Page 80 of Total Eclipse of the Moon
"No." She shook her head.
"Antonio, do you have the mage’s number?" The vampire was already handing Shane his phone. Antonio put his hand over his mouth to cover a yawn.
His mother gave Shane a squinty eyed warning. "I forbid you. Shane—"
When Dom answered, he stared at his mother while saying, "This is Shane. Did you know my mother is going to infiltrate, possibly blow up, one of FenCor’s incarceration facilities today? By herself?"
"Sounds like something she’d do. She does like to be dramatic." There was an edge to his tone.
"I assume you didn’t know about this. You’re going to meet us in Bucharest when we land in about two hours. You’re going to make sure my mother doesn’t do anything stupid and comes out of this insanity alive."
"She doesn’t need my help." Stubbornness laced his voice as if he didn’t believe the statement but was quoting her directly.
Evie grinned, obviously overhearing.
Shane saw red. "If she dies or they capture her and do something worse to her because the two of you are being stubborn mules, that’s on you. What if they stick her in one of their breeding rooms? You okay with some hormone-crazed lycan forcing himself on her?" He hung up. That ought to get the mage moving. From what little he knew about Dom, he seemed as if he’d be possessive to the extreme in a relationship. "How do you expect the three of us to deal with triggered supernatural soldiers, regular mercenaries, and whatever other supernatural insanity might come our way?"
"Love, I couldn’t tell you yet. We’ll wing it."
* * *
Madeline stoodto stretch but hugged herself. The plane was cold. The tactical pants and a long-sleeved shirt provided by Evie helped. They’d been studying the facility’s security and layout for over an hour until she felt they couldn’t get much more out of the blueprints and schedules. Evie disappeared to the back of the plane to "evaluate weapons," which Madeline thought was an excuse to do anything other than stare at the computer.
Antonio had conked out several rows away, grumbling about missing day sleep.
Shane wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her body into his. As he kissed the back of her neck, his warmth seeped into her shivering body. She hadn’t realized how truly cold she was.
He said, "I don’t feel good about what we’re about to do. Too small a team. I prefer to have my brothers here."
If she was smart, she’d put distance between them now, preparing his heart for her absence. But she wasn’t as smart as she thought. She let her head fall against his chest, eyes closed. Her inner passionate core thrived on the connection with him. "You think Antonio will be okay? He didn’t seem to like being in on the action with the necromancer. He said logistics were his thing."
Shane, behind her, lifted her hair and dropped a kiss on her ear. "He’s unpredictable. There’s no way of knowing how he’ll react in any situation but he’s a decent fighter. It just takes a swift butt kick to get him into gear. We’ve done a couple missions just the two of us. Remember, I've only been working to revamp the Alliance for about six months. His biggest issue is he doesn’t like being on the receiving end of explosives."
"You pulled him into your circle, and he made the decision to follow your lead. He must like your ideas."
He trailed kisses to her neck, which she bent to give him better access. "When it suits him."
She struggled not to lose herself to him as her body buzzed, alive with heat only for him. "Does that mean you think he’d turn on you? Or abandon you?"
"Probably not that. But he might elect not to participate in something out of some bizarre sense of disdain. Vampires…"
She turned to circle his neck with her arms and pull him to her, her chest squeezing down hard like a vise.I’m scared to lose you. Today. Or a few days from now when we eliminate the curse."We need people we can rely on one hundred percent going into this and every other dangerous situation."
His hand slipped up her shirt to cup her breast. "I can’t stand being this close and not touching you. But this is too public for anything." He buried his face in the hollow of her neck and rested there. One second. Two. Three. At ten, it became awkward.
"Are you okay? Did you have a stroke or something?" When he didn’t reply but stayed there, she asked, "Shane?"
He whispered, "I’m so tired of the fighting and killing of nonhumans. Bone tired. Sometimes I wonder what we’re doing. Why do we have to do this kind of thing all the time? The Curmsun disc was stolen from us after we recovered it the last time. It needs to be recovered because it’s dangerous. Because it causes all around it to become insane and do evil homicidal things. It gives the one wearing it the power to make all around him experience their worst nightmares, ultimately killing them. That includes us. We're susceptible. Protective spells and talismans help, but they only go so far. The last time we had to get rid of it, the person wielding it decimated several cities. It required a white witch's help. She burned herself up to contain it. I don't want you to try. Somehow, we'll get it contained without that."
"I'm not going to kill myself over some disc. Don't worry." She squeezed him tighter for a moment. "I understand you’re tired of hunting those that might not need killing. But you live to thwart plots to take over the world that involve nonhuman beings. That’s in your soul." She shifted to frame his face with her hands. His clear blue eyes were full of shadows that had nothing to do with the demon. "It’s what made you what you are today and defines you. You’re a protector of the innocent."
"I never asked for it."
"You didn’t have to. It’s who you are. The curse brought us together. I don’t know why, but forces like this have a will of their own beyond our understanding. I don’t know how to get you free of the demon. I don't know if you being free of it is the right thing. I don’t know how to survive lifting the curse. That's a lot of uncertainties." Grief she wished wasn’t there laced her tone. "I promise to try not to let you down. But beyond that, I can’t make promises."
"What we feel… this that’s between us…it’s real, right? I’m not alone in this trying to steal all my common sense?"
She kissed him, desperate to be as close to him as possible. Her hands curled into his soft, dirty blond hair. "It’s never been like this for me. I’d spend every moment of my existence for however long I have right here close to you. This is the first thing in forever that feels right. It’s as if I found my purpose being with you. But fate is conspiring against us to make sure we aren't permanent."
