Page 50 of Heir of Blood and Moonlight

Unable to find my voice, I nodded. Ihadcome here to talk to him, after all.

He stared down at me for a few more heartbeats, seeming on the verge of saying more, then turned and strode to the door.

I waited until the door latch clicked and I was alone in the luxurious bedroom, then flopped backward onto the bed, sinking into the plush comforter. I was so far over my head with this vampire and his power games. His need for dominance and control.

The only man I had ever known who came close to Gavin in sheer potency of presence was Javier, but I had been little more than a child when he was taken from my life, and he had never touched me in any way that was remotely sexual. I didn’t know how tobewith Gavin. This constant push and pull was exhausting, and I had the feeling it was only going to get worse the longer we knew one another.

A faint smile touched my lips. I had to admit, though; it made for fantastic sex.

29

“Hey,” I said, alreadystanding before Bastian entered Gavin’s bedroom. I had sensed him drawing nearer, awareness of where he was an increasingly apparent side effect of our bond.

Bastian paused in the doorway and scanned Gavin’s personal space—the built-in bookshelves, the simple yet sturdy wood furnishings, the stark artwork, the massive four-poster bed—before his gaze settled on me. “You okay?” he asked, shutting the door and crossing the room to stand directly in front of me.

He raised one hand, grazing his knuckles down my cheek. “That felt intense.”

I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch, and let out a breathy laugh. “It’s always intense with him.”

“But not with me?”

Sighing, I opened my eyes. I suspected managing the physical side of my own personal harem wasn’t going to be the most complicated aspect of this arrangement. I currently only had two immortals bound to me—three if I counted Javier, but who knewif I would ever see him again—and I was already struggling to juggle the emotional entanglements. How was I going to handlesevenimmortals? How was I going to balance all their wants and needs? How was I going to make sure everyone received the level of attention deserved by such a grand commitment as a blood bond?

“No,” I told Bastian, standing on my toes to press my lips against his. Honesty and openness were probably a good place to start.

Bastian’s lips parted with the barest amount of coaxing, and our tongues tangled in a sensual, promising kiss.

I broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. “With you, it’s easy,” I said. “I don’t have to try when I’m with you. It just feelsright.”

“Mmm . . .” Bastian’s arms settled around me, the tension leaving his amber eyes. “You know all the right things to say.”

I draped my arms over his shoulders, fingering the short, faintly curled hair at the nape of his neck. “I meant every word.” I pressed my lips to his, but this time the kiss was only a peck because I could feel Gavin approaching.

I looked at the door. “He’s coming.”

Bastian released me and sidestepped to stand behind me as I turned toward the door.

Gavin pushed the door open and stopped on the threshold, his hand still gripping the doorknob. His dark hair was damp, and he wore a robe that was too fancy to be called a bathrobe. There was a bathroom in every suite, so I figured he must have showered wherever Daisy roomed instead of coming back here to wash up. His robe was more like an old-fashioned dressing gown in slate-gray silk, with a black inner lining and a thin sash belt tied loosely around his waist to hold it shut. He eyed Bastian, then focused on me.

Now that they were both in the room with me, I sensed another who was tied to me, the feeling distant and indistinctcompared to them. Was it Javier? I hadn’t felt him before, at least not while my powers had been muted.

“I can feel you when we’re apart,” I blurted to Gavin. “I knew you were coming in herebeforeyou came in.”

Gavin pressed his lips together and released the doorknob, leaving the door open. “It’s the blood bond,” he said, crossing to a door in the adjacent wall and opening it to reveal a walk-in closet.

“Right,” I said, pacing alongside the bed. “But it’s not just you and Bastian.” I raised one hand to chew on my thumbnail. “There’s another—I don’t know what to call it—but it’s weaker, farther away?” I shook my head. “I don’t know. It’s hard to describe.” I stopped and faced Gavin. “Could it be Javier?”

My heart clenched at the possibility that he was alive. He had been more than just my guardian, more than just my friend. He had been my anchor, my safe haven in a world turned upside down. And now, with the possibility of his survival lingering in the air, hope flickered in my chest.

“It’s possible,” Gavin said, entering the closet without turning on the light, but he still found the clothing items he desired easily enough. “Though, I think it’s more likely Thane you’re sensing.”

I nodded to myself. I had wanted it to be Javier, but Thane wasn’t a poor consolation prize. Ideally, we could rescue both.

Gavin emerged from the closet wearing only a pair of navy boxer briefs and carrying several hangers with his clothing choices by the hooks. He hung them on the bronze knob affixed to the inside of the closet door and carefully pulled a pair of tailored dark-gray slacks from one hanger. His abdominal and arm muscles bunched as he bent over to step into the pants.

I licked my lips, recalling how savagely he had taken me not even a half hour ago. My groin throbbed with remembered pleasure and renewed desire as I imagined how he must havelooked while he fucked me. He had let go of all restraint, unleashing himself fully.

Gavin froze in the middle of buttoning his slacks. He clenched his jaw and looked at me without raising his head. I sensed his own desire rising to meet mine, and behind me, Bastian responded as well. Shit, shit,shit. . .

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