Page 46 of Princess Broken

“Let me.” Blade reaches forward, and I pass him the bag of clothes. “You look fantastic, by the way.”

“Thank you.” I smile at him and the warmth and kindness I always see in his silvery-gray eyes deepens into something darker. Much darker.

“We’re going Above to find out what happened,” he tells me. “To hunt down Mariano.”

“In that case, I will change.” I smile at him, wishing I could touch him. “I’ll wear something more combat ready in case we run into trouble.” Gracen was right to encourage the jeans and t-shirt.

“You and Flame are staying down here,” Crusher says.

“What?” I look up from Crusher into Blade’s eyes.

He nods. “We need to find out what happened. Assess the danger.”

I shake my head. “I’ll be perfectly safe at DEFTA. Their security team will assign me bodyguards, and—”

“We’re your guards.” Phil says gruffly. “We protect you.” He punches his chest.

His deep voice and the force of his delivery stirs something inside me. As scary as I find Phil, I do feel sure he’ll protect me—from anyone but himself. Of all these men, Phil is the least like Timur, and yet…

A wave of loss hits me, and I stagger back.

In a flash, Blade is by my side, supporting me.

“Thank you,” I tell him. “But I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.” Blade shakes his head. “You’re grieving the loss of your mate, and you clearly need to feed.”

I swallow, my throat dry and scratchy. I can’t deny what he’s saying. I haven’t been out of bed for long, I slept well, and yet I’m tired, a sure sign of my rising thirst.

But I’ll have to hold out until I’m safely back at DEFTA.

I’ve only fed from two vampires. The king, when he made me, and then Timur after that. Feeding from a stranger will be, well, strange. I’ll need to be in a comfortable setting, I’ll need to feed from a source I can trust. But I’m sure someone suitable can be arranged once I’m back at DEFTA. And even then, I’ll have to control my lust once I’m done.

I will not quench my hunger down here. It’s not just apprehension about taking a new vein—if I’m wrong about my ability to control my lust, having sex with someone down here would be unacceptable. Inappropriate. Mortifying.

I fed for a century without needing sex, but realize now that I always felt…something, I just didn’t understand what my body wanted. And given my reaction around these men, these brutes—each one of them the opposite to someone I’d want as a sexual partner, especially after what Gracen has told me—it’s clear I can’t trust myself to control my awakened libido.

“How long will you be gone?” I ask Blade, realizing I’ve been staring into his eyes while I was lost in thought. I don’t want him to leave me. Turning, I realize all the men are looking my way, their hot gazes penetrating the thin fabric of my dress.

“We shouldn’t be long,” Blade replies, pulling back my attention.

Crusher frowns. “A few days at most.”

“Days?” My stomach contracts. “I can’t be gone from DEFTA for days. They’re already searching for me.”

“We need answers,” Crusher says.

“Can’t predict how quickly we’ll be able to extract those answers.” Phil shoots me a look that sends chills down my spine.

“You’ll be safe here.” Blade lightly traces his fingers down my arm. “Flame will watch over you. Make sure you get fed.”

I nod, not wanting to argue right now. Once the other three are gone, I’ll tell Flame that my need to feed isn’t urgent. Waiting a few more days will prove difficult, but I don’t see other options.

“Let’s go, gorgeous.” Winking, Flame offers me his arm. “Before we get you a vein, let’s take your new duds back to your room.” He takes the bag of clothes from Blade.

I nod, stiffly, and take Flame’s offered arm, glad to be going back to the relative safety of the guest room. I’ll lock myself in.

Flame and I head off, and my hips sway as I walk on my new shoes. Glancing back, I find the three other men watching us.

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