Chapter Eight
Reyna stood on a precipice. Her life irrevocably changed. Altered and rearranged. No longer was she on the sidelines of her life. She was in charge.
“We all know that the main goal is to take out Harrington and hamstring Visage. With Harrington out of the helm, we can go a long way toward reducing Visage to their actual purpose rather than stretching their influence as they have been doing the last decade. No more prisoners and medical experimentation under their headquarters. No more taking advantage of the poor. No more Blood Census or identity bracelets. Absolutely no feeding camps,” Reyna said.
“Balance. Equality. That’s what we want. ”
Everyone nodded. As if they were all getting back on the same wavelength after so much loss.
“Our first priority remains making contact with the safe houses and regrouping with the rest of Elle.” Reyna turned to Beckham. “You have someone good with tech?”
Beckham’s grin was a feral thing that sent chills down her spine. He gave her a look that said he wasn’t used to being ordered around. There were few he allowed it from. Very very few.
“Zoya,” he finally said.
She stepped forward. When she smiled, it was more like a grimace, her fangs revealed in all their glory. Reyna was glad to have never met her before she started working for the good guys.
“At your service,” Zoya said with a wicked gleam in her eye.
Reyna paused for a second before speaking.
She didn’t know how she felt about ordering around Beckham’s army.
But she’d deal with that later. “Zoya, work with Tye, Gabe, and Meghan to reach the rest of our group. Once we’re back to capacity, then we can begin to form a plan as to how to stop Harrington. ”
A well-thought-out and thorough plan. Not like the one she’d ad hocked together out of anger from Brian’s capture. One that would cripple William Harrington for good.
Zoya moved to speak with Meghan, Gabe, and Tye while Beckham addressed the rest of his inner circle.
Katarina laughed at something he said and then dragged Philippé out of the room.
Gerard melted into the background and stood like a statue.
It was hard to believe this sinister vampire had been her driver.
What had he been doing acting as chauffeur when he was Beckham’s second-in-command?
“Inspiring speech,” Genevieve said, appearing at Reyna’s side.
Washington was standing next to her. “It truly was.”
“Reminded me of the old days with Elisa,” Genevieve said with a dreamy expression on her face. It was as equally hard to believe this meek and demure woman was a vampire.
“Who is Elisa?” Reyna asked.
“Was.” Washington’s lips turned down. “My wife.”
Then he walked away.
Genevieve patted her arm. “I shouldn’t have brought her up. She and Washington were together many years before she passed on. She was a fearsome leader of the vampires. Had a vision for Visage much like yours. It was Harrington who manipulated it.”
Reyna sighed and stared off after Washington. “And he killed her for it?”
Genevieve nodded. “Unfortunately.”
“Sounds like a horrible loss.”
“It was. It truly was. Well, I must be getting back, but if you need anything at all, let me know. I will be around.”
“Thank you, Genevieve.”
Reyna sensed Beckham’s presence at her back before she felt the brush of his fingers against her sleeve.
“Elisa was before my time with Visage as well,” he said. “They say she was a visionary.”
She faced him. Her heart melted at the sight of him.
After hearing everything he had to say and getting the rebellion back on track, she suddenly felt exhausted. Beckham didn’t need her to say anything. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and escorted her upstairs to his room.
He swept a blank glance around. “You’re staying here?”
“Washington told me it was yours.” She nearly choked on the words. “It was all I had of you other than the memories.”
He tilted her chin up. “You’ve changed.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“I told you that if the world didn’t break you, I would. And here you are.” He looked suddenly pissed. As if he was going to start raging about the room, even though he was the most in control person she had ever met.
“I was broken,” she admitted hollowly. “But then…then you put me back together.”
He shot her an incredulous look.
“If I crumpled, then your death would be for nothing. You wanted better than that for me. You always protected me, but you also kindled the fire within me. Letting it go out would dishonor your memory.”
“And in the meantime, you became the leader of Elle?” he asked, pushing his hands into his pockets. His voice was dry with sarcasm. “That would certainly keep you safe.”
“Truthfully, I didn’t much care about my own safety.” Reyna ran a hand back through her hair. “I’d lost both of my brothers and my sister-in-law. Jodie was missing. Elle was blown up. And the person I cared the most about—my blood match, my soul mate, was dead.”
