“Winchester protected you from a woman who told you that you were nothing,” he snapped, surprising me with the anger in his tone.
“Maybe you and my mother would get along, after all,” I offered. Shrugging when he didn’t reply, I pulled the sheet around my naked body.
“Your mother allowed the male, who I assumed was your brother, to hurt you. You’re still mortal, which means she was willing to let you die. Yet you race back here to save her? You’re either blindly devoted or incredibly stupid, Remington.” Rhys leaned forward, steepling his fingers in front of his mouth.
“As you saw, Winchester took the memories, and I think she’s done it more than once. That’s her gift. She has the ability to mess with people’s memories, replacing them with blank spots inside your mind. I am not blindly devoted to my mother, but I do love her, Rhys. She gave me life, and that is something I appreciate. You loved your mother, and just because you assume mine is a villain, well, it doesn’t mean I don’t love her.”
“You kicked five incubus demons out of your dream like we were weak. I assure you, that is not the case here. I am the strongest incubus demon within the world, so you need to explain to me how you, a fucking mortal female, kicked me out of your head.”
“Your brother was being obscene with his language, and what he wanted to do to my backside.” He smiled wickedly while heat smoldered in his gaze. “I was worried you would let him, or dream you would allow him to hurt me. My fantasy wasn’t him, or them, Rhys Van Helsing. It was you and only you that I wanted. Once it changed, I felt the pull to expel you all to prevent harm to my body. I also found it very unromantic that you would steal my fantasy, which is something, very private and personal to me.”
“I liked knowing it was me in your darkest desire, and that you want me. I don’t like that you had the power to kick me out of your mind, though. No one has ever kicked me out before you, and I need to know how you managed to achieve it.”
“I don’t know, Rhys. I knew I didn’t want your brothers touching me. Acyn had no right to touch me where he did, and Cole was removing his clothes. Illeron planned to force himself into my body, where no one has ever been. That was wrong, considering if I had to choose someone to do that, it would be you. I didn’t want to be shared by them. I had thought I made that fact very clear during breakfast. I am not the kind of girl who gets passed around simply because it amuses you. It did not amuse me that my fantasy was turned into a family spectating event. So, we both had something happen that we didn’t want, and you’re about to tell me to deal with it. So, Rhys, deal with it.”
“I didn’t know they would enter your mind when I searched for your deepest, darkest desires. I also didn’t expect for me to be a part of it, Remi. I don’t like that your mother knew you and her other children could end up in her enemies’ hands and spelled your mind to shield her identity. Why would she let you go? Why not find you and bring you home?”
“Because by the time I called home, I was deeply vetted and protected within E.V.I.E., which Winchester ensured by hiding my memories and giving me new ones. I thought I left a loving mother behind, and since waking up, I can see several times that she was less than loving to me. Honestly, I don’t know what to think about the memories we saw or the new ones that I now recall. You took away my phone, so I can’t call my sister to ask her either.”
“You’d tell them where you are, and that would be a mistake.”
Rhys stood, slowly moving to sit on the bed, brushing his fingers over my shoulder. I watched his eyes follow his hand, sending a shiver of need rushing through me. After a moment, I scooted away from his touch, staring toward the doorway pointedly dismissing him. He exhaled, dropping his hand before he pushed me down, slowly pinning me to the bed.
“You’re gorgeous. Perfectly imperfect and naïve in a world where people aren’t what you need them to be. To you, sex is personal. It’s intimate and special. To everyone else, it’s just fucking sex. It is two bodies finding mutual release and pleasure together. You’re young, and even though I hate to think of it, your views will change, and you’ll become as cold and indifferent to the world as we are. Life’s a bitch, Remington. Your family threw you into the fire, and while you burn beautifully, every fire eventually burns out.”
“Not if you fuel the flames,” I argued, watching his mouth lowering toward mine. I turned away before he could reach my lips, brushing him off. “You don’t get to dismiss me and then kiss me like you want me. I am not that naïve to realize that I mean nothing to you. I got the message, clearly.”
His hands released mine, turning my head before his mouth crushed against my lips. I moaned, wrapping my legs around him as he devoured me whole. By the time we broke apart, I was panting as he watched me.
“Wear my necklace.” Rhys reached into his pocket and pulled out a delicate silver medallion engraved with the Van Helsing insignia. “It’s a mark of protection. It’s also the mark you were born to carry, Silversmith. Flipping the medallion over, Rhys pointed out two beautiful diamond-etched snakes forming an infinity symbol, signifying the joining of a Van Helsing and Silversmith. Right now, this mark is forming beneath your ribcage. In a month or so, we’ll both have it, indicating we’re a mated couple.” Dropping the necklace in my hand, he lifted from the bed, sitting beside me to study my face. “I’m leaving for a few days. Cole will be your protection during my absence. Keep Nyx close, as well. She’s not much of a fighter, but she’s another body to throw at anyone stupid enough to move against you during my absence. Ian, Hunter, Conrad, and Acyn will be with me, so I want you at Cole’s side at all times. He will be between here and the sanctuary. Don’t run from me. Not while I’m gone. My family wouldn’t be gentle with you in my absence if they had to come out and catch you, Remi. Sit up and kiss me, and mean it.”
“I’m not kissing you,” I complained.
His lips had some invisible magnet to mine, and the moment they touched, we ended up sucking face. It wasn’t healthy. I had a battered ego, and I wasn’t happy about the invasion of privacy he felt compelled to break. He acted like he had a right to invade my memories, push past barriers I hadn’t even known were there, taking control of my mind while I was defenseless against him. I’d felt naked and vulnerable.
“I shouldn’t have done it,” he grunted, scrubbing his hand down his face. “I needed to know if you wanted Cole.”
“You could have asked, and I would have answered you truthfully. I find Cole very attractive, but he’s a wild card. He needs someone wild like him to match his needs, and that isn’t me. Cole is into sharing his things, and I’m not one for being shared, Rhys. I’m a one-man type of woman. So your answer is no. I wouldn’t do that, or try to be with him because there’s no longevity there.”
“Yet you chose to be with me knowing I would push you away. Why put yourself through that?” he demanded as if I were the asshole in this situation.
“Because you’re a forever type of man,” I admitted, rubbing my hands over my face. “You have teased me, taunted me, and pushed me until I have thought of nothing but you. You wanted me as much as I wanted you, which makes this our fault. Not mine, and not yours, but ours together. It was enjoyable. You were great and treated me with respect, which is more than either of my flopped attempts had done. You knew I wouldn’t blow your world away when you came to my room. You knew I lacked the experience, and yet you came anyway. It worked, and we both got what we wanted. That’s it in a nutshell.”