More silence fell, the emotions in the room heavy.
Issac was the first to clear his throat, then he nodded and left. Stas followed him out, her hand against his lower back offering comfort.
Sethios and Caro were next to go.
Then Leela said, “Call if you need anything.”
“We will,” Lizzie replied, her focus entirely on their child.
Leela went to move, but Balthazar’s arms didn’t budge. She cleared her throat.
“We won’t be far,” he said, his words for Jay. “You know how to grab my attention.”
“Thanks for calming me down,” Jay replied.
She felt Balthazar nod beside her head. Then his arms fell, and his hand grabbed hers to pull her out of the room. Leela said nothing, following dutifully as he led them to another bedroom a few doors down.
A brief thought occurred to her, reminding her that she could mist, but one look from him had her squashing that inclination.
He sequestered them inside a room with a balcony overlooking the ocean, white furniture, and a large bed with blue sheets and a navy quilt on top. But rather than lead her in the direction of the mattress, he took her into the elegantly furnished bathroom. “Strip,” he told her.
“You can’t intimidate me,” she informed him, obeying the command out of defiance more than submission. Being naked didn’t bother her. She had a killer body, and she knew how to use it to subdue a man.
“I don’t want to intimidate you. I want to take care of you and demonstrate my gratitude for what you’ve done for my best friend. Then I’m going to consider fucking you. And after that, we’re going to talk. Unless you want Vera to alter my mind again?”
Leela stared at him. “I don’t need you to take care of me.”
“I know you don’t, but I’m going to do it anyway.”
“And there’s no considering anything when it comes to fucking me,” she added, ignoring his reply. “If I want to fuck, we’ll fuck.”
He smiled. “I can make you beg.”
“You can try.”
“Oh, Leela,” he said, stepping into her personal space and kicking her bloody clothes aside. “I’m going to make you crawl, baby.”
“That’ll never happen.” The words she spoke out loud didn’t match the ones in her head, which were along the lines of, Yes, please. And the bastard heard them because of the altered rune.
It struck her then that Vera had to know what would occur after she altered the marking. Just as she’d clearly not warped Balthazar’s mind the way Leela had asked her to.
He smirked. “You think what happened in Brazil was the best I can do? That was just an introduction. By the time we’re through, you won’t even know how to move without feeling me between your thighs.”
Her body heated at the promise underlining those words. “Show me.”
“I will,” he vowed. “After I make you crawl.”
She snorted. “Then it’s all talk, baby, because I’ll never crawl for you.”
He smiled, his lips brushing hers in a sensuously bold move that lit her blood on fire. “Thank you, Leela.”
She frowned. “For what?”
“For providing me with a new challenge,” he replied softly. “Now get your fine ass in the shower. I’ll join you momentarily. And we’ll see how long your resolve lasts.”
Sethios stood in a towel out on the balcony of their temporary room, his gaze on the stars above.
Caro joined him in the robe he’d left for her on the bathroom counter. They’d both showered in silence, kissing frequently and speaking into each other’s minds but not doing anything other than existing together once again.
