Darkness Revealed (Guardians of Eternity #4)(13)

He needed to get her into a warm bed with a large tray of food. The sooner the better.

Grasping her hand, Cezar urged his reluctant companion down the street. She hesitated only a moment before heaving a deep sigh and falling into step beside him.

“Where are we going?”

Cezar had already considered his options. The Oracles hadn’t yet given their permission to bring Anna into their presence or to reveal her own place on the Commission. And experience had taught him not to overstep his bounds, even if Anna’s life was in danger. Pissing off the Oracles was never a good thing.

His only other option was Styx.

Not a bad other option.

“To a friend’s house. You’ll be safe there.”

“How can you be so certain?”

He smiled wryly. “Trust me, there are few demons who would dare the wrath of Styx. He didn’t gain his name by accident.”

She flashed him a puzzled frown. “Styx?”

“It’s said that he leaves a river of dead in his wake.”

“Holy crap.”

Cezar gave her fingers a slight squeeze. “Don’t worry. His mate has trained him to keep most of the bloodshed to a minimum.”

“I can’t reveal the depth of my relief,” she said dryly.

“You actually saw him earlier this evening.”

“Ah.” A tiny smile touched her lips. “The tall, gorgeous Aztec?”

Cezar’s gaze narrowed, a stark sense of possession making his fangs lengthen.

“Careful, querida. Darcy is not only Styx’s mate, she’s also a werewolf who is very possessive.” He tugged her close enough to his side that he could feel her heat wrap around him. “And even if she agreed to share, I wouldn’t.”

“A werewolf…” Her shock was abruptly replaced with an expression of feminine outrage. It was an expression that she had perfected to an art form over the past two centuries. “Wait, what do you mean you wouldn’t share?”

He caught and held her gaze. “You know precisely what I mean.”

Her steps faltered, then she tilted her chin and dredged up a glare. “You must be mental if you think you can pop in and out of my life every few centuries and claim me like some sort of booby prize.”

“Booby prize?”

“Damn you, this isn’t funny.” She stomped her foot, only to grimace as her bare foot landed on a rock. “Ow.” With yet another glare, she lifted her foot to rub it. “Can’t we get a taxi?”

“I don’t want anyone knowing where we’ve gone, especially not a human taxi driver who would reveal everything, including his ATM PIN number, under the enchantment of a fairy.”

She heaved an aggravated sigh at his perfectly reasonable explanation.

“Then call your friend and have him pick us up,” she demanded.

Cezar shrugged. “I don’t have a cell phone.”

“You’re kidding me.” She stared at him in disbelief. “What century do you live in?”

He was wise enough to hide his amusement this time. Although she’d lived two centuries, she was still unfamiliar with the world that she was now a part of. It would take time for her to adjust.

“My powers disrupt a few modern conveniences.”

Her annoyance changed to curiosity. “Why?”

“No one has managed to discover why. There are just certain vampires who possess an aura that plays havoc with technology. There are some who can’t enter a town without downing the entire electric grid. Thankfully my own disruptions are limited to cell phones and wireless internet service. Not that great a loss.”

“That must make downloading your  p**n  a tedious business,” she mocked.

With a flurry of motion, Cezar had Anna pressed into the doorway of a large office building, his arms clamped around her waist and his head buried in the curve of her neck.

He’d ignored her mocking taunts because he realized she was terrified. But he’d be damned if he’d accept any slurs concerning his sexual prowess. Not when he was bloody well aching with a need to take her right there on a public street.

“Vampires have no need for such titillation,” he assured her, scraping his fangs over the pulsing vein at the base of her throat before pressing his lips to the sensitive flesh. She shivered, her hands clutching at his arms as if her knees were suddenly weak. He trailed his lips down her collarbone, using his teeth and tongue to make her groan in pleasure. “Why bother with faux sex when you can always have the real thing?”

Lifting his head he claimed her lips in a kiss that revealed the dark, hungry passion that held him captive. Her lips readily parted, allowing his tongue to tangle with hers as his hands skimmed over her back with a restless need.

Anna could snap and snarl all she wanted, but she couldn’t disguise the fact that she still desired him. The passion between them would never, could never, change. No matter how many centuries passed.

Drowning in pleasure, Cezar pressed her hard against his aching body, desperately wishing they were alone in a dark room with satin sheets and hours to spend in each other’s arms.

His fantasy was interrupted when Anna’s fingers tightened on his arms and her head arched back.

“Cezar…wait.”

His hands gripped the back of her delicate gown, his muscles trembling with the effort to control his passions.