by I. T. Lucas
Sprawled on the bed, his arms folded under his head, Peter turned to look at the painting. “No wonder hooking up is the number one pastime activity here. They have nothing else to do. I have to admit, though, that it’s better than the sinkhole of Facebook or watching some dumb shows on the tube.”
Eleanor flipped the chair around and straddled it. “They have a decent library, but the fiction section is small and outdated. Same goes for the movie they are projecting in the common room tonight. It’s about Gandhi. Talk about yawn.”
Peter turned on his side. “I bet no one is watching it, and the movie is an excuse to dim the lights. I can just imagine what all those horny perverts are doing on those couches in the dark.”
She arched a brow. “Speaking of horny pervs, how come you haven’t hooked up with anyone yet?”
“Did you see the selection? I have standards. Admittedly, they are not overly high, but still.”
“I thought that you were into the nurse.”
“Nah. Her ass is fine, but the woman is annoying.”
Eleanor rolled her eyes. “Everyone here is so freaking annoying. A bunch of brainwashed losers one and all.”
“That’s a bit harsh.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Ignore me. I’m antsy because the gym here is a joke, and I can’t train like I’m used to. I need to release excess energy through physical activity.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew Peter was going to twist them into something sexual.
“I know a perfect remedy for that, and you could have unlimited doses of it. I’ve seen the looks you are getting.”
She’d gotten a few interested glances, but no one had dared to approach her, which was precisely why she was affecting her don’t-mess-with-me expression, or 'resting bitch face' as some liked to call it. After a lifetime of practice, she didn’t even need to think about it. It came naturally.
“I might not be mated, but I have a boyfriend.” She got up and walked to the door. “What’s keeping Leon? I hope he didn’t forget that we are waiting for him. If he's gotten busy with Anastasia, he might not come here tonight at all.” Opening the door a crack, she peeked into the corridor. “Should I go to his room and knock to remind him?”
“Give him a few more minutes.”
“No need.” She let out a breath. “He’s coming.”
“It’s a go,” Leon said as he entered the room. “Anastasia agreed to the plan.”
“About time.” Peter got out of bed. “What do I tell Turner?”
“We went over this already. He needs to give Anastasia’s father a heads up, arrange for a fake hospitalization record, and then call the Safe Haven office. We will need transportation from the train station, and he can leave all the details in a text message on my phone.”
“While we were waiting for you, I thought of something.” Peter smoothed his hand over his goatee. “Maybe the keep is not the best place to take Anastasia. Keeping her in one of those underground apartments is not going to be the vacation she has in mind, and with how suspicious she is, she will think that you are holding her prisoner there.”
“Where else can I take her? A hotel?”
“What about that cabin that you and Bowen took Vlad and Wendy to? It’s secluded, romantic, and it’s not too far away from the keep in case you need to drive her to the clinic.”
“That’s actually a great idea.” Leon flicked his gaze to Eleanor. “What do you think?”
“If you have romance on your mind, then a cabin is a much better choice than the underground. Is it nice?”
He nodded.
“Then you should take her there.” She walked over to Peter and threaded her arm through his. “Let’s call Turner and tell him to stock the cabin with lots of wine.”
Peter looked surprised. “You want to come?”
“Of course. Leon said that Guardians should always work in pairs. You need a wingman, or in my case, a wing-woman.”
“Glad to have you with me.”
Leon followed them outside. “I need to get back to Anastasia. We will talk again in the morning about what Turner had to say.”
“Should I wake you up tomorrow?” Eleanor asked. “Or are you going to come to Peter’s room?”
“I’ll come here.”
“I don’t think that you should be doing anything naughty with her tonight, but I know that you’re not going to listen to me.”
“I don’t have a choice. She wouldn’t understand why I’m refusing her, and would get upset. That’s a risk I can’t and don’t want to take.”
“Then at least use protection.”
“Way ahead of you. I got a supply of them this morning when I stopped by the nurse’s office.”
52
Anastasia
When the door closed behind Sam, Ana let out a breath and braced her elbow on her knee and her chin on her fist.
Had she done the right thing?
Her gut said yes, but her brain disagreed. She didn’t know him, and everything he’d told her might have been a big fat lie.
It wasn’t too late to change her mind.
She could run after him into Devlin’s room and tell them that everything was off. But she wasn’t going to do that.
Three months ago, she’d made a decision to change the trajectory of her life and find her place in the world. Going to the retreat hadn’t been an impulsive move. After reading an article about Safe Haven, she’d checked out their website, and their message resonated with her. But she hadn’t applied right away, taking several months to gather the courage to fill out the application.
Changes scared her.
Surprisingly though, the decision to join the community after graduating from the retreat had been easier.
