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Hannah called the bar and spoke to Amelia, her right arm, letting her know she wouldn’t be in for the night. If Amelia sounded astonished, why wouldn’t she be? Hannah never took a night off, or rarely, and even then just for a couple of hours.
She explained that she was helping the Mastyr of Kellcasse at his Castle Island home – difficulties with his communication center – and that she needed to stick close to him for now. Not quite the truth, but she didn’t like the idea of telling any of her staff that she could now shoot fire from her hands.
Despite that, Amelia drove way to close to the truth when she teased, “Geez, Hannah, sounds like you’re a blood rose.”
Hannah swallowed hard, then covered with, “As if.” She had no interest in broadcasting her own personal difficulties right now.
Amelia giggled. “Well, enjoy your time with the mastyr, but if I were you, I’d ask to see his bedroom.” She then laughed again and Hannah ended the conversation with her own forced laughter, asking to be transferred to the communication center.
After asking Sandy to call in a couple of people to fill in for Hannah’s slots, she could finally be at ease. This wasn’t exactly how she’d expected her night to go.
When she slid her phone back into her pocket, movement on the balcony drew her eyes once more.
The Guardsmen, who served as team leaders had started arriving.
Hannah realized she knew every one of them by name and it pleased her when each greeted her like an old friend. Yet somehow it didn’t surprise her that Jude never moved more than an arm’s length away from her.
When the last arrived, and Paul drew up the rear as he herded everyone into the living room, Jude held back. Once out of earshot, he turned to Hannah. “Did you have to touch at least half of them?”
Hannah had never been so surprised. “I like touching. And I only held back with the hugs because I could feel you bristling beside me.”
“Damn right I was bristling.”
But Hannah only laughed and kissed him on the mouth. “It’s nice to know I’m not the only one suffering here.”
“That’s not exactly the reaction I was looking for. I don’t like you touching other men.”
She wanted to chuckle again, but she could see that he was serious. And whatever weird realm creature she was becoming, she could tell that to keep laughing wouldn’t just wound his pride but would make him distrust her.
She recalled all the chatter on the loop about this one aspect of being a blood rose, that the men who bonded with their women, became rather ferocious in their territorial marking rites.
Something inside her went weak just thinking about it. She drew close and grabbed his woven shirt with both fists, pulling him down to her. But she wouldn’t let him kiss her. Instead, she whispered, “Any way you can mark me, vampire, so that other men will stay away?”
She wasn’t sure exactly what kind of response she’d been looking for, but he suddenly picked her up in his arms and flew her outside, onto the balcony, to a portion of the wall that would hide them from anyone inside.
He pressed her up against the stone and ground his hips into her. She felt his arousal and her legs lost function all over again.
He spoke hoarsely into her ear. “I’m going to mark you again and again, do you hear me? I’m going to fill you up so that no male, human or realm, will dare to touch you. Does that answer your question?”
He kissed her hard, so that her entire body just about melted into the stone behind her. What Jude could do to her with just a few words, the wonderful mass of his muscular frame, and his warm, moist lips.
She had that eternal sensation again of wanting to stay with Jude just like this, never moving, just being with him and feeling him, and having desire move like fire through her veins, forever.
Finally, he drew back, breathing hard. He held her gaze. “Part of me wants to apologize, but to hell with that. We’re in this, and you need to know everything, especially what it’s like for me.”
She grabbed his shir
t again. “Jude, let’s make a pact right now not to apologize for anything that relates to this blood rose madness, okay? I know I’ll want to as well, but I think it’ll just make things more difficult.”
He nodded. “Agreed.” Slowly, he shifted his hips away from her, but stayed close. “And I need to calm down.”
At that, she smiled again. “What? You don’t want to face your men like this?”
She reached low and ran her hand the entire length of his arousal.
He arched and hissed. “Oh, Sweet Goddess, Hannah.”
She planted her hands on his face and kissed him with more affection than passion. “Do you know how many times I imagined kissing you just like that?” She couldn’t help but smile.
