Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (The Three #1)(122)

Drama, he thought in a moment of amusement before his gut clenched in memory.

I’m not being dramatic! she retorted and his body jolted in shock.

He hadn’t been speaking to her. Or, more accurately, he hadn’t meant for her to hear.

“Did you hear me?” he asked.

“Yes, you were talking to me. Or, I should say, making fun of me.” She tried to move again but he kept her pinned to him. “Let me up,” she demanded.

His arms grew tight before he responded, “I want to feel you around me for a little while longer.”

She pressed against him. “Let… me… up!”

He let her up but only her torso. He kept her h*ps fixed to his with an arm about her waist.

She glared down at him, her hair falling about her face in waves. Looking at her, finally he felt the clutch of the nightmare release.

This was Leah, his Leah, now fully his, all of her.

Not running, not hiding, not climbing a scaffold, she was alive and, apparently, angry.

This made him smile which made her glare turn to a scowl which, in turn, made his smile deepen.

“You seem in an immensely foul mood for someone who just came twice,” he remarked.

Her eyes widened, her anger accelerated, he knew because her heart did as well taking his with it. She opened her mouth to speak and then suddenly shook her head and looked to the side.

Then she muttered, “Why couldn’t I be some other immortal’s concubine? A werewolf. Or Frankenstein, I could escape Frankenstein. He doesn’t move very fast. A wraith would be good, they’re ethereal. I could probably slip…”

She hadn’t noticed his body freeze but she stopped talking when he whipped her to her back. Disconnecting their joining, he settled on top of her, pinning her to the bed.

She stared up at him in surprise.

“What do you know of other immortals?” he demanded, savage fury tingeing his voice primarily because he was savagely furious.

She reacted to the fury. He smelled it and he heard it and he didn’t give a f**k.

“Wh… what?”

“What do you know of other immortals? Werewolves? Wraiths?”

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

Lucien shook her and he didn’t do it gently. “Tell me, damn it!”

“I don’t know!” she gasped. “I mean, Avery…”

She stopped speaking, her eyes dropping to his jaw as it went rigid.

Between clenched teeth, he gritted, “I’m going to f**king kill him.”

“Lucien?” Her tone was uncertain and very frightened.

He gaze bore into hers. “Don’t tell anyone you know of the existence of other immortals, Leah. Not a single soul. Not your family, not Stephanie, not Edwina –”

“Edwina knows,” she admitted softly. “She was there when Avery –”

He closed his eyes and ground out, “Fucking hell.”

“He didn’t say anything, Lucien. Not anything,” Leah defended hurriedly and he opened his eyes to glare at her. “He just said he was immortal but he wasn’t a vampire. He didn’t tell me what he was. He didn’t tell me what other immortals there were. He said if he said anything it would mean his death. Earlier I was just guessing.”

“I’ll wager, my pet, he didn’t tell you that if anyone found out you knew then you’d face certain death.”

She pulled in a sharp breath.

“Yes,” Lucien clipped. “So no one is in on this secret. No one. I’ll have a word with Edwina and I’ll have several with Avery.”

Her hand came to his neck, fingers curling there and he could feel the slight tremor.

“Please don’t be angry with him. He was trying to be kind,” Leah whispered.

“Putting your life in danger is far from kind,” Lucien returned, his anger not abating, the nightmare too fresh as was this new danger.

Pain slashed through her face before she went on, her voice gentle, “Maybe he’s tired of hiding, Lucien. Maybe he felt he was among friends. Maybe he knew I’d accept him. Maybe he trusted me. That isn’t something to be angry about. That’s an honor he bestowed on me.”

“Letting me break you one day doesn’t make you friend and protector of all immortals the next, Leah.” His tone was sharp and derisive because her words had no effect.

He was still angry.

And troubled.

The Council was considering his request. They owed him and he had friends on The Council, friends who he had no doubt would become allies if things didn’t go his way. Therefore friends who would do all in their considerable power to make things go his way. No one wanted war.

Those who were not friends, those who wished to defy change because they feared it or because they hated him were using Rafe’s behavior as grounds to deny Lucien’s request.

Rafe had not yet taken Lana as a lover but he’d told Lucien he wanted to and he was now spending the night with her, this being the reason why The Council finally called him in. Rafe had not joined with her because he feared for her safety.

Lucien approved of Rafe’s intentions and when speaking to him encouraged them.

As he would encourage any vampire who wished to bloody well behave like a f**king vampire.

If this was known, this would not sway The Council in his favor, even his friends might demur. Allowing Lucien a boon was one thing, allowing rampant and widespread change to centuries of tradition was another.