His palms were on her hips, then her sides, his thumb tracing the undersides of her braless breasts.Ohhh.It was a hot tease of a touch, stiffening her nipples to sharp beacons ofneed.
He played her body perfectly.
And she longed to repay the favor, her hands sliding up his chest to wrap around his neck. She angled him for a deeper kiss, showing him her own skill as he continued the subtle gliding caress along her ribs.
People could see them here.
Which was entirely the point.
They’d drawn an audience last time, too.
Why not do it aga—
A subtle prickle against her neck yanked her out of the moment, her heart skipping a beat.Seraphim.
She pulled her mouth away from Balthazar, her eyes flying toward the source of magic stroking her senses.
Patreel.
Fuck!
She didn’t think; she reacted, wrapping her arms around Balthazar’s neck and misting them out of Venice. The world shifted around the familiar buildings giving way to another city. This one with smaller buildings. White textures. Domed roofs. Mountains.
Her brow furrowed, this location not one she recognized. And yet, like with everything else, she knew it.
Another Elder home?she wondered, glancing at the trees nearby adding privacy to the buildings behind it.
A few splashes of color down the street caught her eye, but the architecture here definitely wasn’t gothic Italian anymore.
And this wasn’t somewhere she would typically choose to mist herself.
“Balthazar?” she asked, glancing up into his wide eyes. “Where are we?”
“Bulgaria,” he whispered. “I grew up near here. Not in one of these current buildings, or anything at all like it. But… near this place.” He took in the building in front of them before looking around with memories darkening his gaze. Not bad ones, just… old ones.
“Do you have another place near here?”
“No.”
She frowned. “Then why did I…?” She trailed off as that prickle returned to her senses, her gaze flying around to search for the source as Patreel appeared again in Seraphim form, his golden wings fluttering soundlessly as his long white hair floated on a heavenly breeze.
“Impossible,” she breathed. He shouldn’t have been able to follow her so quickly.Unless… unless he somehow imbibed more of my blood, enabling him to…
Her eyes widened, unable to finish the thought.You need to run,she told Balthazar as she released him.Run now!
She didn’t give him a chance to argue, misting toward Patreel with a sphere of ethereal energy forming on her palm.
Seraphim didn’t fight with standard weapons.
They used energy.
And she’d learned quite a bit about defending herself over the years.
“Leela!” Balthazar shouted.
He’s tracking me too easily, B! You have to ru—
A rope of energy flew through the air, the net barely missing her left wing as she shot upward into the sky. Patreel followed, allowing her to unleash the sphere she’d been creating.
