He settled her on the bed and pulled the duvet over her, then walked around the other side. “It may be too early to be sure,” he said as he sat and pulled off his boots. “I will do my best to navigate those waters carefully.”
“She won’t hurt you, though?”
“No, I don’t think so.” A shrug, his back still to her. “Though, with Belle, that’s relative.”
Cally fell quiet, watching him as he rose and pulled off his clothes. “I wish I were more powerful. Enough to stop anyone from hurting you.”
“In time, together, we will grow that powerful.” His lips curled at the corners. “I admit, the idea does not concern me.”
“Nor me,” she said quietly. “It can’t come soon enough.”
He climbed in beside her, and she turned away from him and pushed back into his chest. “The book Eve found. Was that where you learned the spell you used on Nico?”
“Yes.” She pulled his arm around her, and he cupped her breast, gentle and comforting.
“Did it come from the Order?”
She tensed, but his question had carried no implication of blame, merely curiosity. “Yes, it did.”
“And now she has more.” He placed a kiss on her shoulder. “This is good. You will grow into a powerful witch.” His hand slipped down to her waist, tugging her back against him more snugly, then rose to cup her breast once more. “For now, rest,mon amour. I will keep you safe.”
“Don’t keep Belle waiting too long,” she said through a yawn. “Just stay until I fall asleep.”
She didn’t hear his reply, or feel him move when he left.
Thirty-Seven
“Ah, the robe again.” Belle looked smug. “I do like you in that.”
Antoine paused with one foot inside the living room, regretting that he hadn’t found fresh clothes. But he hadn’t wanted to wake Cally. He turned and closed the door, composed his expression, then walked to his chair by the fire.
Belle sat in the other, legs crossed, her dress ripped in places and spattered dark in others. Antoine hoped there wasn’t any blood on the light fabric. Marcel would not be pleased.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said neutrally as he sat down, adjusting his robe so that it covered him.
She waved it away. “I expected you to take longer, and return smelling of sex.”
It was easier to let that one go. “Thank you for your help tonight.” He tried to keep his tone appropriate, despite how much the words stuck in his throat.
Her lips twitched. “Was that so difficult to say?”
“Well, vampires aren’t prone to forming alliances, are they?”
“Au contraire, mon amour.Vampires form alliances often enough, though I grantyoudon’t.” She paused. “Which brings me to an interesting point, now that you have entombed Nico.” She settled her hands in her lap. “Shall we talk about revenge?”
Antoine steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “What of it?”
“The chattel have a saying: ‘First, dig two graves.’”
“You think I will fail?”
“I think you are obsessed with Roberto.”
He inclined his head.
“Before we were interrupted earlier,” she continued, “we were discussing the need for caution.” She gave him a frank look. “How do you propose to take down a vampire two hundred years older than you?”
His eyebrows rose. “Two hundred? Yet earlier, you said my strength was maybe a third more than my age. So the gap—”
