A Meet of Tribes (A Shade of Vampire #45)(7)

I heard the door open, and I turned around to show her the gown.

I froze.

My heart stopped.

The air left my lungs.

I watched Anjani in her full naked splendor walk out of the bathroom. She stilled. Her muscles tensed in her thighs. Her eyes widened. Water trickled down her silvery skin and set my soul on fire.

I wanted to look away. I tried. But I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Every curve, every line, every bit of her was designed to drive a man like me mad, to enslave me and consume me while I welcomed it with arms wide open.

My inner-wolf howled like a maniac, as if Anjani was the full moon that guided my entire existence. Judging by the stunned look on her face, she probably thought she’d walk out to an empty room after her shower.

“What…what are you doing here?” she asked with a hiss.

“I…I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed here.” My voice was barely audible.

Anjani’s skin lit up with a familiar glow, the one I’d seen the night before in our tent. She was blushing in her succubus way. My core burned with delight, and I shifted from one leg to the other to relieve some of the tension gathered below my waist.

“I’m sorry,” I managed to say and used every ounce of strength I had in me to look away. I held out the gown for her. “I found this. Thought you could use it.”

“What’s that?” she asked. Every second she stood there naked prolonged my agony. I forced myself to look away when all I wanted was to take it all in.

“Just a dress. Figured you needed some fresh clothes.”

“I didn’t realize you’d still be here,” Anjani said, her tone slicing through me like a knife, making me feel like the ultimate perv.

She pulled the floral pattern cover from the bed and wrapped herself in it. She would’ve had to move and reach out in order to get the gown from me, and I wasn’t willing to risk taking a step toward her. I was aroused and terrified at the same time.

“This is your room, you can rest here,” I said. I left the gown on the bed between us and moved to the door.

“Jovi.” Anjani’s voice stopped me as my foot reached the threshold.

I looked over my shoulder, and our eyes met.

“Thank you for everything,” she said.

It felt like some sort of concession coming from her, as if she’d lowered her defenses enough to acknowledge me as more than just a chunk of meat. I wasn’t sure what she was thanking me for, but given her past experiences growing up in the wild and being taught to rely only on herself, I figured she’d finally decided to welcome my support.

She probably wasn’t used to hospitality, to being looked after by a man. She didn’t seem mad about my presence there. My intentions had been pure, after all. Not my fault she didn’t know the concept of towels.

I smiled, nodded, and left.

Another minute with her, and I probably would have had to pick a fight with that bed cover.





Phoenix





I showed the Daughter around the mansion. We passed through the banquet hall, Draven’s studio, and the library. I showed her to the girls’ bedroom upstairs, where I picked out a simple summer dress for her to wear—a white cotton gown with delicate lace details around the neck and sleeves.

She dropped the tablecloth to the floor, and I instinctively turned around. I had a feeling that if I got a good look at her, I would never be able to part from her again. And despite my attachment to her, there was a part of me that didn’t want to be so vulnerable. I stilled, waiting for the fabric to stop rustling.

The dress fit her perfectly, with a rounded neckline and three-quarter sleeves with lace frills. The fabric hugged her tiny waist perfectly and expanded into a wide skirt all the way down to her ankles. While her pale skin competed with the whiteness of the fabric, her hair cascaded in fiery contrast over her shoulders.

I had to move. I had to get her out of there before my mind drifted in an inappropriate direction. We toured the top floor and then went back downstairs, where we found a beautiful tea room hidden behind the dining hall, complete with Baroque oil paintings and gilded details on the classical furniture.

She didn’t seem to like the indoors much, and soon enough we found ourselves wandering toward the back garden. She was fascinated by the greenhouse in particular, and we spent some time there.

It was hot and humid, but I couldn’t bring myself to suggest going elsewhere. Something inside of me pulled me closer to this creature I knew nothing about. I had never spent so much time or energy focused on someone the way I did with her.

It felt strange but simultaneously exhilarating. Every time she looked at me, my heart stopped for a moment, then resumed its thunderous beating against my ribcage. I’d done the craziest thing for her, nearly killing myself. I’d had no control over my body or my senses. In any other circumstances, I would’ve berated myself.

But watching her as she strolled through the greenhouse, sniffing the abundance of weirdly beautiful plants and flowers, crinkling her nose when she got a whiff of a foul-smelling herb, and smiling when she discovered a bright purple blossom that resembled an iris, I couldn’t help but feel like it had all been worth it.

She was awake and out of that shell, able to breathe and experience everything like the rest of us. On top of that, she was the most incredible creature I had ever laid eyes on—small but gorgeous with gentle curves, hair the color of an autumn sunset, and curious violet eyes that never stopped exploring and analyzing.