CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Davien
I PULLED INTO the underground garage in the early hours. I pulled up my hood, trying to disguise myself as much as possible. I didn’t need anyone remembering us, so I threw a black hoodie I’d picked up on our way into the city to Ailsa. “Put that on and pull up the hood.”
To my surprise, she didn’t argue and did as she was told. If only she could be this well behaved all the time. Maybe there was hope for her yet, or rather, for my sanity.
Still, I wasn’t going to take any chances of her disappearing on me. She huffed her annoyance and didn’t hide the eye roll when I dangled a pair of handcuffs in front of her.
“Seriously? Again?”
“Until I can trust you… yes,” I said, not sure how I could make it any more obvious.
She swore under her breath but complied.
I quickly hauled the two bags Merrick had packed out of the back seat and flung them over my shoulder before I grabbed Ailsa’s hand, entwining her fingers with mine.
And if looks could kill, I’d have been a dead man.
“Calm down, Princess. Us holding hands looks a hell of a lot less suspicious than the dangling chain of the cuffs linking us. Just play along.”
She squinted her eyes at me. “Oh, I don’t know Davien, I think what would have been less suspicious would be to not have cuffed us together in the first place.”
I took a sharp inhale through my nose. I guess she wasn’t ready to play along nicely after all. But who was I kidding, I preferred it that way anyway, and I’d be lying if the sound of my name from her lips didn’t do things to me.
No, for fucks sake.
What was wrong with me?
I shook the thought from my head. I couldn’t go down that road. “Let’s just get up to the fucking flat.”
Calling it a flat was generous given that it was an open plan single room with a tiny bathroom but I had a feeling that if I admitted to her just how small the space she’d be forced to share with me was she’d probably make a run for it.
And I couldn’t have that here, this city was far too big.
She’d actually have a chance of getting away from me.
It was a headache of a thought. But the bigger problem was us staying hidden, and with all the smells and hiding spots within the city, this was the best option until I could get us out of the country.
“Well, this is…,” her eyes scanned the room. “Cosy.”
I locked the door behind us and she shook her wrist at me, a fake little smile on those perfect lips. “I promise I’ll behave.”
I sighed. “Fine.”
I couldn’t keep her shackled forever.
Or maybe I could.
She could learn to accept it.
No. I internally scowled at myself. No. I couldn’t.
Seriously. What the fuck was wrong with me today?
As soon as the shackle was off her wrist she practically skipped over to the bathroom and I heard some mumbling about thanking God as she tested the water pressure of the tap.
I shook my head as I huffed a laugh. I couldn’t fault her for it, we both stank and were in dire need of showers.
I set the bags down on the table and started going through the first one. This one appeared to have been packed for me, and I was grateful to see clean clothes that actually fit me as well as a stack of cash, two more burner phones and an assortment of weapons, ranging from modern guns to daggers.
I could kiss Merrick for packing my weapons. I spun my favourite knife between my fingers, feeling comfort at the familiar feel of it.
“I hope your friend packed more than just your favourite toys,” her voice caught me unaware from the bathroom doorway as she pulled her stained top up over her shoulders.
I stopped my eyes from following the lines of her body despite how much they wanted to.
Unzipping the second bag, I was relieved to find what looked like a stash of her folded clothing.
But I didn’t particularly want to rummage through her lace undergarments, so after a quick assessment of the interiors of the bag I concluded this one had been packed for her, and there were no weapons or anything that could be deemed dangerous.
I threw the bag onto the bed adjacent to the doorway in which she still stood, now half dressed.
Fuck my life.
I really needed to shake this thing I had for her.
“There’s clothes in there, as well as some toiletries.”
“Oh, thank God,” she said, as she strolled over to it, grabbing it before turning back to the bathroom, giving me an excellent view of her backside.
I flexed my jaw to keep from letting an involuntary moan slip out, because the sight was far too good.
Either she genuinely didn’t give a shit about me seeing her like this, or she was playing her own games. My money was on the latter.
“Just hurry up,” I glowered, trying to distract myself with the contents of my bag. I was looking for some more secure locks to barricade all entrances. “We’re not on a holiday.”
She let out a laugh from the bathroom, before turning on the shower. “No. No we’re not, are we?”
Then she closed the door and I felt like I could finally breathe. I secured the door and the windows before collapsing back into the wingback chair.
The room was dark, save for the faint orange glow that flooded through the window, emanating from nearby streetlights.
The only sound was the running water from the shower.
This had been the first time in days I had allowed myself a breather.
I was more tired than I’d realised. I unlaced my boots and kicked them off.
I exhaled the stale air in and out, the faint scent of her bodywash drifting in from under the door and calming me more than I cared to admit.
I dragged my hand down my face, a sigh slipping through my fingers.
As much as my body begged for a break, I pushed myself upright and moved to the edge of the room, rolling my shoulders once before pressing the pad of my thumb against the tip of my fang.
Just a small puncture, but it was enough.
Blood welled quickly.
Muttering under my breath, I dragged my thumb along the skirting of the walls and marked each corner in a slow, deliberate circuit.
It wouldn’t do much, especially to those with the ability to read magic, but it was better than nothing and at the very least it would keep us hidden from the humans.
Maybe buy us a little time with the supernaturals.
I may not have been a true born with the gift of magic, but I had learnt a spell or two in my time. And, as a vampire by nature was a supernatural creature, there was magic there to be harnessed. And my blood worked perfectly for that.
