Page 28 of Seduction in Blood
He braced the bench on both sides of me until I heard the subtle crack of wood splintering. He immediately pushed himself up and backed away. "You need to be smarter to live as you do." His temper changed to frustration. "You'll be able to infiltrate any high society party to run surveillance on your next mark and have the additional skills to outmaneuver any security personnel."
That made me pause. Damn, if he wasn't right. I'd been so caught up in this mission—in him—to consider what would happen once I left here. I needed to keep my head in the game.
He picked up his towel and a box no bigger than his hand before strolling back to me. His gaze was the usual icy blue with a bit of apology in them—if only for a moment. He held the box out to me.
I laughed. When his brows knitted in confusion, I quipped, "This is a little big for a ring, isn't it?"
His smile was genuine. "It hadn't occurred to me that you might have family or friends who might be worried about you. And you have no way to communicate with me, if needed."
I was stunned and stared at the box. Afraid to hope, I picked at the wrapping. Sure enough, it was a brand-new phone. The protective plastic still covered its surface, and a charger rested beside it.
"I took the liberty of adding my number in addition to one for Lucas and Sergi. I trust them both with my life, and by extension, yours. You can add anyone else you need."
That was a heady feeling—bodyguards I could contact. "And I can call anyone?"
He paused for a moment, then shrugged. "I'm not your keeper, Cressa. At least not permanently. I've been so focused on preparing for the mission and used to everyone knowing their roles, I forgot you're not used to living in a vampire household. My apologies."
I wasn't sure how to respond, reeling as usual by his swift mood changes. Who knew vampires could be so conflicted?
"I'll have Anna call the masseuse. You have time for a long bath and a nap before Cook sends up a light dinner. And I imagine Anna will want more time than necessary to prepare you for the party."
I groaned. I was too tired for a party.
He was already across the room, far enough not to have heard my vocal complaint. Although, I was sure he did and just didn't care. The mission and all.
Before he left, he stopped long enough to glance over his shoulder. "And Cressa, I've been training men for battle for more than five hundred years. I think I can manage training a martial arts expert, even a human one, to fend off a vampire or two."
* * *
Over five hundred years old?I knew he was ancient, but I'd never really considered what that meant. I had to stop thinking about it. It was all I'd been doing since returning to my room. The upside was that my ruminations drowned out Anna's constant instructions. I'd barely gotten any peace in the bath.
After a two-hour nap, I was grumpier than before as Anna tugged at my hair. It couldn't possibly be as tangled as she made it seem, and I was sure to be half-bald by the time she finished. But after a wash, air dry, and brutal brushing, my hair glistened.
Satisfied with herself, Anna nodded. "I'll be back in an hour to finish. Try not to damage the hair."
She'd seemed like such a nice person when we'd first met. I didn't know if her attitude had grown more distant because she took her duties too seriously or if she was bossy by nature. More likely, her irritation grew because of my disregard for her expertise on vampire society. I felt a bit guilty, but I wasn't sure I could be the perfect student she wanted me to be.
Once Anna left, I picked up my new phone, now fully charged, and dialed my roommate and best friend. Okay, only friend. But we really were besties. When Ginger answered, I smiled with relief.
"Who is this?"
"It's me."
"Cressa? Where are you?" Her voice carried a slight screech when she was worried.
"I'm safe. Somewhere on the other side of town." I sat up straighter, pulling my knees to my chest. It was rare to find Ginger speechless. I'd expected panicked, but not quiet. "I know I should have called sooner, but I didn't have my phone."
After a pause and what sounded like a quick hiccup of breath, she whispered, "I know. Howler brought it by a couple days ago. Said you were picked up by Sorrento."
"Yeah."
"This is my fault."
"No," I bit out, angry with myself that Howler had been the one to tell her. I calmed down, knowing she was listening now. "We've talked about this. We knew this could happen, and to be honest, it's a bit of a relief I've found a way to clear the debt."
Another long pause. "And how exactly are you doing that?"
I grinned at her tone. "Not on my back or my knees."
