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Settling back in the leather seat, which was as soft as butter, Peri heaved a small sigh of pleasure.
“You’re lucky,” she murmured, savoring the cool whisper of air-conditioning that combatted the thick humidity. It didn’t matter that it was still pitch-black outside; summer in Louisiana was its own special hell. “Not everyone can be whisked around the country in such luxury.”
Valen sprawled in the corner opposite her, elegantly attired in gray slacks and a soft black sweater. Unlike her, Valen didn’t suffer from the smothering heat. In fact, he looked as if he’d stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine, with his golden hair smoothed back from his sculpted face and his eyes shimmering like liquid mercury in the muted glow from the dome light.
He shrugged. His powerful body was relaxed, but nothing could mute the pulse waves of power that pounded through the car. Being in Valen’s presence was like standing next to a volcano that could erupt and destroy everything in its path.
“It’s more a matter of necessity than luck,” he argued.
Peri arched a brow. “It’s a necessity to have a stretch limo and a chauffeur to pick you up from a private airport where you just landed in a personal jet?”
“Public transportation is out of the question.”
“You don’t want to rub elbows with the common folk?”
He studied her with a brooding gaze. “Common folk?”
“You know.” She waved her hands. “Humans, witches…mages.”
“I don’t want to risk being trapped in an airplane or on a train or even in a car when the sun rises,” he corrected in soft tones. “A travel delay or traffic jam might be an inconvenience for you. For me it’s a potential death sentence.” He tapped a slender finger against the tinted window. “All of our vehicles are custom designed with sunproof shutters that can be deployed if we have a mechanical breakdown. Or if one of the jets makes an emergency landing.”
“Okay.” Peri wrinkled her nose. She couldn’t argue with his logic. A deadly allergy to the sun would put a crimp in most travel plans. “I concede the need for private transport, but does it have to be a stretch limo?”
“If you go to the trouble to refit and reinforce a vehicle, you choose one that’s worth the expense.”
He made it all sound so reasonable, but Peri wasn’t fooled. The Cabal had carefully cultivated the image of ruthless leaders who remained aloof from the peasants.
“And you like to make a statement,” she said.
“It doesn’t hurt.” He studied her, as if trying to figure out why she was asking such ridiculous questions. “Are you bothered by my wealth?”
Was she?
Peri hadn’t really given it much thought. In some vague part of her mind she realized that Valen possessed an obscene amount of money, but it had never swayed her opinion of him.
“It doesn’t bother me, but it adds another layer to the power that makes you a threat to those who have no interest in bending the knee,” she said, not being entirely honest about why she kept him at a distance.
“You believe I’m a threat?”
“Are you?”
A dangerous smile hovered at the edges of his mouth. “Define threat.”
“That’s not particularly reassuring.”
“I have no intention of physically harming you,” he purred, smoky invitation swirling through his eyes. “I promise my touch will bring you nothing but pleasure.”
Excitement buzzed through her, zinging against her raw nerves. Oh… lord. He was already bringing her pleasure. Which was crazy. He hadn’t moved a muscle, but a blast of sensual temptation stroked over her like a caress. She shivered, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat.
She had a sudden urge to crawl into his lap and wrap herself around his hard body. After all, there was a tinted glass divider between them and the driver…
Peri gritted her teeth. She needed a distraction. Or a heaping dose of sanity.
“And what about forcing me to bend my knee?” she forced herself to ask, her voice husky.
He hesitated. Was he trying to decide if it was worth defending his habit of demanding a public display of allegiance?
“Bending the knee is a ceremonial act that strengthens the bonds between me and those under my protection,” he finally responded.