I dropped back into the chair, my head tipping back against the wall as I closed my eyes, just for a moment. Just long enough to let the tension bleed out of my limbs.
Sweet silence followed.
Until my eyes snapped open when I heard the bathroom door handle turn and I straightened my back.
She stepped into the room, the light from behind her catching briefly before the door swung shut again.
Her hair was damp, curling slightly at the ends, skin flushed from the heat of the water.
Her clothes were mismatched, and I’m guessing not her usual style, but it didn’t matter. She still looked stunning.
Her gaze flicked around the room, taking it in properly this time as she glanced at the bed then to me, as if only just realising that this was it—there was only one bed.
A small double pushed against the wall, mattress slightly dipped in the middle from years of use.
Only a thin blanket folded was at the end and there were two shitty pillows that had seen better days. “Where are you sleeping?”
“On that bed,” I said, nodding toward it without hesitation.
Sure, I could have slept on this chair, at this point I was so exhausted I could have slept anywhere, but that’s exactly why I needed her as close as possible.
Should she try anything, I’d need to be ready, and I’d have a much greater chance of that if I felt her movement atop the same mattress.
She folded her arms, shaking her head. “Yeah, no. I don’t think so.”
“It’s not up for discussion. It’s either that or the boot of the car,” I said, standing up. “Now, can I trust you to just behave and go to sleep while I shower?”
She groaned, and while that sound was in no way sexual, my cock had other ideas. How long was this infatuation going to last? I’d drank the blood of true borns before, and usually the aftereffects only lasted a few hours at most. Why was she so different?
Thankfully, she didn’t argue any further and got into the bed. I grabbed the duffle bag with my items—all weapons included—because I sure as hell wasn’t going to trust her with my stuff or anything she could use against me.
I locked the bathroom door and turned on the shower. The room was still warm from her presence here and steam clung to every surface. I leaned my hands against the sink for a moment, head bowed, letting the silence settle around me. Then I stripped off and stepped under the water.
It hit like a shock.
Too hot at first, then not enough, my skin still oversensitive from the sun, from her fights, from everything.
I stood there letting it run over me, washing away dirt, blood, smoke. My muscles ached in a way they hadn’t in decades.
But even now, my thoughts kept returning to her.
She’d somehow bewitched me. That had to be it.
The taste of her blood still swam through my system. Most of it seemingly having moved to my cock.
I couldn’t get the sound of her breathy little moans out of my fucking mind.
Before I could stop myself, my hand took a hold of my rock hard dick.
I imagined it was her holding me. I wondered about what might have happened if I hadn't thrown her off of me. I’d rutted against her like some lovesick fool, and worse, lost control completely by cumming—without my dick even having been touched.
Maybe I just needed to come again, then I could be done with this madness.
There was no way I’d be able to share a bed with her in my current state.
I moved my hand up and down lazily.
This wouldn’t take long, I already knew that. The pad of my thumb rolled over the piecing at the head of my cock, the sensation sending a jolt of pleasure down my spine.
I thought of that smart mouth of hers. Those lips, that tongue.
I bit my tongue to hold back any sound. The last thing I needed was her hearing this.
My hand was moving faster now.
Before I knew it, ropes of cum spilled from me with more force than I had anticipated. I painted the tiled walls as relief crashed through me.
I had really needed that.
And now I could be done with this stupid infatuation.
I dragged a hand through my hair after I’d washed away the evidence, exhaling slowly as I forced myself to focus, to stay present, even as my body threatened to shut down where I stood and I reached for the tap, cutting the water.
I dried off quickly, not bothering with anything beyond what was necessary, and pulled on clean clothes.
When I quietly stepped back into the main room, the only sound that greeted me was the sound of her soft breathing.
She was on her side, facing the wall with her back to me, and I breathed out a sigh of relief to see her calm, safe and relatively relaxed.
I hated that part of me cared, but she’d been through a tremendous amount in the past few days and she was holding up much better than I would have expected.
I crossed the small space and sat on the bed, the mattress dipping beneath my weight with a faint creak. For a moment, I just sat there, breathing, then I lay back. Every part of me protested and gave in at the same time, the exhaustion finally catching up in full force.
“So there isn’t any truth in vampires sleeping in coffins?” she asked out of nowhere. I’d thought she’d been asleep already, and I couldn’t help but smile at the question.
“I mean,” I started. “Technically there is some truth to it.”
“No,” she said, moving onto her side so she was now facing me. “You’re joking, right?”
I chuckled this time. It was dangerous how easily she unarmed me.
“I mean, it’s not common now. But think about it, vampires need security and darkness to sleep.
That’s actually harder to find than you’d think.
Especially back in the day. It’s not like you could just waltz into someone’s home to use their basement or cellar. ”
“How old are you exactly?”
I huffed something close to a laugh through my nose and shifted on the mattress, trying to get comfortable. “Yeah, I’m not telling you that, but old enough.”
A quiet laugh left her, soft and rough around the edges from exhaustion. “So old old.”
I wasn’t going to dignify that with a response, and instead my eyes remained fixed on the stained ceiling above us while I listened to the rustle of sheets beside me as she tried to settle onto her side. I could practically feel the warmth radiating from her body, she was so close.
Not close enough.
The thought slipped in unwanted, and I swallowed hard.
Silence settled over us once more, and after a short time, I was sure she was actually asleep. My eyes finally closed after that and the last thing I registered was the soft gentle sound of her breathing.