Demons (Darkness #4)(21)

It was exactly the same way Stefan looked at things. The two of them were playing a dance of dominance, neither quite sure if they could take the other, and both weighing the odds of losing. And now, with me, both weighing the risks of winning.

As he stood, gazing at me, he had a certain kind of lean to him. As if he was always on the balls of his feet with a sword in his hand. As if he was ready to chop my head off at any minute. The cunning and vicious sparkle to his gaze had my warning butt-pucker urging me to either blast him with something awful, or run away really, really fast.

That gaze lasted only a moment, though, retracting so that just warmhearted intelligence assessed me. I let the air escape my body like a punctured tire.

“I second that,” Charles muttered. Then, remembering that things just got professional, he gave a slight bow. “Regional.”

“Regional.” Jonas tilted his head downward, the only other person he showed diffidence to besides Stefan. It was the only other person that could kick his ass besides Stefan, too, so that made sense.

“I’m sorry to intrude, Daughter,” Dominicous said pleasantly, “but I wondered if I might ride with you to the West Nine?”

“Oh. Ah, sure.”

He nodded good-naturedly and gestured me in front of him. “Ladies first.”

Charles barely contained the snort, the dog.

“How long were you standing there?” I asked as my breath found its way back into my lungs.

“Most of the fight. That young man is one to watch, although not altogether strong with his magic. I’m curious, however. How is it you are able to help others reach a greater potential?”

I briefly explained as we crossed the grounds and entered the mansion, the pull of Stefan guiding my feet. I wanted a glimpse of his handsome face before we left—just in case something nasty waited at whatever place Jonas was taking me. I wanted a goodbye kiss before I faced the next horror.

“Do you have a special skill?” I asked Dominicous. “Charles seems to think his libido is his, and Jonas thinks we’re daft. But Stefan has one, and I have one…”

As we walked through the busy hallway, the night just starting and everyone eager to get to their assigned duties, gazes glanced up and noticed who was coming. The crowds parted for Dominicous in a way they never had for me. Even though I was a mage, I largely had to wind my way through corridors like everyone else. I wanted some diffidence, if only to own my position, but didn’t know how to earn it.

“I could not say if I had a special skill,” Dominicous remarked thoughtfully. “I think I have talents, and while they are above and beyond many, they aren’t altogether exemplary. You are captured in Fate’s web, however. Stefan seems to be, too, whether because of your connection, or because Fate has need of him. Possibly you were given special tools to face whatever will come your way.”

We turned a corner and ascended the stairs, the tug getting stronger. My limbs started to tingle and my heart beat wildly. Dominicous said something, but I lost it. I opened the door to find Stefan staring at me from across the empty room. His black eyes, soft with feeling, glittered. The link surged. My chest got warm, love oozing back and forth between us. My lips curved into a smile before I could help myself.

“I felt you coming. I have ten minutes,” he said softly, not bothering to glance up and acknowledge Dominicous in the doorway. He’d never liked bowing to a superior, but since he told me about his parents, and shared with me in a way that he hadn’t shared with a single person since that day, the subservience of his lesser position had all dried up. The game of risk versus reward had progressed a lot farther than I realized.

Which did not matter at the moment.

“I have ten minutes, too,” I stepped into the room.

“Actually, Mage, we should probably—”

I shut the door in Jonas’ face.

“Tell me about your victory. I could feel it,” Stefan said, his single-minded focus eating me up as I crossed the room to him.

I reached him in a few steps and slid a hand up his chest. “Later. I need you right now.”

He bent in a rush and scooped me up, sitting me on a delicate tea table. His lips found mine, hot and heavy, opening my mouth with his. He slid his hands from my knees to my thighs, pushing my legs open as he did so. His fingers rubbed my apex as his other hand worked at my blouse.

“I love you,” he said, tweaking a nipple. A jolt of pleasure shot through my body. It turned to liquid fire, searing down the inside of my limbs.

Suddenly, all I needed in the world was him inside of me.

I yanked at his pants, kissing him in desperation. His hard shaft bobbed out, silky smooth, resting in my palm. I felt along the substantial length until I reached the base. Massaging, I lay back slowly, pulling his huge expanse of shoulder with me to maintain the closeness.

“I need longer than ten minutes,” I said in a purr, lifting my butt so he could slide off my black jeans.

“They can wait,” he growled, threading two fingers into my slippery sex.

I rubbed back up that smooth skin and tickled the head, eliciting a strangled moan. His thumb found my cl*t and rubbed in small, slick circles. My h*ps swung up in ecstasy as I arched back, heat raging through my body.

He slowly laid his body down on top of mine, kissing the base of my neck. Lingering on my heartbeat pounding fiercely. “I can’t take blood anymore. Not so close to the council meeting. You need your strength. And you can’t take mine—we have to prove you are black, still. If we mix blood, someone will call foul-play.”