Page 127 of Trapped By the Blood Ruby

“I hope I don’t have drool on my face,” I mumbled, snuggling deeper against my pillow. Someone had tossed a blanket over me⁠—

“Beautiful, even if you do have a little,” he teased, his thumb brushing the corner of my lips before he leaned in and kissed me there. My belly fluttered. His jet was full of vampires. I could feel their eyes on me—on us. Yet, he acted as if no one existed but me.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked. “We will be landing soon. Something to drink perhaps?” My belly curled with heat and he chuckled. “Not that sort of drink, little flower, but soon, after we’re settled.”

“Good,” I said, wrestling to sit up. He helped me, then got onto his knees, pressing mine apart to position himself between my legs. His head tilted upwards to look at me. He rested his forearms on the cushions, caging me. I looked him over, the black button-down stretched across his broad shoulders, fitted to hint at the bulk of muscle beneath. The first two buttons were undone, flashing a stretch of smooth skin I wanted to trace with my fingers. My gaze tracked down to his belt and slacks, also perfectly tailored. I knew he was still in his dress shoes too, even if I’d kicked my own shoes off to go barefoot while flying.

The corner of his mouth tipped up. He noticed me checking him out.

I wasn’t sure what we’d find in Italy, but whatever it was, we’d face it together. “We should both be at our strongest for this,” I told him, explaining away my desire for his blood, as if it had nothing to do with my wanting him.

“We will be,” he said. “Did you sleep all right?”

“Mmm-hmm.” I lifted my arms to stretch. The blanket fell away and my back arched. Laurent’s eyes flared with heat, tracking my movements, lingering over the straps of my tank top and exposed skin.

I blushed, relaxing with a sigh.

He ran his wide palms up and down my thighs, covering them with his large hands before squeezing. “Things will be a little hectic when we land. We will go to the town house first, just a few of us. The rest of the family will go to the fortress.”

“Why aren’t we going to the fortress first?” My brows knitted together.

“There are a few things in the city I must do.” His expression turned serious, focused. “Lily, things will not be as they were at our home in Braxton. Here, we must be very careful around our enemies. I must keep you close.”

Weeks ago, that would have sounded awful. I couldn’t help the giddiness that stole through me now. To hide it, I sighed and said, “Does this mean you’re going to drag me to all your boring vampire meetings?”

Someone nearby snickered.

“Hmm… I can imagine how painful that would be for you.” His tone was playful.

“How will I survive?” I groaned.

“Well, when you get bored, you may spend as much time as you like checking me out.” I choked. “I’ll be the best looking one in the room.”

“Cocky much?” I trapped my bottom lip between my teeth to fight a grin.

“You have no idea,” he growled, leaning in to kiss me. This time his tongue slid between my lips, claiming me. I had to hold my breath to keep from groaning in front our audience.

A stewardess appeared and said something to Marco. A moment later, she disappeared. “We’re descending now,” Marco announced.

“Come, sit,” Laurent said, leading me to the open seat on his left beside the window. He buckled me in before sitting beside me. My heart fluttered at the simple, affectionate gesture. I watched our descent while he typed away on his laptop, answering emails.

My mind tripped over the past few weeks, all the changes wrought in him. In me. He’d been cold and unfeeling. I wanted to believe it had been merely a facade. That there had always been something good in him, buried deep. But I’d also seen enough of his memories to know that his father had twisted him into something hard as steel. Something more vampire than human.

A frown threatened to break through my good mood. I fought it. Couldn’t steel be reshaped if the forge was hot enough? Was I that forge? The thought both thrilled and terrified me—what if I wasn’t strong enough to reshape something forged by centuries of trauma?

My breath stilted as I caught sight of Genia, one of the largest cities in Italy, where we’d be landing. It was the heart of vampire society. I zeroed in on the sight of its waterways and red-orange rooftops. Laurent leaned in, gazing down at the sight. “Ah, there it is. What do you think?” His cheek was close enough to kiss.

I turned and pecked him, relishing in the feel of his stubbled jaw. “It’s beautiful. I can’t wait to see it from the ground. Will we have time to explore?”

He pulled back to search my expression. “I will do what I can.”

That didn’t sound promising.

We landed at the private airport located on the outskirts of Genia. Blacked out SUVs waited, taking some of us into the city and the rest to the fortress. As we drove, I all but draped myself over Laurent’s lap to look out his window. Zola sat on my right in the other window seat. Laurent didn’t seem to mind, running an absentminded hand up and down my back as he conversed with our driver in Italian. I didn’t mind, too interested in what was outside our vehicle.

The buildings matched what I’d seen in photographs, in movies, and on TV. But seeing it in real life was completely different—more alive, more vibrant, steeped in centuries of history I could almost feel in the air.

It was finally sinking in. I was halfway across the world!