“Soul mate,” he said slowly. Reyna had never seen fear in those onyx eyes, but suddenly it was there.
“Yes. Washington said that a blood match is similar to a soul mate. A one-of-a-kind match.”
He seemed incredulous. “I’d have to have a soul for that, Little One.”
Reyna took a step back. “Becks, of course you have a soul.”
“No. That much I’m certain of.”
“You are determined to see the worst in yourself.”
“I see the reality,” he told her.
“Why am I surprised that even when you come back from the dead you argue with me?” Reyna shook her head. “How did you find me?”
“I sensed you.”
“Out here?” she asked. “We’re an hour from the city.”
“You came into the city. When I woke up and got to the safe house, I thought you must be dead because I tried to sense you and felt nothing. If Gerard hadn’t come to help me, I would be dead right now. But then I felt your presence. I knew precisely where you were.”
“I went to get Jodie back. I can’t believe you could sense me then. I didn’t feel anything. Definitely nothing like when you showed up here.”
“Maybe it was because I had your blood in my system. Either way, I nearly went mad trying to get to you, but Gerard wouldn’t let me.”
“Why?” she whispered. “Did he not want you to see me?”
“No. It wasn’t that. I was too weak to leave,” he admitted with distaste. “I used all my energy in getting information out of Penelope and then fleeing. I’d never been so drained in my life. As if my body had used every last bit of energy to knit me back together and I was left with nothing.”
She could see the toll that had taken on him. After thinking she was dead, he couldn’t even go to her when he’d realized she was alive. She would have gone mad too. Especially considering his physical prowess was integral to who he was losing that had to have been debilitating.
“It took a week of near-constant feeding to begin recovering. I’m still not where I was.” He growled that last bit. A condemnation of himself.
She gently touched his hand. “You found me. I’m here. We’re both alive and safe.” Her hand moved to his jaw, and he met her gaze. “Let me help you get healthy.”
His eyes narrowed. “No.”
“Becks,” she said softly. “I am your blood match. My blood helped save your life. We need you at full capacity. Let me help.”
He took a step back.
“When are you going to trust me?” she asked in frustration.
The look he shot her said everything she needed to know. He trusted her but he wasn’t going to put her at risk. He’d done that time and again. Even when he’d seen that he could control himself drinking from her. Now more than ever she wanted them to surrender to this.
She’d left that patio with his death on her conscience and his bloody jacket on her shoulders. She never wanted to waste another moment.
Reyna took his hand in hers and pulled him toward the bed.
She didn’t say anything. Words were useless between them anyway.
They could speak with stolen glances and quirked lips and heated skin and gentle touches.
Their bodies could speak for them. Express all the things that they couldn’t bring themselves to say.
All the fears that had clouded their minds for too long.
No more.
She wouldn’t live in fear.
She would only live in the moment.
She had her Becks back. It was a miracle, and she was going to treat it like one.
She slipped her hands under his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders.
He didn’t move to stop her. Just quirked an eyebrow in her direction, which she returned with a smirk of her own.
Then moved to the buttons on his black shirt.
She started at the top, slowly unbuttoning it until his chest was bare before her.
Her nails grazed the solid chest and muscular abdomen.
He was as formidable as a brick wall and every inch promised certain death. But not for her.
His shirt followed his jacket onto the floor and her hands skimmed over his shoulders, across the bulging biceps, over his forearms, to his hands. Those beautiful hands with long fingers and broad palms. Hands that had caressed her cheeks and grasped her ass firmly and commanded her body.
Reyna stripped out of her shirt and placed those amazing hands on her waist. She shivered at his touch, which was a shade cooler than her superheated body.
His fingers flexed into her skin. They were possessive.
Claiming her flesh as his own, running those fingers up her ribs and around to her back.
He flicked the clasp of her bra. Her breasts fell forward and the bra hit the floor.
His hands skimmed around to the front of her body, covering her breasts.
The pads of his thumbs flicking against her erect nipples.
A moan escaped her lips. Her back arched into him as she closed her eyes. Desire shot straight to her core. He pinched a nipple roughly and she squirmed under the attention. Her body pulsing as desire soaked her panties.
“I can smell you,” he said, brushing a fang against the shell of her ear.