Chapter 12 Roman
I brushed the comb through my hair and sighed. Looking over my shoulder at Pasha’s reflection in the mirror, I shook my head again. “Why do you keep asking me that?”
Pasha played with the bubbles on the surface of his bath, moving them back and forth as he grilled me. “Because I like her. She’s good. On the inside. We don’t get to meet a lot of humans like her.”
“She might not even be a human,” I muttered as I grabbed the newly pressed shirt from the closet.
Walking away from the double vanity and toward the center of my oversized bathroom, I looked down at the man who’d been sharing this space with me for the last couple of years.
“I promise you, Pasha. I won’t let anything bad happen to her. ”
“How can you be so sure?” he snapped. Grabbing the soap off the teak shelf that fit nicely across the copper tub, Pasha started scrubbing his body as he continued to yell at me.
“You are going to dangle her out in front of the coven like a lure. Like a shiny, expensive piece of bait you know they won’t be able to refuse, and you think she’ll be safe?
” He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Not even you can guarantee that.”
I smiled in surprise, only to watch him scowl at me again. “I am Roman Zarka and they wouldn’t dare—”
“No?” Pasha cut in. “You don’t think they’d try to move against you? Isn’t that what they’re doing by dropping Katarina into our world?” He dipped his head underneath the water before I could answer.
With a sigh, I pulled over one of the chairs from the sitting area and lowered myself into it.
Pasha was an important person to me, but damn if he didn’t need to be reassured every once in a while.
Reaching my hand below the water, I grabbed his thigh and squeezed.
Once Pasha emerged and cleared his eyes, I continued.
“I hear you, Pasha. I do. And I trust that you will have eyes on everyone and everything tonight to make sure Katarina is safe.”
“Of course, I will,” he snapped, pushing my hand away.
“Then what’s bothering you?”
Pasha hesitated a moment before finally asking. “Do you feel connected to her?”
“What do you mean?” I asked instead of answering.
“Like Aiden and Dorian do. Like Grim. Hell, maybe even Blaise feels something in his dark, black soul.”
“Are you asking me if I am attracted to Katarina? In a sexual way?” Pasha shrugged and I smiled down at him. “Are you jealous?”
He scoffed. “No. I mean…no, I don’t think so. But I do feel like we should all be protecting her. Like there is something about her that needs to be cherished.”
I couldn’t argue with him because the truth was that I’d felt it too. Especially when I kissed her. She was special, although I still hadn’t figured out why. I was hoping to get more answers tonight.
Pasha reached out of the water and squeezed my hand. “I’m sorry, Roman. I know you have a lot on your mind. I don’t mean to burden you.”
I bent forward and lifted his chin. Pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, I savored the warmth of his skin and relaxed into the rhythm of his increased heart rate. “You are never a burden to me, Pasha.”
He closed his eyes and pulled back from the kiss. “You should feed.”
“No, I’m—”
“Stop lying, Roman. Please feed.”
“But you need your strength too.”
“I’ll drink some orange juice.” Pasha shifted in the tub so that he was facing away from me. Titling his head to the side, he whispered, “Please, Roman.”
It didn’t take much more to convince me. My fangs pushed through my gums, and I could see the pulsing of Pasha’s artery in his neck. He’d removed his glasses for his bath, and I loved how his face seemed younger when he wasn’t all serious and buried in a computer screen.
I sank down to my knees, pushing the chair to the side so I could be as close to Pasha as possible. While he wasn’t the first male companion I’d claimed in my years, he had been the first in decades and I’d forgotten how nice it was to have an easy relationship like this. An equal relationship.
The cold metal of the copper tub brushed up against my bare chest when I reached forward.
My nipples instantly hardened, bringing with it the sensation of pain mixed with pleasure.
With one hand cupping the side of Pasha’s head, and the other squeezing his shoulder, I allowed my fangs to slip into his skin.
Pasha let out a moan of desire—a side effect from the bite but also an acknowledgment of our relationship.
