Page 125 of Death Bringer

“Which couldn’t wait?”

She bit her lip. “I couldn’t speak of it in front of your father.” She hesitated. “If you want to return to Otherworld for good, I think I may have the answer.”

* * *

Ella sippedher chocolate martini and stared at her newly restored reflection in the mirrored bar of the hotel. It was definitely cool to be blond again, although she missed her aristocratic nose. The whole team, except Feehan, who had rushed off to take his wife shopping, had decided to come and have a drink, celebrating her safe return. They’d also told her that since Vadim was immortal and she was his mate, he was probably loaded and that the drinks were on her. She only hoped her bank account could stand it.

“Come on Ella, cheer up.” Liz clinked her glass against hers. “You’re twenty-seven, you’re mated to the hottest guy in the universe and you still have your crummy job!”

“Lucky me.”

“Hey, birthday girl!”

Rich interrupted to kiss her a sloppy goodbye, then weaved his way unsteadily from the bar toward the street. Sam and Andrew had already gone to get tacos. She wondered where Vadim was. Had he left the hospital? She’d left a message for him on her desk to say where they were, but he’d be able to find her anyway.

“Ella, what’s up?”

She put her glass down carefully on the bar. The possibility of anyone overhearing her in the roar of conversation was slight, but she still leaned in close to Liz.

“If you were Morosov and had all that power, wouldn’t you want to stay in Otherworld?”

“I thought you said he didn’t want the power.”

“Hesayshe doesn’t, but I’m not sure if I believe him.”

Liz finished her drink and ordered two more. “Do you want me to be honest or supportive?”

“There’s a choice?”

“Everything I’ve seen in the Fae-Web about Vadim tells me that his number-one priority is you.”

“Jeez, don’t say that.”

Liz stuck her finger in Ella’s face. “Which means thatyouare the problem.”

“Gawd.” She made a face.

“Why can’t you believe that he wants you and wants to be with you? Dammit, the male is a hero. Hekilledfor you.”

“Because…”

“Listen to me, when I first met Doug, I really didn’t see myself settling down with a hairy shape-shifter.” She smoothed down her immaculate white skirt. “It just so wasn’t…me,you know. But the more I got to know him, the more I realized I couldn’t live without him, and when we first had sex—shut up, Ella—we bonded, and I knew I’d never be the same without him. The question you need to ask yourself is whether you’d be happy if Vadim wasn’t around anymore.”

“I can’t think about that.”

“Because it scares you too much, right?” Liz picked up her glass again. “The thing is, you two have done this thing half-assed and backward. You’re bonded, so you need the sex, but you haven’t had time to get to know each other yet. How could you, when you’ve been expecting to go nuts this week?”

Ella scraped a piece of chocolate off the side of her glass with her fingernail. “That’s what he said.”

“And he’s right. Why don’t you give him a chance?”

She’d told him that too, because she was scared. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I usually am. Look how many scummy boyfriends I’ve steered you away from over the years.” Liz’s cell phone rang and she checked the screen. “It’s Doug. He’s on his way to pick me up. Do you need a ride to the ferry?”

“No, I’ll be fine. I’m supposed to be meeting Morosov here. I’ll walk with you to the door, though.”

She hadn’t heard a thing from Vadim since they returned to the city. The silence was starting to unnerve her. What would it be like if he wasn’t with her at all? It wasn’t just that she’d miss the sex. She’d miss him. How had she come to depend on him so fast? It was totally against everything she believed in. But what was worse—not allowing him to be with her or being with him and wondering when he’d leave?

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