Page 90 of Sergi
He shrugged a shoulder and scratched his chin, his gaze seeming to replay the moment. “They were terrified of me. They might have eventually calmed down and followed once they realized I was long gone and the guard wasn’t going to get back up.”
“The other times were in the service of House Trelane?”
“It sounds strange when you ask it that way, though it’s true enough. I never looked at Devon in that way, nor our Father Guildford Trelane. Even with all the battles, life was simpler back then. The picture clearer of who was bad and who was good. And before you say it, I realize the answer depends on which side you’re on. But either way, there was never a gray area. No collateral damage to worry about. Humanity has become complex.”
I laughed and gave him a light pinch. “And here I thought vampires were rather two-dimensional. You sound a bit complex yourself.”
He studied me, his gaze curious, but then he returned to the point he was trying to make. “The worst time was when the leader of a House in Italy had me beaten then tossed in a dark cell for three months without any food. Twice a day, they poured water from a grate above. I was given a single cup to catch what little water I could. I honestly didn’t think I’d survive that one.”
“Were you rescued?” I’d been locked in my cell as punishment for almost that long, but not in constant darkness. And I was fed, perhaps poorly, but I had food and water.
“That was the only way I was going to get out of there. It had taken Devon that long to find out who had taken me and where I was. They waited until the House leader traveled to a neighboring town and stormed the castle.” He scratched his thigh, then turned and laid a hand on my hip.
“I’m not saying this right. I don’t speak much about the past, and never the bad times. But you need to hear this whether you believe me now, sometime later, or maybe never.”
I blew out a breath, knowing this had been his intent all along. If he was willing to share this much, I might as well let him finish.
“As arrogant as it might sound, I always knew I’d find a way out of a bad situation, yet, not once did I think of what I’d do when that day came. I focused on each day. Getting through it and watching for every opportunity. The only reason I asked the question of you was to see how you responded.”
I ran a hand down his chest. It was as warm and hard as a brick wall on a summer day. When I rested my palm on his left breast, his heart pounded against it. “I guess I didn’t pass the test.”
His lips quirked. “No. You deflected.”
“I never thought about getting out until you showed up.” The words slipped out before I could pull them back. So, I let the rest go. “It makes me sound like a wolf giving up.”
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe you were too busy surviving? And you did much more than that. You were witness to everything that happened, no matter how horrific. You memorized the floor plans, you learned, and you waited for your opportunity.”
“I did think of my uncle and whether he thought I was dead. If he’d given up on me.”
Sergi cupped my face, and I met his gaze. This time nothing but that warm mahogany waited for me. “Family never gives up. No matter how long they wait, until the day they die, they never give up hope. It’s not the vampire way, and I know for a fact it’s not the shifter way.”
I ran my hand over the back of his neck and pulled his head down to kiss him.
His words might not heal me, or maybe they would. But they were what I needed to hear at this moment. All I wanted was to stay in his arms. To be one with him again.
He must have read my naughty thoughts because he pushed me onto my back and held his body over mine. He started with my breasts as he ran his tongue over my skin, forcing goose bumps to erupt. Then he moved down, tickling my belly before going farther. I arched when he reached the more sensitive spots, and my wolf howled with delight.
There was little talk the rest of the night.
The following morning,I stretched, smiling when my elbow poked Sergi in the side and he grunted.
“Now that I’m free, I can tell you the first thing I could use right now is a strong cup of coffee.”
“I’d prefer an espresso, but I wouldn’t say no to a cup of French roast.” He ran a hand down my side and grinned when I tried to squirm away.
I laughed. “That tickles. Stop it.”
Sergi laughed as he pulled me close and, after giving me a searing kiss, strummed his fingers along my side, making mesnort-laugh. My face heated when Sergi laughed harder, but the brief embarrassment was nothing compared to the mortification that rushed over me when a voice bellowed from the cave entrance.
“What’s going on here?”
I rolled away from Sergi like he’d burst into flames, but he’d been faster. He stood in all his naked glory with his fists planted on his hips like some vampire Adonis. I looked around, searching for my clothing, and slapped my forehead. Every stitch had been left by the fire except for the guard’s shirt, which was now lying at Sergi’s feet.
A bit awkward to grab it now.
I glanced around him and fought the battling emotions of happiness and humiliation.
My uncle.