His blood pulsed into my mouth, and I groaned in pleasure at the sharp taste of life and the sweet, almost vanilla-like flavor that was unique to Pasha.
I treasured Pasha and I was grateful every day for the kind of stability and love he brought into my world.
Pasha groaned again and wrapped his hand around the back of my head.
Knowing how my touch made him feel, I trailed my fingers along his body, down under the water, and slowly traced the line of his hardened cock.
He shuddered under that brief connection and his erection grew larger.
I shifted slightly so I could grab a hold of his manhood and rub it the way I knew he liked.
I usually fed during sex, but sometimes I was content to satisfy Pasha on his own while he gave me permission to feed on his blood.
“Please, Roman,” Pasha begged as he pressed his hips into my hand.
When I started rubbing back and forth on his full length, paying special attention to the tip, I could hear his heart pounding against his chest. He let out another little moan, begging me for more.
I had to be careful not to lose my focus and take too much blood.
So, I removed my fangs from his neck and ran my tongue over the holes until his wounds closed.
Still pumping my hand along his large cock, I continued to kiss his soft skin down his shoulder and eventually back to his lips.
“Did I ever tell you how much I like feeling this?” I whispered as I squeezed his dick again.
“All the time,” he breathed against my mouth.
“More, Roman. I need more.” Pasha moved again so he could lay back against the tub where I sat to give me full access to his beautiful body.
He kept his eyes closed while he grabbed my hand and guided my movements.
As I pumped, I slipped my other hand into the water and around his chest. Squeezing his pectoral muscle tight, I teased his nipple and relished in the way he twitched beneath me.
And when I slipped my hand lower to play with his balls, he continued to rub his length faster and faster.
“No,” I finally growled into his ear. “Let me.”
Pasha complied, dropping his hands and allowing me to have full control over his body.
I nipped his ear, slid my left hand down between his legs, and let the right one pump his length.
The soap in the water made for a nice lubrication, and in no time at all, I felt everything tense beneath me as Pasha readied his release.
When his cock shuddered in pleasure, I buried my face into his hair and listened to his heart and his breathing.
I loved pleasing Pasha. I loved the feel of his dick pulsing in my hand and the way he twitched when I gently brushed my fingers over his tip after he came.
His orgasm lasted several moments longer, and I felt my erection stirring inside my pants.
But my own release would have to come later.
It would be a good promise for getting me through this night—alone time in bed after all of our guests left.
Pasha let out a deep breath and settled his head back against mine. “That was nice.”
I chuckled. “It was.”
“Sure I can’t return the favor?”
I kissed the top of his head and pushed to my feet. Grabbing two towels off the heated rack, I handed one to Pasha and I used the other dry myself, surprised I managed not to come in my pants. “Later,” I said.
Pasha nodded and then asked, “What time is it anyway?”
I looked across the bathroom toward the antique clock hanging on the wall. “Shit, I’m late.”
Pasha laughed as I used my vampire quickness to finish getting dressed. In just a few minutes, I was having him add the cufflinks to my sleeves and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “You should get down in your dungeon,” I teased.
“I’m like the fair maiden no one is allowed to see,” he mused.
“The maiden who’s an expert in security,” I added with one more kiss to his forehead. “Guests will be arriving soon.”
“Got it, boss,” he yelled as I left the room.
With a smile on my face and a feeling of satisfaction in my chest, I used the back hallways to make my way to the other side of the abbey where we held our public events.
I’d never liked the idea of strangers mingling near our private quarters, so when we had a chance to redesign this place, we all agreed to have one wing dedicated solely to entertaining.
It was the furthest away from where we slept, which was one of the best decisions we’d ever made as a crew.
It only took me a couple of minutes to travel the distance and emerge from the tunnels and into the space we called the waiting area.
It was kind of like a lobby before the grand entrance into the ballroom.
We’d installed a coat check area, a public restroom, and made sure there was very little opportunity for anyone visiting to do any kind of snooping.
We did have one doorway in here that led to the well-stocked library since I would often need to host small meetings that required a space more intimate than the grand ballroom.
