"Yeah. That was the plan, remember? I go to Sanctuary. Then Thysa sends me to Arick. But, well, Arick somehow sensed that I wanted him, and he showed up while I was talking to Thysa. Then he forced me to go back to his place to eat. And tell him the whole story of what we'd done, so he could write it down. Then, finally, he brought me to see your friends."
"How'd that go?" Drex asked, voice tense.
"Well, Ace is exactly how you described him," I told him, shrugging. "But Aram sort of stood up for me. Then they agreed to come back here to negotiate your release."
"What are they giving him?"
"Well, when Renwick agreed to let me come free you, he hadn't asked for anything. Actually, I think he felt bad about everything I went through with Davor."
"How'd he know? You told him?"
"I sort of had to after he watched me toss the bastard out into the sunlight. I have a little burn. From where I grabbed him. See?" I asked, holding up my hand.
"You dusted a vampire in front of the local vampire leader?" Drex asked. If I didn't know better, I'd say that was concern in his voice.
"Yes. That was why I had to run when I did. Davor caught me after I came up from seeing you. He was trying to tell Renwick I was being dishonest. And I was. But still. I just... snapped."
"And Renwick isn't mad?"
"He was offended that I didn't trust him enough to tell him sooner."
"Why would you have to tell him? He saw it himself at Sanctuary."
"He says he didn't. And I couldn't see. He claimed he was having sex in the bathroom. I have no proof otherwise. Did you see him?"
Drex froze then, racking his brain, but coming to the same conclusion. "No. I just noticed the group as a whole, not necessarily Renwick himself."
"So, I guess this is his apology. It's not like he can force me to enthrall myself to him again. I'm too old anyway."
"I'm old," Drex corrected. "You're not," he told me, throwing his heavy arm—the one that was still working properly—over my shoulder. "Come on. Let's go face the music."
With that, we made our way back up the stairs, and I had a moment or two to worry that everyone had heard us having sex before we were moving into the library, finding Renwick talking to his guests in a low, yet lethal, tone.
Ace and his crew were all gathered in the foyer.
"What's this?" Drex asked quietly, jerking his chin toward Renwick.
"Scolding his people for not reporting abuse to him," Arick explained.
"Because when she—" Renwick yelled, turning, and waving a hand toward me.
He didn't finish his sentence, though.
Because one moment, Drex was just standing there like his usual self.
The next, something inside him changed. And the inside change triggered an outward change. A dramatic outward change.
Wings, black bat-like wings with a streak of gold around the edges, burst from his back, ripping through his shirt.
I'd been standing there, tucked under his arm.
But then I found myself completely enveloped by the wings.
Almost as if they were shielding me, protecting me.
But from what?
There'd been no threat.
Not really.
Renwick's anger hadn't been directed at me.
But maybe something in Drex had responded to it regardless, mistook the target of his rage.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Bael's voice hissed.
"Here we go again," Aram murmured.
"The fuck is going on?" Renwick asked as the warmth of Drex's wings made me feel practically sleepy.
"I believe Drex thought you were threatening Nova," Ace explained, voice tighter than before.
"The wings," Renwick said. "That is news to me."
"He's Claimed her," Arick explained.
Claimed me?
Like he'd told me about Ace and Lycus Claiming their women.
He'd Claimed me?
Turning under his arm, my head angled up, looking through the top of the wing to catch a glimpse of Drex's face.
Was he as surprised as I was? Had he known it was coming?
Did he want it?
It wouldn't matter to that baser instinct, his True Nature, if he wanted it or not. It was how it was. And it was permanent.
That was how he'd explained it to me.
But it mattered to me if he wanted it.
I wanted him to want me.
Even half as much as I wanted him.
But Drex's gaze was focused forward
"What does..." Renwick started, then trailed off. "You know what, I already know more than I want to know about your fucking kind," he hissed.
"Where does shit stand now?" Ace asked as I went ahead and moved in closer to Drex, not sure if I would get to feel him like this again.
I wrapped my arms around him and leaned in close.
That was what finally drew his attention down to me. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I thought I saw something soft in his eyes.
But then Renwick was speaking, and Drex's focus moved forward again.
"Just take her," Renwick said, sounding tired. "Take her. And no one breathes a word about how to break an enthrallment," he added, voice firm. "If I ever have or hear about an incident of it, whatever agreement we have now expires."
"Fine," Ace agreed.
"Fine," Renwick said.
The next thing I knew, we were moving.
By the time we got to the SUV, Drex's wings had receded.
And he didn't look at me as we climbed inside.
Or as we drove back to the demons' home.
"Babe," he called after everyone got out of the car to make their way inside—except for Arick who got in his own car to leave—leaving me standing a few feet from the car, unsure what I was supposed to do, if things had changed, if I was supposed to go find my own way now. As much as my heart felt like it was cracking at the very idea.
"Yeah?" I called, hearing a small tremor in my voice.
"You coming in, or what?" he asked, half turning back to me.
It was the second time in as many hours that I flew at the man.
This time, though, when his wings went around me, I was pretty sure he meant it.
Chapter Sixteen
Drex
I didn't plan to join the ranks of Ace and Lycus.
I had no desire to Claim anyone.
I didn't think I had enough selflessness within me to do such a thing.
That said, I guess if I were being honest with myself, I should have seen it coming. The signs had been there from the very beginning.
Taking her.
Taking care of her.
Handling her problems.
None of that was normal for me.
Something inside me had recognized her right from the jump, whether I'd been aware of it or not.
I guess I figured that the actual Claiming, if it was going to happen, though, was going to happen once we'd fucked. It seemed to work that way.
When I came and didn't Claim her, I figured any of that shit I'd been feeling was just in my head or something.
Apparently, though, my Claiming trigger wasn't sexual but defensive.
Which made a lot of sense.
"I wasn't sure you wanted me to come in," Nova said, moving toward me.