not long enough for him to give away too many details about what’s going on in the Underworld. He’s also insisting that I’m present for the entirety of it.”
“But I thought…”
“If you were hoping for another wild night like your birthday, I’m afraid it’s not going to happen.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you know about that?”
“Oh, relax. I wasn’t peeking if that’s what you’re thinking. But I was the one who came and collected Seth afterwards remember. I’m perfectly well aware of what a well-fucked man looks like.”
Apparently you can blush in the dream space too. Who knew? “So what’s the plan?”
“The meeting will take place the day after tomorrow.” He rattled off the details of a coffee shop in town. “But you’re going to have to remove the wards so I can get in and tell you about it.”
I nodded. “We were expecting that. When will you be coming?”
“Tomorrow afternoon. Can you get them down before then?”
“I’ll have them down.” The ones in my apartment and the offices were staying though.
“Oh, and Zara, I know the thought of getting Nero to whisk him away as soon as he arrives and take him somewhere warded so you can have more time with him is tempting. But I strongly advise against it. It would be a breach of your oath, and you would be punished.”
Two days had never gone by so slowly. When the afternoon of Seth’s visit finally arrived I insisted on getting to the venue far too early, then paced around the private room Gabriel had reserved for us like the Energiser Bunny on speed, unable to sit still.
I’d invited all the team to come, even though I’d much rather have kept him all to myself, because it had seemed like the right thing to do.
And I had to admit I was glad that they were there, because waiting on my own would have been far worse.
When Gabriel finally appeared with him, I barely had a second to draw breath before he was striding towards me and wrapping me in his arms.
“Gods, I’ve missed you,” he murmured as he buried his face in my neck and I almost forgot we had an audience and tried to climb him like a tree.
When he finally let me go it was to demand ‘where’s the bathroom?’, and as soon as Eli pointed to a door at the far end of the room, he scooped me up and carried me towards it, shouting over his shoulder that we’d be back in ten minutes.
“Seth, what are you doing?” I protested as he shouldered his way through the door and deposited me on the narrow strip of countertop between the two sinks.
“Tasting my woman,” he growled as he tugged my leggings down and off, taking my panties along with them, and sank to his knees in front of me. I gasped as his tongue swiped through the arousal that had flooded me at his words.
“Seth, we can’t.” I protested, even as my fingers curled into his hair of their own accord and pulled him closer. “Everyone’s waiting for you. What if someone comes in?”
“They’ll wish they hadn’t.”
“Ohhh!” I bucked so hard I almost slipped off the countertop as he took my clit between his teeth with just the right amount of pressure and flicked it with the tip of his tongue.
“I wish I could take my time savouring the taste of you, my love, but we don't have long and I need to be inside you,” he rasped as he kissed his way back up my body, pushing my top up and jerking the cups of my bra down so he could draw one nipple into his mouth, his thumb circling the other.
I fumbled with the zip of his pants, finally managing to undo it enough for his cock to spring free and he didn’t waste a moment before sinking into me.
“Fuck,” he groaned. “I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you.” His hands found my hips. “Wrap your legs around me, pet.”
As soon as I did, he lifted me up and spun us around so my back was against the door, pinning me there while he pounded into me.
I should have been embarrassed by the way the door was rattling in the frame and how everyone outside must know exactly what was going on in here, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
I needed this as much as he did. I knew I wouldn’t last long, but I was shocked at how quickly I was ready to explode.
“I’m so close,” I whispered, rocking against him, desperate to create the friction I needed to push me over the edge. One of his hands left my hips and moved between us, his finger circling my clit in the way he knew drove me insane.
“Seth!” His name tore from me as he emptied himself inside me at the same time I shattered and I clung to him, unwilling to allow even a shadow of a space between us.
I slowly became aware of my surroundings again when he spun us round so he could sit me back on the countertop, still inside me.
“Hello sweetheart.” He pulled back so he could see my face.
“Hello yourself.” I couldn’t stop the goofy grin from spreading across my face. Before I could say anything else, someone banged on the bathroom door.
“Are you coming out now, or are you going for round two first?”