And right now, that’s where Blaise was standing with a dreadful scowl on his face.
He noticed me watching and quickly tried to lose his expression.
The man was in perpetual pain, and I hated it.
Not only did he have the curse of shifter blood without the ability to shift, but he always punished himself for having any kind of human thoughts.
I could smell the fresh blood on him again, knowing he must have had another one of his sessions where he beat himself until he forgot about…
well, whatever it was that he didn’t want to face.
I wished there was a way for him to find relief.
Blaise stood taller as I approached. He was over six and a half feet in height and twice my width. Yet somehow, he managed to fit nicely into his custom tuxedo while still oozing intimidation. “Blaise,” I said with a nod. “Have you seen the others?”
Blaise ground his jaw together and wrinkled his brow.
His tanned skin and dark hair complemented his aura of an angry, scary man, despite looking like a movie star.
I’d always guessed he was of Spanish descent, but Blaise never liked talking about where he came from, and I had no choice but to respect the quiet man’s wishes.
A muffled moan came from the library behind him, and Blaise squeezed his eyes shut as he shook his head. I huffed a laugh. “Let me guess, Aiden brought one of his shifter friends as a date?”
Blaise didn’t reply, in fact, I didn’t even know if he was breathing. I listened harder. “Aiden and Dorian?” I asked with amusement.
Blaise opened his mouth to say something a second before the double doors opened and I saw what had upset him.
The scent of sex and sweat hit both of us like a brick wall, causing Blaise to cough and take a few steps away.
I didn’t move. Instead, I took in the glaze on Dorian’s face and the blush in Aiden’s cheeks and then settled my eyes on her.
Katarina.
Her face was flushed, and her lips were swollen from whatever the three of them had been doing. I shouldn’t have cared as much as I did. I shouldn’t care at all. But I needed my men focused and I decided that I could use that as my excuse to be angry.
“What is going on?” I snapped at the three of them.
Dorian wiped Katarina’s moisture from his face and grinned. “Nothing boss. Just making sure Kitty Cat is relaxed before her big evening.”
“By fucking her?” Blaise shouted, making all three of them flinch.
I reached to the side and patted the man’s shoulder. “This isn’t appropriate,” I warned them.
Aiden chuckled and wrapped his arm across Katarina’s back. “Relax boss. We didn’t fuck her.”
Katarina winced and her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. It was enough to make me want to slap the two idiots for putting her in an uncomfortable situation. “Get out of here, all of you,” I growled.
Aiden gave me a salute before disappearing to…
wherever. Knowing him, he would be outside on the balcony watching and surveying our guests as they arrived.
Dorian pushed open the large doors to the ballroom and started barking commands at the staff.
And Blaise. Well, Blaise didn’t move and instead eyed Katarina like he wanted to fuck her himself… or maybe kill her? I didn’t like it.
“Blaise?” I asked, trying to snap him out of whatever obsession was currently holding him in place. “Can you please let the valets know they can start allowing people inside?”
He huffed some kind of response, and I shook my head.
“Why does he hate me so much?” Katarina asked once he’d stepped outside.
“He doesn’t hate you.” Of that, I was sure. I’d never seen Blaise so fixated on a woman before. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hurt her if he lost that tight control he was always hanging onto. “Come on. We need to greet our guests.”
I pulled Katarina toward the ballroom, heart pounding at the smell of her and her orgasm wafting around me. Dammit if I couldn’t press down the urge of wanting to make her come myself. Aiden and Dorian started something tonight and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to stop it from progressing.
She was stunning in her ball gown and that necklace that had brought us all together. But she also had the ability to call each of us to her in a way that scared the shit out of me. Dorian and Aiden were already lost in it. Was she more than just a human? Would she do the same to me?
As the front doors opened and the decorated guests began to file inside, I knew the answer without even thinking about it.
Katarina’s presence had forever changed the dynamics of the house.
We were all caught up in her spell.
And tonight, we hoped to learn how dangerous that might be.