But nope, they just nodded and kept going.
Thank fuck.
Another hundred yards or so later, she came to an abrupt halt--and he nearly plowed into her. "We're here," she said, looking up and down the hall.
He waited for her to trigger the door to his cell. When she didn't, he leaned into her and said softly, "It's not your fault. And thank you."
Her head lowered, and the voice that came out from behind her masking seemed choked. "I'm so sorry. About all of this."
"You don't worry about it. And I don't want you to come see me anymore. Trade off the duties, but don't get involved in this. We got enough people in this nightmare already."
That mesh panel shifted as she looked up at him. "I want to do more. Let me help you get free--"
"No."
"I don't want you to be a gerbil."
"What?"
"I don't want you to be kept in there forever."
"It won't be that long, I promise you." Although he did need to get out of here ASAP. "Now, will you please go?"
When she continued to hesitate, he was the one who triggered the prison door to open by taking her hand and placing it on the wall--
The lights were on inside, not off. And s'Ex was on the bedding platform, his back against the headboard, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.
In one hand, he had a whetstone. In the other, he had a dagger.
With slow, sure strokes, he was sharpening the blade.
He didn't bother to look up. "Imagine my surprise when I came to personally check on you."
iAm put his body in front of maichen's, blocking her completely. "This is not her fault. I forced her."
"That is a lie." The executioner glanced up, his black eyes glittering. "But whether you did or didn't is the least of your problems."
*
As Fritz pulled up in front of the Brotherhood's mansion, Selena burst out of the back of the Mercedes before the car even rolled to a halt. The sudden lunge was an expression of her excitement, something she had been holding in, and it felt good to--
Except she was in high heels, and the landing went badly: As the tiny pinpoint back ends of her shoes skipped over the cobblestones, gravity grabbed hold of her and she threw out her arms, her weight shifting off-kilter--
Trez caught her in his arms with a powerful surge, capturing her before she could fall and sweeping her up against his massive chest.
He held her as if she didn't weigh a thing.
Putting her arms around his neck, she leaned back and smiled so widely, she probably looked like a lunatic. She didn't care.
"That was incredible!"
Trez grinned as he mounted the steps to the door to the vestibule. "It was something else, for sure."
Stretching around Trez's triceps, she called out to the butler, "Fritz, can we do that again tomorrow night?"
The butler followed in their wake. "But of course, mistress! Anything to be of service. I must comment, however, that the car shall require some attention prior to any further such excursions."
Probably right, and maybe that was why the doggen had parked it parallel to the front door instead of with the other vehicles on the far side of the fountain. Could the thing even reverse anymore?
There was a quick pause as they entered the vestibule, and then they were welcomed into the mansion's warm, lush interior by one of Fritz's staff.
"If you will excuse me," the butler said, "I must attend to Last Meal's preparations, as I indicated."
"Thanks for getting us back in one piece," Trez murmured.
"My pleasure indeed."
As the doggen went off through the dining room, Trez started for the stairs, his long strides crossing over the foyer's mosaic floor--and Selena started to smile for a different reason than pure adrenaline.
But he didn't take her up to his bedroom. Her male strode around the base of the grand staircase on the left, taking them to the ornate door of the bathroom.
"Open the door for me," he growled.
She glanced up and drank in the sight of his face. Pure sexual need gritted his jaw and narrowed his eyes, turning him into an animalistic version of himself.
His response to the car ride, she thought.
Reaching out her hand, she gripped the brass knob and released the lock, opening the way in.
Such a beautiful room, with its private stall for the toilet, and its sweet-smelling air, and especially its peach, red and pink veined marble that covered the walls and the floors. Red and peach satin fell from both sides of the mirror over the sink, as if the thing were a window to look out of, and the velvet skirting around the basin was bloodred with gold-tasseled fringe. Old-fashioned gas sconces burned incessantly all around the room, the mellow yellow light like that of candles.
"You're going to want to use that lock," he said, bending down so she could get to the thing. Slide it home. Give them some privacy.
There was a long, skirted bench on the far wall, and he brought her over to it, holding her with one hand as he shoved all kinds of silk and needlepoint pillows onto the floor. Stretching her out, he purred deep in his throat as he caressed her shoulders, her waist, her legs.
"I thought about this all night," he said.
Arching up, she felt the caress of her dress moving up over her thighs as he swept his palms higher and higher.
"Oh, God," he breathed as he looked at her sex.
"Did you forget already?" She smiled as she lowered her lids. "That they gave me everything but the panties?"
"Mmm, no, I remember."
He moved her around, pulling her forward so that he could split her legs around his hips. Leaning down over her, he put his mouth on the side of her neck and then drew his tongue up until he nipped at her earlobe.
"You know what the hardest thing is?"
He punctuated the question with a thrust of his pelvis, his arousal pushing into her bare sex through the fine fabric of his slacks. As she gasped, his fingers drifted over the bodice of the dress.
"Hmmm?" he murmured, nipping at her again as if to chastise her. "Do you?"
"I have a good idea," she moaned.
"It's not this." He pushed into her core again, stroking her with his erection. "Believe it or not."
"Wha-what . . . ?"