Perhaps she’d been flattered by the invitation to join, her competitive side responding to being one of only two who’d gotten invited out of a group of over eighty attendees. Or maybe it was because she’d had help deciding and hadn’t had to do it on her own in a social vacuum.
During the retreat, she’d been surrounded by supportive people, had gotten to know Margaret, and had befriended others as well. They had helped her realize that Safe Haven was where she belonged, at least for now.
Naturally, she had her doubts; some of the rules didn’t make sense to her, and the way everyone worshiped Emmett was just weird, but Ana felt at home at Safe Haven. If the only two options were staying in the community or going back to her old life, choosing Safe Haven was a no brainer.
But then Sam had arrived and offered her a third choice.
Just like giving the retreat a try had been a good choice, going away with Sam for a week might be a good way to test drive a new experience and see if it was right for her.
The main difference was that this time she hadn’t had months to mull over her decision, and perhaps that was why she was so rattled.
Her father’s involvement was also a problem. Ana would have preferred not to use him as an excuse because he might introduce another unpredictable variable into the experiment. But there were no other relatives she could ask to call the office with a medical emergency and request her presence.
If no one checked, she would have opted for inventing a grandparent or a sibling with a life-threatening condition, but Ana was quite sure that someone would verify the story.
Emmett ran a tight ship, and she wanted to make sure that the door to Safe Haven remained open for her.
After all, the one-week vacation was going to be just an experiment, and even if she decided to leave the community, it wouldn’t happen right away. She needed to make plans, decide whether she would finish her law degree, and figure out what she was going to do with the rest of her life.
The outside world seemed a lot less scary now that she’d gotten confirmation that the voices in her head were real and that she didn’t have a mental disorder. Ana felt more optimistic about her future prospects.
Heck, who was she kidding?
She wasn’t l
ooking forward to reentering society. Ana wanted to spend time with Sam and have as much sex with him as was humanly possible in a week.
Besides, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure about the voices being real. What if she’d heard that conversation somewhere without consciously registering it?
The chances of that were small, but still, it was a possibility she couldn’t sweep under the rug and pretend that it didn’t exist.
Perhaps during the time she was going to spend with Sam, she would hear more conversations in foreign languages that he would be able to translate for her. The more proof she could get of the voices being real, the better.
As she imagined herself spending seven days of twenty-four-seven with him, a smile tugged on Ana’s lips. They would probably never leave the bed.
In fact, she shouldn’t waste time, and must take advantage of every moment. Her gaze landing on the scarf still clutched in her hand, Ana’s smile got wider. Sam was in for a nice surprise when he returned from talking with Devlin.
53
Leon
The last thing Leon had expected as he opened the door to his room was to find Anastasia in his bed, the scarf tied around her eyes, and the comforter pulled up to just below her naked breasts.
“Surprise.” Her voice was breathy, and given the strong aroma of her arousal, she had started without him.
“Have you been naughty?” He hit the light switch and toed off his shoes.
“What do you mean?” She pretended innocence.
Sitting on the bed next to her, he cupped her center over the comforter. “You’ve been playing with yourself, haven’t you?”
She squirmed. “I was bored.”
He pressed the heel of his hand over the juncture of her thighs, eliciting a stifled moan. “Do you always do that when you are bored?”
“Only when I’m waiting for a guy with ninja skills to come back and do that for me.”
Chuckling, he dipped his head and kissed one puckered nipple. “Tell me, Anastasia. What were you fantasizing about when your fingers were dancing over your clit? Were you thinking of me?” He licked around it and then pulled it between his lips.
“Uh-huh.”
He released the nipple and blew air on it. “That’s not an answer. I want to hear what you were thinking about.”
Blushing, she shook her head. “I can’t tell you.”
“Then it must have been something really naughty.”
What could it be?
Anastasia enjoyed bondage, so maybe her imagination had gone a little deeper into the game.
Only one way to find out.
Flipping the comforter off her, he stilled for a moment to feast his eyes on her.
She reached blindly for it, grabbing his leg instead. “Give it back. I’m cold.”
“You won’t be in a moment.” He pulled her up and over his thighs.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to guess what gets you all hot and bothered.” He slapped one cheek lightly, and then did the same to the other.
When she didn’t protest, he did it again, a little harder this time, but those were still just love taps. He was incapable of going deeper into the game even if she wanted him to. “Was that what you were fantasizing about?” He rubbed her gorgeous bottom.
Anastasia didn’t answer, but her body did. The scent of her arousal flared, filling his nostrils and causing his shaft to push against his jeans and his fangs to punch out over his lower lip.
He gave her a few more taps before dipping a finger between her legs.
She jerked her hips up.
“You’re so wet for me, beautiful.”
Lifting her head, Anastasia turned her face to him as if she could see him through the blindfold. “What are you going to do about it?” she teased.
He pushed two fingers inside her. “Fuck you senseless.”
