"Have to give it to the guy. At least he was committed," Xavier said with a slow clap.
"Who would be stupid enough to know about us and not fear us?" Jocelyn asked, her eyes narrowing at Benedict. "Maybe you're broken."
Benedict stood to his full height, which was at least twelve inches taller than the witch. "Excuse me?"
"My eyes are brown," she said loudly.
"Jocelyn!" Genevieve chastised, her knuckles going white on the arms of her chair.
Benedict held out his arm where the words my eyes are brown were now tattooed in scrolling feminine font. "Do not test me, little witch."
The temperature in the chamber dropped ten degrees, and Genevieve rose to her feet.
"Benedict." I gave him a soft but firm warning. We had enough enemies coming at us from the outside. We couldn’t afford to fracture from within.
Jocelyn lifted her chin, revealing a set of lilac-colored eyes just a shade or two lighter than her hair. "You're an ass."
"No harm done there. I only pick up on the lies." He winked at the woman, then walked back to take his place.
I dismissed Conclave as an ill feeling took hold in my stomach. Our enemies weren't just organized. They believed they had the upper hand, which meant they were either incredibly foolish…or right.
Either way, I couldn’t ignore the clawing demand in my blood for my mate. I needed to see that Lyric was safe and the estate hadn’t been breached. We took the cell phone Luka had acquired off the would-be attacker and got the fuck out, leaving Luka to deal with the corpse.
“What are you thinking?” Lachlan asked after we’d wended into the courtyard of the estate.
“Nothing good,” Benedict answered, ripping a hand over his hair.
“Agreed.” At least the bond that connected Lyric and I relaxed slightly now that we were both in the same space, but I felt the rebound coming on. There would be a price for being away from her for even that hour, and already my body was demanding payment. “And he knew about Lyric, which means they have inside information.”
The light, joyful laugh I loved more than life sounded from the end of the courtyard, near the rose garden. Lyric was near. My entire body went tight, and my fangs descended.
“Why warn us?” Lachlan mused, stroking his fingers over his beard. “Why not bite down on that cyanide pill the moment the wolves caught him? Do you honestly believe he wanted to deliver that message?”
Lyric walked at the edge of the garden with Avi and her bodyguard, Olivia, and I saw the exact moment she caught my scent. Her head snapped toward me, and I didn’t have to see that far to know that she was smiling.
“I’m less worried about delivering his little threat than I am about the fact that he was dedicated enough to follow through with the poison rather than let himself be interrogated,” I muttered as Lyric came closer. “Fill Ransom and Hawke in, then tell Ransom to get what he can off the cell phone.” The guy wasn’t just a pretty face, and if there was intel on the device, he’d get it.
With that order given, I walked straight toward my mate.
“Oh no,” Avi said, wiggling her eyebrows at Olivia. “He has that look on his face.”
“What look is—Oh.” Olivia put a hand to her throat.
Lyric’s smile only grew as I approached, not bothering to slow my speed as her breath came in little puffs of steam.
“Mine,” I growled, sweeping her into my arms. She looped her arms around my neck and kissed me, but even that contact wasn’t enough. Fuck, I could feel her hunger.
We weren’t going to make it to the bedroom.
There was no fucking way I was going to let anyone catch even a glimpse of her skin, which meant I needed to get her inside now.
I carried her into the residence, kissing her with every step. Each swirl of her tongue was hotter, each whimper brought me closer to taking her to the ground, and then she nicked my bottom lip with her fang and licked the tiny cut.
“Fuck,” I moaned, pushing open the nearest door. My senses told me we were alone in the…music room? Yep, that was a piano in the corner. A quick thought later, the door was locked, the windows covered, and my hands were up her dress, holding her by her perfectly round, delicious ass.
“You were gone forever,” she whispered, running her tongue over the shell of my ear.
“I hurried back,” I promised. All the bullshit that happened at Conclave could wait until later. Being inside her was something that had to happen now. “Fuck, were you wearing this when I left?” Her coat hit the floor, and her panties were next.
“You’re wearing too much, now,” she purred in my ear.
Our mouths met in an openly carnal kiss, and I backed her toward the piano. Her hands went to my fly, and my cock sprung free, hard and swollen as I sat on the piano bench, bringing her into my lap.
“Is it always like this?” Lyric asked, bracing my hips with her knees and yanking her dress out of the way. “Like this insatiable need that only burns hotter every time I see you?”
“For mates? I’ve heard it only gets more…intense, but our control might improve.” Hell, yesterday I’d carried her out of the dining room in full view of the dozen or so nobles in town for audiences.
“I’d settle for just a little control,” she whispered, stroking my cock from base to tip.
I groaned and sank two fingers deep inside her. “Control. Is. Overrated.” I punctuated each word with a thrust of my fingers, curling them at her G-spot and working her clit with my thumb. “You’re so fucking hot, so wet for me.”
“Alek…” Her breaths came faster, and she rocked her hips against my hand, chasing her orgasm. Her thighs tensed, and she released my dick only to spear her fingers through my hair as she kissed me long and deep. I captured her scream in my mouth as she came in waves around my fingers.
I slid my fingers from her slick pussy and replaced them with my cock, driving up hard before the last ripples of her orgasm passed.
Here…this was where I could breathe, where I was in her so deep that we branded each other’s souls with more than just the mating marks.
“Feed,” I ordered her, leaning my head to the side as my fingers dug into her hips, pulling her into my thrusts so I could take her harder, deeper. Making love to her was always exquisite, but now that she wasn’t as breakable, we were relentless in our need. I’d always be stronger than she was—that was simply a matter of age and power, but damn if she didn’t keep up stroke for stroke, demanding her fill.
She struck at my throat, her fangs sliding into my vein with a pleasure so sharp it raced down my spine with the force of a tidal wave. The sound of her moan pushed me over the edge, and I came over and over with each pull of her mouth at my neck. Fuck yes.
My body and blood were within her, driving her toward another climax, and the second she sealed the cuts from her bite, I gripped her hair, yanked her head to the side, and struck.
Her cinnamon flavor burst over my tongue, and she came instantly, sucking me deep as we shuddered again and again.
I lapped my tongue over the punctures as we came down.
“Mmm.” Her head fell against my shoulder, and she kissed my neck before letting out a long sigh. “Do you have to go back to being all big and bad and broody tonight?”