He put his mouth next to her ear. "It's not ripping your dress off with my teeth. I want to take you to Last Meal after this, and as much as I respect the Brothers . . ." Trez kissed his way down to her shoulder. "I'd have to kill them all if they saw you naked. And that's a lot of clean-up."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Sit up for me."
She was dizzy as she did what he asked, but it was from the passion, the heat . . . the need. "Now . . . what?"
"We very carefully get rid of this." Grasping the hem, he pulled the black wisp up over her waist . . . over her breasts. "Fuuuuuuuuuck."
As he tossed the silk to the floor, he just stared at what he had revealed. "Oh, that's what I want."
With his palms stroking up and down her thighs, he dropped his head to one of her nipples, sucking her in, nursing at her, his dark head contrasting with her paler skin. Letting her head fall back, she gave him the access he wanted, spreading her knees even further.
The sound he made was all male animal, and the hold he sank into her hips was rough as he jerked her forward.
"Gimme," he demanded. There was a quick zip! as he released himself, and then that growl was back. "All night. Thought about this all night."
He pushed into her with a thrust of his hips, and she grabbed onto his wrists, arching up again. With hard drives, he let himself go and she took everything he gave her, a powerful release gathering momentum immediately. So hot, so wild . . . the culmination of the thoughtful dinner, the crazy ride home, the constant anticipation she'd had when she was around him.
Dragging him back down to her mouth, she clung to the power of him, seeking his lips and sucking his tongue inside of her until the rh
ythm of penetrations below made that impossible. Faster, harder, and then the orgasm hit her.
And it was just like careening through those panes of glass, a gathering speed and then a spectacular shattering.
Except it was her body coming apart.
In a wonderful way.
Just as she was beginning to float down, she found his wrist at her lips. "Take from me," he grunted. "I want to feel your teeth in my flesh."
Instantly, the heat rose again and she pushed his arm out of the way. As her fangs descended in a rush, she hissed and struck the side of his throat, right at the thick vein that ran up from his heart.
Trez cried out her name and clasped her to him, tilting his head and encouraging her to take more, take everything she needed--as his hips locked against her, his erection jerking as he came deep inside her body.
His release called another out of her, taking her to the edge again.
And all the while, she'd never felt safer or more loved.
THIRTY-NINE
As the cell door shut tightly behind him and maichen, iAm yanked the headdress off and tossed it. "Let her go."
s'Ex shifted his powerful legs off the bedding platform and got to his feet. "Do you know what my biggest failing is? I don't take orders well."
"She's not part of this. It's between you and me."
"Yeah, see, you're still getting it wrong. You and I are actually just bit players in the real drama, but that's beside the point."
The executioner walked forward, and iAm put his hands out, shielding maichen. "Stop."
"Or what."
"I'm going to kill you."
s'Ex halted right in front of him and stared down his nose. "Really."
"Yes." iAm curled his hands into fists and felt his fangs drop down. "If it's a question of you or her walking out of here alive, I will guarantee that she will be the one still on her feet when the door opens. And I don't care if I die in the process."
s'Ex frowned and glanced at the maid. Addressing her, he said, "Wrong brother. You know that, right?"
iAm leaned to the side and blocked the eye contact. "So are we doing this?"
"You'd be a fool to fight me. Considering I came to get you out of here."
iAm refused to be distracted. "Are you throwing the first punch or am I."
"Did you hear what I said? I came here to take you to the fucking library--but I'm assuming that's where you two are coming back from? Or are we swinging by there on the way to the exit."
In the silence that followed, iAm ran the executioner's words back and forth, checking the syllables for meaning. Then he frowned. "I don't get it."
"If you don't mind, we need to do this now, because I have to be back at court in about twenty minutes."
What the fuck was this, iAm wondered.
s'Ex rolled his eyes. "I told you I'd get you in and out, didn't I?"
"You put me in here! You had me hit on the head--"
"No, asshole. One of my guards did that. I've been working behind the scenes to try and get you free--you're not supposed to be in this goddamn cell. That wasn't our agreement."
Blink.
"We have been to the library," maichen interjected. "We were unsuccessful. And I'm coming as well. I want to be sure he makes it out alive."
s'Ex and iAm both looked at her and barked, "No."
"See?" the executioner said as he walked around them to the door. "We can agree about something. Now, can we do this."
And the bastard wasn't talking about fighting.
Holy. Shit. It looked as though his trust hadn't been as misplaced as he'd thought.
iAm looked at maichen. In a soft voice, he whispered, "Don't follow us."
"You cannot tell her what to do," s'Ex said as he triggered the exit. "Now let us proceed--unless you want to rot in this cell?"
iAm shook his head at the maid. "Do not--"
"I'm waiting," s'Ex said.
"maichen--"
"I shall follow you if I wish," was all she said as she steamed by him and joined s'Ex in the hall.
iAm's hair was on fire as he followed, still wearing that maid uniform he'd sneaked around in. "I'm not going to have it on my conscience if you get yourself killed for a dumb-ass reason."
As they went down the corridor, she paid no attention to his bitching. Duh. She didn't seem to have a brain in her head.
Or maybe that was him . . . because he found himself not wanting to leave her.
