Page 107 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

“Good.” Julian’s hand rested on my knee and he gave it a soft squeeze when he realized I was listening. “It was already safe before, but it has been breached. It won’t be now.”

“I trust you,” I said simply. As long as he was here, I was safe. I knew that.

But his eyes darkened slightly and I wondered if it was the fading light or the topic.

“I also saw to the other request,” Celia added cryptically.

My anxiety jumped again and landed in a knot in my throat. But Julian brushed soothing circles on my thigh.

“What request?” I murmured.

“Thank you,” he said to her before turning a smirk on me. “You’ll see, my love.”

I wasn’t sure how he managed to pack those four words with so much insinuation, but I went molten. His nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened as he took a deep, lingering breath.

You smell far too tempting. I’m not sure we’ll make it to the house.

Oh my...

More warmth pooled in my core, and he looked away, his jaw tightening slightly. I caught a flash of fang as he clamped his mouth shut. How was I supposed to not react when his whole body reminded me of what was waiting at the end of this drive?

I squirmed in my seat a little. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep myself under control.

“We’re here. Welcome home,” he said thickly, and somehow I knew it meant a lot to him to bring me here. This place felt different than his other houses.

Maybe because it wasn’t a house, it was more like a compound comprised of sleek lines and windows. Half of it sat over the ocean, supported by black beams that blended seamlessly with the modern lines of the structure. This was a house like his yacht was a canoe.

“We might need to work on your vocabulary,” I muttered. “This isn’t a house.”

“Home,” he corrected me softly, taking my hand and guiding me out of the vehicle. “I said welcome home, mate.”

A primal desire ran through his words and I knew I was right. This was different than his place in San Francisco or the house in Paris. I didn’t know quite why yet, but I sensed it. Maybe that’s why I realized he was right as he led me toward it. He wasn’t just taking me away. He was taking me home.

We reached a stone walkway that led into the gardens surrounding it, and I stopped with a tiny, “Oh!”

White petals had been strewn along it. Candles glowed in glass hurricanes nearly as tall as me. I opened my mouth to tell Celia it was lovely, but as I turned, I discovered we were alone.

“As I was saying,” Julian said huskily, “welcome home.”

Then, he swept me off my feet and into his arms.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

JULIAN

Thea nuzzled into my neck, and I caught a whiff of honey-drenched lilac. Her scent bolted through me and settled in my groin, but the unusual sweetness of it—combined with a growl from her stomach—told me she needed to eat. That meant keeping my hands to myself.

For now.

Stones crunched below my feet as I carried her through the rapidly fading twilight. This felt right. Being here with her, holding her in my arms. I’d barely thought about this place since I’d left to go to San Francisco. Not since the night I’d met Thea. Not since she’d come to occupy my every waking thought.

“You’re quiet again,” she murmured. She lifted a hand to brush a bare finger down my cheek. Even with the slight touch, her magic sparked as her skin met mine. I couldn’t find words quickly enough—Thea started to draw away.

“Don’t.” I stopped her and turned my face toward her hand—toward the power I knew was there—the power that she feared.

Her breath hitched, her body tensing, as she gently placed her palm on my cheek. Golden magic seeped into my skin, and overhead the stars seemed to sparkle brighter. I felt her magic filtering into my veins. It didn’t drive away the darkness I carried in my blood. Instead, it caressed it, soothed it, on its way to the creature hidden deep inside me. My magic stirred, waking up as hers sang to it, and when her magic reached that hidden place, it found the bit of her I’d carried since we became mates.

Warmth flared inside me as this new magic wove with the old. I stopped in the middle of a field of sea grass and met Thea’s hard gaze. She gasped, her breath turning to shallow pants, and I knew she felt it, too. Her magic continued to flow as if it meant to drive out the darkness that haunted me.

---