“It would have to be Terrah,” he muttered before calling out, “Give us two minutes.”
By the time we’d cleaned ourselves up and I’d wriggled back into my clothes – minus the thong which Seth claimed as a trophy – it was more like five, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
I was the one who’d fought long and hard for this visit, so I’d happily take on anyone who didn’t agree that I deserved first dibs on my man.
I was expecting to face a barrage of teasing when we finally emerged, but I was spared from that ordeal when Seth was immediately swamped by his entire team hugging him, slapping him on the back and firing questions at him.
“Let me at least sit down before you give me the third degree,” he laughed, sinking down into one of the chairs and pulling me into his lap.
“There isn’t enough time to tell you everything, and I couldn’t even if I did have time, but the main thing is that you don’t need to worry about me.
” He looked down at me when he said that.
“I’m sorry it’s taking a bit longer than I expected but things haven’t turned out quite the way I hoped. ”
“So how long are you expecting it to take?” That was Jed, and I couldn’t help hoping he was going to tell Seth he needed to get his arse back to the mortal realm pronto and relieve him of duty.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” he admitted. “If you’ve had enough of covering for me, ask Olly to get in touch with the other guardians and they’ll sort something out between them. I know you didn’t sign up for this.”
Jed shook his head. “I’m not going to bail now. It would just be nice to have some idea of when you’ll be done with this.”
“And I wish I could give you that. But…”
“You are safe there though, right?” I said. “Lucien’s not making you stay there?”
“No. He’s already said I’m free to leave whenever I want.”
“Then why don’t you?” I demanded. Before he could answer me, Gabriel stuck his head around the door.
“Five minutes. Say your goodbyes. I’ll be waiting outside.”
“I wish I had more time to explain everything. And I wish I could have more than just this one visit,” he swiped his thumb over the tear that had just escaped and was making its way down my cheek. “But I promise I won’t stay there a second longer than necessary. Do you believe me?”
I nodded miserably. “But I don’t want you to go.”
“It won’t be forever, my love.”
I scrambled to my feet as he started to stand. “I know that, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
He tugged me into his arms, and I felt him slip something into my palm. “Dream of me.” The words were breathed across my lips as he leaned in to kiss me, and I curled my hand around the smooth, round stone.
“What—”
“Shh. Our secret.” His mouth crashed back down onto mine and I lost myself in the taste of his kiss until the sound of Gabriel impatiently knocking on the door frame and saying ‘time’s up’ brought us both back to reality.
“I have to go. Remember how much I love you and be strong for me.” He set me gently aside as he turned to his team.
“Look after her for me. Oh, and Zara,” his gaze returned to me.
“If you ever do anything as reckless as what you did to orchestrate this visit again, you won’t be sitting down for a week after I get back. ”
He grinned to soften his words, and I managed a half-hearted smile. “You’d better not stay away too long then. Desperate times call for desperate measures.” I flung myself against him and locked my arms around his waist. “I love you.”
“I love you too and I’ll see you soon. That’s a promise.” He gently extricated himself from my death grip and walked across to where Gabriel was waiting. “I’m ready.” Gabriel shot me a sympathetic look and mouthed the word ‘later’ at me, and then they were both gone.
The room felt empty without him in it, as if someone had sucked the life out of it, and I struggled to hold it together.
But beyond the sadness, another emotion was starting to rise to the surface.
Anger. I’d been clinging to the hope that he would see me and realise that whatever he had going on in the Underworld wasn’t as important to him as being with me.
That he’d refuse to go back and we could finally put this behind us and get on with our lives.
Instead he’d admitted that although he could leave any time he wanted to, he was choosing to stay. Choosing the Underworld over us.
“Easy, Princess.” Eli’s voice was soothing, but with an undercurrent of worry. “Don’t start going postal on us.”
I’d let my siren power start to leak out, and the unused cups and saucers on the refreshments trolley were rattling around as if they were caught in a storm.
“Sorry.” I forced it down. “I’m okay now.” I was far from okay, but I wasn’t about to take my anger at Seth out on the people who were still here for me. “Let’s go home.”