Which was nuts.
s'Ex led them through the halls, taking a different path than maichen had. And all the way, iAm was prepared for an ambush, a confrontation, a sold-up-the-river outcome that was going to fuck him in the ass.
But fifteen or twenty minutes later, he was out of the palace, past the vacant servants' quarters . . . and standing in front of the wall that separated the Territory from the human world.
iAm looked over at the executioner. "You're just letting me go?" he whispered into the darkness.
"Like I said, that was our arrangement, wasn't it?" When iAm didn't reply, s'Ex shook his head. "Herewith lies the ending for the three of us. At least until after the mourning, when I have to come get your brother."
"Won't they notice I'm gone?"
"Why would anyone care? I dispatch delinquents regularly--and I have already erased the memory of your marking in any who had knowledge of it." s'Ex glanced at maichen. "Although all this would have been so much easier if you hadn't insisted on turning that cell into a furniture showroom."
iAm stuck out his palm. "I didn't expect you to be honest."
"Fuck you, too." s'Ex shook what was extended to him. "Now go."
Just like that, the way out was open to him. He didn't even have to dematerialize over the barrier.
iAm paused and glanced back at the maid.
In the silence that followed, s'Ex let out a vicious curse. "I do not approve of any of this between you two. But you know how to close things up after he leaves."
And on that note, the executioner stalked off, his black robes undulating behind him.
It was so strange, iAm thought as he was left alone with the female. He was two feet from the escape he needed, but he couldn't seem to move.
"Can I see your face," he heard himself say. "Before I go."
When she didn't respond, he reached out and ran his hand down the fabric that covered her head and trailed down her shoulders. "I have to see what you look like or you're going to haunt my days."
He had a feeling she was going to do that anyway.
"I . . ." Her voice trembled. "I do not know."
iAm nodded and felt like an asshole. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business." He gave in to an impulse and bowed at the waist to her, as if she were so much more than a servant. "Thank you again."
Pivoting, he strode through the open doorway.
"Tomorrow night," she blurted. "Will you meet me?"
He froze, one foot in and one foot out of the Territory. "Where."
"I do not know. Somewhere. Some . . . how."
iAm frowned, and thought of where he'd found Trez on the mountain between the s'Hisbe and the symphath colony. That cabin still had to be there; the damn thing had been a hundred years old when Trez had taken shelter in it.
And shit knew Rehv wasn't using it anymore.
"Do you know Black Snake Mountain?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"Halfway up the east side, on the Lightning Strike trailhead, there's a cabin. I'll get there first and light a fire inside. You can dematerialize from here and find the light. Meet me there at midnight."
He could imagine her chewing on her lower lip as she hemmed and hawed.
"I will never hurt you," he vowed.
"I know."
"I have to go." He stared at her so hard, trying to see under those robes. "Think about it. I'll be there and I'll wait an hour. If you don't make it, I totally understand."
She wasn't "important" in the eyes of the s'Hisbe, but still, females were right to b
e cautious, no matter their station when it came to leaving the Territory.
Especially if they had no relative power.
"Good-bye," he said before turning away and falling into a jog.
Moments later, when he dematerialized, he knew he was never going to see her again. And yet, even though that was all but a given, he was going to be at that place on the mountain tomorrow evening.
On time.
Guess even cynical virgins like him had romantic streaks.
*
When Trez and Selena finally made it out of the downstairs lavatory, it was a helluva lot later than midnight. In fact, as he checked his phone, he was surprised to find that it was three a.m. They'd blown a good three hours in there.
He couldn't think of a better way to pass the damn time.
People had obviously started to come home for the day, voices drifting out of the billiards room.
". . . rounds of bullets!" Hollywood was saying. "Like it was raining lead!"
"My poor mobile clinic." Manny's tone was less than enthusiastic. "Maiden voyage and look what happened to the goddamn thing."
Well, at least those two had gotten home safely. Jesus, he hadn't even thought about them, and how egocentric was that?
"And this asshole tells me there are no police," V cut in. "For the evac. Unbelievable--I walked into a convention of those badges."
Trez put his arm around Selena. "You want to join the party?"
"We need to tell our part!"
Kissing her on the forehead, he led her across the foyer and through the archway into the land of pool tables, sofas, and a wide-screen big enough to host a drive-in movie.
"Check it, we made CNN," someone said as that TV flared to life.
Sure enough, up on the tremendous screen, security cam footage of the Mercedes going Die Hard through that lobby was on an endless loop. Then came a statement from a police officer who was involved in the chase. And a witness from somewhere or another.
Trez nodded a hello to Rhage and Manny. Lifted his palm to V and Butch. Sidled up with his female next to Z and Bella.
"Lot of coverage," somebody else said ruefully.
"Shit," someone else answered.
Even Selena's excitement got dialed down quickly, as if seeing for herself what everything looked like made it all very real.
When the vestibule's inner door was opened, Trez was dimly aware of a cold draft shooting into the room. And then a moment later, a hand landed on his shoulder.
As he twisted around, iAm was behind him.
"Oh, hey, man." He went to embrace his brother, only to recoil. "What the fuck is that smell?"