Page 254 of Tempest of Wrath and Vengeance

Indoors?

Was he really going to call it outside when they were still in a giant cavern?

Realizing the pointlessness of that internal debate, he turned up the music that was playing throughout the first floor of the penthouse. He moved to the next window, spraying it with some cleaner he’d found in a supply closet before wiping it down. It left smudges behind. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be used on glass?

He was working on the third window, when the music suddenly shut off. Spinning, he found Kat holding his phone. She looked exhausted.

He frowned. “I thought you were resting?”

“It’s hard to sleep when you keep turning the music up,” she replied, stifling a yawn as she held the phone out to him.

He took it, noting the time yet again. The guy he’d hired to bring their supplies was over an hour late. He’d paid far too much for him to be this tardy with things.

“Sorry,” he murmured to Kat, setting the cleaning supplies aside. “Just trying to…kill some time.”

“By cleaning?” she asked, eyeing the bottle of cleaner.

He shrugged. “Not sure what else to do.”

“We could leave the penthouse, you know,” she said, crossing her arms.

Yeah, he’d walked right into that one.

Sighing, he ran a hand down his face. “Kitten…”

“Don’tkittenme,” she argued. “I didn’t let you bring me here just to hide me away.”

“That’s exactly why I brought you here,” he deadpanned.

“It is not,” she scoffed.

He reached out, gripping her hips and pulling her towards him. “What if it is?” He pressed a kiss to her jaw. “What if the real reason I brought you here is to hide you away from the rest of this depraved world so I could keep you all to myself?”

“Stop,” she said around a laugh as he peppered kisses down the column of her throat.

“I would do that, you know,” he murmured against her skin. “If I thought for one minute you’d let me.”

“You would not,” she said, her arms coming around his neck as he dropped his brow to hers. “But Axel, Ineedto get out of this space. Even if we just walk around the Charter District for fifteen minutes.”

He sighed again, brushing his lips across her brow before releasing her. “I know, kitten. I know I’m being paranoid, but?—”

A notification sounded near the door. Cell service was shit down here, but they did have a speaker system installed connecting them to the lobby downstairs.

“Hold that thought,” he said, pressing another kiss to her cheek before moving to the screen.

Pressing the button, he said, “Yes?”

“There’s a delivery here for you. Can I send them up?”

“Yes,” he answered.

It was about fucking time.

“You don’t have to look so imposing,” Kat said, coming up behind him.

“Yes, I do,” he replied. “I paid for a service, and he failed to deliver based on the terms set up. You shouldn’t even be out here for this.”

It was her turn to sigh, but as the lift doors opened with a softding, he was shoving her behind him. Because it wasn’t the common thief he’d hired to bring him blood and food.

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