Page 40 of Reign

Ember, you need to get back to your deep sleep. I want our first time together to be with our bodies and souls, not just our souls.

So do I,I admitted.

Prime snarled and leapt on Mea.

Connor covered the ground between us.Then leave.But he speared my hair with his hand and held my head so that his kiss could devour me. Gods, this man knew how to kiss. I drowned in him, melting into his embrace. I tried to grab onto him—except he was too insubstantial, and my hands slipped through his shadowy form.

He pulled away, his look heated and full of longing.Go. I’ll not be far away.And he pushed me gently backwards. I fell through the air and into sleep.

By seven thenext morning I was up and dressed and excited about spending time, not just with Connor but with everyone else. Getting to know them and whatever they were doing in this strange headquarters with all their tech and security intrigued me.

I squared my shoulders and took a deep breath when there was a knock on my door. Gods, I had wanted Connor so badly last night. But I also wanted to get to know him. Would he consider that weird of me? Would the others? After all, we had clearly already had sex. Jeez! Who wouldn’t want to get physical with a body like his? I wiped my sweaty palms down my jeans and took ahold of myself. He was giving me time to get used to the idea of anus. But truth be told, I was hoping I wouldn’t need it, especially after the flashes of memory Mea had led me through last night.

I grasped the cool metal door handle and pulled open the door. Connor gave me a slow grin. My breath caught in my lungs as he reached out and touched my cheek, almost as if he couldn’t help himself. “Morning, Firecracker.”

And just like that, the dull headache and slight nausea that had bugged me since I’d woken up disappeared. I couldn’t help but return his smile, my chest warming at the sight of him.

“Hey.”

“How are you feeling?”

I considered his question. Now that I thought about it, my headaches and nausea had been damned near unbearable at Rex’s house. Now they were just an irritation. “Actually, I feel surprisingly good this morning.” And that was the truth.

His smile stretched enough that I saw his cute broken tooth again. “Good. Let’s go and get some breakfast then, shall we?”

“Okay.” I was absolutely starving now that my stomach had settled again.

He set off down the corridor, and I hurried after him. After last night, I wanted to touch him. Not jump his bones. I grinned. Well, maybe that too, but I also just wanted to be in contact with him. Reaching out, I slipped my hand into his. His eyes widened, but his smile was blinding. I smiled back, and his fingers tightened around mine. My chest warmed. I’d made him happy.

Connor spent the morning showing me around the compound. It was much bigger than I’d expected. The living quarters were near ours, just down a floor. It was all a bit old and run down in parts, but otherwise clean. There was the dining area, a gym, where B’nar and Stone trained together with Reed and Myles. Shannon sat on the sidelines watching, or rather watching Stone. I wondered if they were a pair. The tension between them was thick, but they seemed to avoid eye contact, only looking at each other when the other was busy.

Connor led me through the storerooms, the kitchen, and back to the large room lined with computers and screens.

“Hi,” said a pretty blonde woman. “I’m Ava.”

I smiled and greeted her and the others.

“Lance,” said a thick-set man with perceptive brown eyes.

Another woman eyed me coldly. I wanted to shrink away but didn’t. “So you’re what all the trouble has been about.” Her eyes slid over me. “You hardly seem worth the effort.”

“Xania! Get back to monitoring the streets.”

Xania glared at Connor but did what he said.

“Don’t pay any attention to her. She’s just bitter because she’s in this world when she wants to be back in Faerie.”

“Faerie?”

“Yeah, like I said before, you’ve been there too.” He smiled. “But I think you have enough with this world at the moment, so let’s leave that for another day.”

I nodded gratefully. “Okay. Sounds good.”

We shared some lunch, and I was shown the chair to Connor’s left when there was a pack meeting later in the day. Connor and the others were heading out to hunt demons. I swallowed, wondering if I had the sort of skills needed to help, or at least if I used to. I stared at Connor’s face as he spoke, every bit the leader.

“Right, you all have your orders for tonight. Ember is with Owen and me.”

“What about Manivera? Shouldn’t someone go and scope the Count’s club?” asked Stone.

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