Page 27 of Deceived By a Warrior

It took everything in her power not to jump up in excitement.

When she stretched her body out, she immediately recognized she was laying on a bed.

A bed?When her eyes adjusted and she had a good look at the room she was in, she realized she was still in the jet.A bed in the air!Ah, the benefits of traveling in luxury.

“How are you doing?” Darius, who was sitting at the end of the bed, staring at her intently, asked.

“For starters, this bed issomuch more comfortable than any I’ve been in before.”

“Is it?” He asked, sounding slightly troubled to hear that.

Eva rolled over in the bed, just to makeextrasure she had never been in one so soft. It was official, she hadn’t. “Definitely.”She let out one last yawn before sitting up, relishing the feel of her muscles at work again.

“You can talk.” His voice was so strained it was as if he was struggling to speak.

“Sure can.” If her karaoke voice wasn’t so gods awful, she might have burst into song.Better not scare off those who are saving my ass,she thought.Notyet, at least.

“Perfect timing,” he quickly said, pressing his hands to his knees and standing up. “We landed a few moments ago.”

“In Romania?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure in a sour mood, aren’t you?” She couldn’t help but point out.

Ignoring her question he asked, “Did you leave anyone behind back in Miami?”

She wasn’t expecting that question. “Does it matter?” It wasn’t like having friends back home would stop him from trying to keep her eternally. He narrowed his eyes but said nothing. “No, I have no one back at home. Happy now?” No one to miss her. Except her assistant, Caroline. She’d be confused when she realized Eva didn’t show up for work, especially considering how quickly she ran out of that room when she was last with Eva.

Darius frowned, his eyes seeming to reveal something dark and foreboding within him. “Far from it.” He pressed a palm against his forehead and began harshly whispering to himself. Whatever he was saying, she couldn’t understand. After what seemed like forever he looked back at her and said, “We’ve landed. We’ll meet you outside.” He walked to the door, stopping at it momentarily, as if he was going to say something more but ultimately deciding against it, and walked out of the room.

In the short time she knew him, she didn’t know him to be ahappyperson, but this mood was overkill. What had gotten him so upset while she was sleeping?

Disregarding his ill mood, Eva flipped off her covers and hopped off the bed, deciding it was something forhimto worry about. Whatever was going on in his head was none of her concern. It wasn’t her concern now, and it never would be.

As Eva made her way out of the room and into one that at least slightly resembled a plane, she noticed Gedeon standing halfway down its middle aisle. He grinned at her, though she noticed his smile didn’t meet his eyes. “How are you holding up?” He asked.

Walking down the aisle to meet him, she said, “As good as I can be given the circumstances.”

“Understood. Darius is already outside.” He quickly made his way to the front of the jet.

He sure was in a rush. “Well then,” Eva muttered to herself, following behind him. In a half-hearted attempt to make small talk she asked him, “How long have you known Darius for?”

“A long time. We’ve been through a lot.”

“I can imagine.” The unnatural world was a violent and cruel world. Anyone who lived long enough had more bad experiences than good.But theydidget to ride in private jets!

“You can?” Gedeon quirked a brow in her direction.

She shrugged. “It’s an unkind world out there.”

They agreed in silence as Gedeon ushered her out the front door, guiding her to the first step off the plane.

Eva stopped in her tracks the moment she stepped into the brisk mountainous cold. Snow covered nearly every inch of ground around her. Somehow, even with the cloudy sky, the world around her seemed sobright.

Bright enough for a vampire to believe he was walking in daylight.

Something that looked like a medieval castle stood in front of her. It was as if she just stepped into a movie set forThe Lord of The Rings.The towering castle rested perfectly below the mountains that rose behind it, and beside cliffs that probably dropped much further than Eva cared to see.

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