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He chuckles. “Not that.” We walk through the bedroom to the en suite, and Kade lets go of my hand, going over to the massive clawfoot tub and turning the faucet on. As water fills the tub, steam fogs the room and the mirror above the vanity. I slowly start undressing as Kade adds Epsom salts, bubble bath, and lavender essential oil to the tub.
He turns back to me when I’m down to my bra and panties. In the blink of an eye, he moves in front of me. “I understand if you’d like some time to yourself.”
My eyes widen, and I shake my head. “Please don’t leave me.” The words are out of my mouth before I’ve had a chance to register them.
Kade cups my cheeks in his hands. “Hey,” he murmurs, “you’re okay. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Sorry, I just—”
“You never need to apologize to me, okay?” His eyes search mine. “I’ve got you.” He leans in and kisses me softly, pulling away before I have a chance to reciprocate.
Once the tub is full and nearly overflowing with bubbles, Kade turns the water off. I walk over, and Kade slides his fingers up my arms, then under the straps of my bra, pulling them off my shoulders before reaching around and unclasping the back. I push my panties down, shimmying my hips until they slip off onto the floor, and I kick them aside with my bra. I reach for the button on Kade’s pants as he tugs his shirt off, and then we’re both naked.
Kade steps into the tub first, holding his hand out to me. I take it, following him in and under the water, and he draws me back against his chest. My body fills with warmth, in part because of the water temperature, but mostly because of Kade’s cock pressed against me, making my core tighten with desire.
“This is nice,” I say with a soft sigh, closing my eyes and resting my head against his chest. The water is loosening the tightness in my muscles and the lavender oil is easing the tension in my temples.
Kade dips his head and kisses my shoulder. “You did beautifully today.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “I’m just glad I didn’t kill that girl.”
“We wouldn’t have judged you if you had,” he comments.
“I know but I would have judged myself. I don’t want this change to meanI’vechanged. I need to still be me.”
“And you are,” he assures me, his lips trailing from my shoulder to my neck as he draws my hair away from it. “Your will is much too strong to be wiped away by vampirism.”
My chest tightens, and I’m taken aback by the sting of tears in my eyes. “I… um, thank you for saying that.”
His arm circles my waist, and he holds me against him. “Of course. It’s only the truth.” He kisses my neck. “And you need to know that we’re all here for you every step of the way. You’re part of us—forevermore.”
12
Atlas
“Idon’t understand why we’re doing this right now,” Calla grumbles around a yawn, crossing her arms over her chest. To her credit, she at least showed up in proper clothing—a matching emerald sports bra and leggings—and her hair is swept off her neck in a messy bun atop her head. She looks stunning despite the look of annoyance on her face. Hell, even her scowl is nice to look at. Perhaps that’s because I enjoy testing her so much; she responds beautifully—it’s thoroughly entertaining.
“Because we’ll be leaving shortly, and I need to make sure you’re prepared for what comes next,” I tell her, walking closer.
The hotel fitness room is empty at this time of morning—no glamour required, though that would have been an interesting test for our girl. One thing at a time.
Her arms drop to her sides, and she frowns. “We have to deal with the hunters.” Her pulse jumps. “And I have to face my best friend who is likely going to hate me now.”
The sadness in her eyes makes me want to comfort her, but that’s not something I can do when it comes to this. Odds are, she’s right. Brighton lost her mom, putting her in a very vulnerable state, which made it all too easy for her prick of a father to turn her into what he always wanted her to be—a vampire hunter. Which doesn’t bode well for the brand-new vampire in front of me.
“Calla, I—”
“Never mind.” She shakes her head, and it’s just as well. I don’t know what I was going to say at that moment anyway. “Let’s just do whatever it is to reassure you I won’t be killed the second we run into a hunter.”
I nod, moving to stand an arm’s reach away. “You have a solid foundation, which is good. Now you have heightened speed and strength. It’ll work to your benefit once you learn to use it.” My gaze lowers to her thigh; she’s not wearing the dagger I gave her.
She follows my gaze. “It felt weird to keep wearing it, considering…” Calla shrugs. “Plus it’d be pretty embarrassing during a fight with a hunter to get stabbed with my own dagger, so I figured I’d eliminate the opportunity.”
My lips twitch, though the thought of Calla getting hurt, especially at the hands of a hunter, makes me want to lock her up toeliminate the opportunity, as she put it.
“You’re looking at me like you want to strangle and fuck me at the same time, and I’m really not sure what to do with that right now.”
I close the remaining distance between us, snagging her chin and looking into her eyes. “Right now, I want you to focus on why we’re here.”
