A Ride of Peril (A Shade of Vampire #46)(10)

He looked at me. His gaze softened, and his lips stretched into a faint smile.

“I’m falling for a warrior succubus, after all,” he added. “But that won’t stop me from trying for what I want. And I want her. Life is way too short and, in our case, far too dangerous to worry about a broken heart. I’d rather regret something I’ve done than look back with my last breath and hate myself for not having acted on my feelings.”

His words sank into me like cement bricks in a lake. I mulled over his reasoning as we went back out into the corridor. We had two rooms left on the top floor before we moved our search downstairs.

“Don’t get me wrong, Vita, I really enjoy your company, but I get the feeling we’d cover more ground if we each take one room. What do you think?” he asked, smiling sheepishly.

I laughed lightly and patted him on the back.

“Of course. I can’t stand you anymore, either.” I grinned, then pointed at the bedroom on our right. “You take the bedroom. I’ll take the study, and we’ll meet up downstairs, okay?”

“Sounds like a genius plan.” He smiled and pecked me on the cheek. “Thank you for listening. I’ve not spoken to anyone about this. I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime, Jovi.” I sighed. “We are family, after all. And here, we’re closer than ever.”

He grinned and disappeared into the bedroom, while I made my way into the east wing study. It looked far more spacious than it actually was, mainly because the bookshelves that covered the walls from ceiling to floor were carved inward rather than mounted. There were hundreds of books on them, most of them leather-bound.

I sighed, taking it all in, and leaned against the writing table set in the middle. It was a beautiful room, with a comfortable chaise-lounge under one of the three large windows facing east. There was plenty of natural light coming in, and the wood floor flaunted a handcrafted herringbone detail beneath the smooth lacquer. This room had been cleaned recently, and I couldn’t help but wonder which one of our group had taken an interest in it.

I had my work cut out for me, so I started from the left, flipping through pages and checking every book for the swamp witches’ symbols. I lost track of time. When I reached the other side of the wall, I’d had no luck in retrieving the third book.

The silence was blissful, as I continued processing everything that Jovi had told me about his budding relationship with Anjani. No matter how I flipped my own situation from one side to another, the conclusion was the same. Life was short and dangerous for an Oracle like myself, I clearly had feelings for Bijarki, and all I had to do was gather the courage to do something about it.

A creak to my left startled me. I jumped back a couple of steps when the library wall split open. One of the shelf segments was pushed forward like a secret door.

I felt the cool breeze blow over me and froze when Bijarki emerged from the darkness. The torch in his hand had died out.

He stilled in the bookshelf doorway, clearly surprised to find me there. The look of confusion on his face as he quickly scanned the room made me realize he didn’t know where he was.

“I’m sorry, Vita. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said.

“It’s… It’s fine. I was just looking for the book,” I managed to reply, my voice high pitched.

“Where am I, exactly?”

A moment passed, and I blinked several times before I could process a response.

“The study in the east wing, top floor.”

“Ah,” he nodded and smiled. “I followed one of the underground tunnels. It brought me all the way up here. Someone actually took the time to carve out all the stairs, if you can believe it.”

I started wondering where else those tunnels would lead, but before I could think of anything else to say, Bijarki measured me from head to toe, a familiar twinkle in his eyes.

“I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you have a lot of areas to cover,” he said politely. He bowed respectfully and turned to go back down through the secret tunnel.

This is it. This is my moment. Be brave! Be Jovi!

“Wait!” I said and walked over to him.

Bijarki turned around just in time for my lips to find his. I pushed myself up on my toes and kissed him, thrilled by my boldness, then instantly melted by how good he tasted. I didn’t move, but Bijarki opened his mouth, and his tongue demanded to taste mine. I welcomed him, and he instantly devoured me.

He set aside the torch and drew me into his arms, holding me against his solid chest, and I softened into the kiss. He groaned softly, and my core ignited as he took me deeper into our moment. We consumed each other, and I felt the intensity between us grow to the point where I thought we would eventually explode and tear the clothes off each other.

I reveled in his embrace while he explored every corner of my mouth. I felt it. Jovi was right; I could tell the difference. My head felt light, my mind barely a feather. Arousal roared like crackling lava through my veins, setting me on fire. My whole body tingled, and I could almost feel jolts of electrical currents rippling through me. I felt weightless as I welcomed the reckless abandon and wrapped my arms around his narrow waist.

My fingers clutched the hard muscle ridges along his spine, my chest incandesced by the feeling of his body so perfectly molded against mine. Billions of colors swirled before my eyes. I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop. I wanted more.