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The night passed in a blur of tangled limbs between bouts of sleep.
Letting Lilah sleep in, I placed a room service order as I plotted out the rest of our day. We would have to head out by early afternoon if we wanted to get back before nightfall. Lilah stirred, her arms peeking out of the blankets as she stretched. Her toes, painted a sparkly purple, peeked out from where her leg was thrown over the blankets.
“It’s so late!” she exclaimed, sitting up to study the alarm clock,
“You needed the sleep,” I replied, unable to wipe the satisfied look on my face. The blush that filled her cheeks was all the feedback I needed. Making my way over to the bed, I climbed over her. She was warm from sleep, her hair tousled and eyes dazed. Taking a moment to memorize her face, I bent down to press a kiss to her swollen lips. Just as things started taking a turn, a knock on the door broke through the haze.
“Who?” Lilah asked, looking frustrated, and I chuckled. Have I ever laughed this much? Only with her.
“Breakfast,” I replied, hopping off the bed to answer the door. Waiting until she had slipped into the bathroom, I finally let the porter in.
By the time Lilah came out, our table was covered with pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. She needed the fuel. We had a long day ahead of us, and an even longer night, if I had my way. Breakfast was intimate, something raw and unexpected.
“Angel, we should probably talk about protection. I haven’t used a condom. I’m clean…You’re the only one,” I told her. Her eyes widened.
“You mean…Last night was your first time? Ever?” she asked, her cheeks pink. “But…you were so good…how?” I laughed at her startled response, pulling her in for a kiss.
“Focus, Angel. You on birth control? You want me to grab condoms?” I asked. She shook her head.
“I have the implant, and I got tested after Kyle. I’m clean, and there hasn’t been anyone else.”
“So you just…knew what to do? Or did you like…Is it from watching porn?” she asked, ducking behind her hair adorably.
“Mostly instinct, plus some books Fee gave me.” Lilah whipped her head around, her pupils dilating.
“You wanna see what else I learned?” I asked, and she nodded, breakfast forgotten as I spent the rest of the morning showing her just how seriously I took my education.
“Thank you for bringing me here. It’s been the best weekend…Well, ever,” Lilah told me as we lay in each other’s arms.
“Best weekend of my life, Angel,” I answered, before giving her ass a tap so we could get ready for the day.
We moved quickly after that. Hotel check-out was quick, and we took my bike to the Museum of Natural History. The first half hour was fine. We navigated the winding halls and exhibits, reading the different facts and marveling at the larger-than-life fossils.
“Oh! They have a planetarium show every other hour! We should go. Like our first date,” Lilah said as we stopped to look at one of the museum maps.
“Sure. When does the next one start?” I asked as a chill ran down my spine. All of my senses went on high alert. With forced nonchalance, I searched the room. I had barely scanned the far corner when I spotted him—the man from the day before.
The man who was definitely Crow. He smiled when our eyes met, an evil glint in his gaze. He looked older, harder than I remembered. It wasn’t just a superficial change; this was something from within. His eyes flicked to Lilah, his eyebrows raising in a leering way. The space between us was filled with people, tourists, kids, students.
“There’s one in half an hour. Want to check out the Roman section, then head over?” Lilah asked, and I almost jumped out of my skin. My eyes flicked down to her, then back across the room, where Crow still stood, his face daring me to make a move.
“We have to go,” I said. There was no other option. I had to keep Lilah safe. I couldn’t risk my girl. Not when I finally had her.
“Something wrong?” she asked, looking around in alarm.
“Yes. Trust me.” I was already dragging her out of the main room, trying to shield her with my body in such a large open space.
“Okay. Come on. I think we can get to the parking garage quicker if we take this exit.” Lilah spoke, sensing my concern. I swallowed harshly. Already, I had put her in danger.
Everything I was worried about was coming true. Lilah was at risk, and I was letting the club down in a crucial moment. The words echoed in my head, whether they were a premonition or a curse didn’t matter anymore. It was true, and it was happening right then.
Whatever you think I am…You’ll be ten times worse. Just wait.
Chapter 21
Lilah
Something was wrong—seriously wrong. I had never seen Eliot like that. It was like a tangible flip, the change from my Eliot to Scythe the Executioner. It was as if he had retreated into himself, become some sort of soldier. His eyes never focused on one spot as he pushed us through the crowd. We had parked on the street instead of a garage, and he took a minute to make sure my helmet was secure before getting us on the bike and back on the road.