Her breath hitched, but she didn’t back down. “When?”
The combination of sassy and submissive was sexy as hell.
“When I’m good and ready.” Pulling his fingers out, Leon delivered a volley of light smacks to her upturned ass and then flipped her on her back. “Spread your legs for me.”
She obeyed the command, parting her legs no more than a hand width.
Evidently, Anastasia needed some more spanking to get into a more obedient mood.
Whipping his shirt over his head, Leon shucked his pants and undershorts, and then climbed onto the bed. Gripping both her legs, he folded them up to her chest.
He’d intended to deliver a few more smacks, but the view was just too tempting to resist taking a taste.
Leaning down, he licked into her, and his eyes rolled back in his head. “So fucking tasty.” He folded his tongue, turning it into a spear, and pushed it in as far as it would go.
As her sheath fluttered around his tongue, she arched her back and let out a hoarse moan. Was that enough to make her orgasm?
Replacing his tongue with two fingers, he licked around her clit, and when her sheath convulsed and squeezed his fingers, he closed his lips around it and sucked.
Anastasia threw her head back and released a sound that was something between a roar and a moan.
“My sweet tigress.” He kissed her center before sliding up and positioning his shaft at her entrance.
Taking her mouth, he surged into her with one powerful thrust, and this time, he glided in with ease. The fit was perfect.
Anastasia wrapped her arms around him, holding him to her. “How can you be so perfect for me?”
Good question. He had a feeling that the Fates had something to do with it.
Anastasia was perfect for him as well, and what’s more, he hadn’t even known that she was precisely what he wanted and needed. She pushed all of his buttons, making him feel more alive than he’d felt in centuries.
54
Eleanor
By the time Eleanor and Peter got to the office, they’d developed a system. She would go first, compelling her victim to give them the information they needed, and then Peter would make them forget that they had ever interacted with her.
The first staff member she’d compelled to tell them where the office was, had forgotten to mention that they would need a keycard to enter Safe Haven’s administrative wing, and they’d had to repeat the process with another staff member.
Eleanor had compelled the woman to open the door, and Peter had thralled her to forget that she’d ever seen them, sending her on her way without the keycard. They’d kept it in case the inner offices were locked as well, and it had been a smart decision.
The first door they tried was locked.
Eleanor pulled out the keycard. “They are probably monitoring who goes where with these. I hope that Libby is allowed in this office.” She swiped the card and pushed the door open.
Peter entered the room. “She won’t remember us, so it’s her problem.”
“We are in luck. We found a phone.” Eleanor walked over to the desk and picked up the receiver. “We are out of luck. The damn thing is locked.”
“We need to find an office with someone in it or go back and get a hold of a staff member who knows the code.” Peter was already heading out.
“Wait. I can try the computer.”
“Don’t waste your time. If the phone is locked, so is the desktop.”
“Right.” She followed him out.
“I hope someone is working late.” Peter tried four more doors before finding one that was unlocked.
“Can I help you?” The startled guy rose to his feet.
“Sit down,” Eleanor commanded and then waited until his butt hit the chair. “Don’t move a muscle or open your mouth unless I tell you to.”
Peter gazed at her with an amused appreciation in his eyes. “I love seeing you in action. You are so delightfully bitchy.”
She flipped him the finger and then turned to the guy. “What’s your name?”
“Ted.”
“Hi, Ted.” She affect
ed a pleasant tone. “What is the procedure if someone needs to leave this place in a rush for a family emergency? For example, if someone’s father is in a hospital?”
“The request needs to be approved by Emmett.”
“Does he usually approve those requests?”
“Yes.”
“Good to know. What happens after the approval is granted?”
“We drive the person to the train station.”
“In a car?”
“Only Emmett has one, and we are not allowed to use it. They will be taken in the bus.”
“The same one that collected us from the station?”
“One of the two we have.”
Eleanor turned to Peter. “Anything else that you want to ask Ted before calling Turner?”
“That will do for now.”
Eleanor turned to the guy. “Thank you so much for providing the information we asked for. Now, please unlock the phone and hand it to my friend.” She grinned at Peter. “I can be polite when I want to.”
He took the handset from the guy and pulled the base toward him. “I like it better when you are bitchy.”
Hopefully, he wasn’t flirting with her. So far, they had established a friendly working relationship, and she liked both Peter and Leon as buddies and perhaps future fellow Guardians. It would be a shame if Peter spoiled the good thing they had going by coming on to her.
Peter leaned down and looked into Ted’s eyes. “You are feeling drowsy. In a moment, you are going to close your eyes and fall asleep. You will wake up when I tell you, and not before.” He wiggled his fingers. “Sweet dreams, Ted.”
The guy slumped in his chair and started snoring.
Leaning against the desk with his back to Ted, Peter dialed the number Turner had them memorize and put the call on speaker.
“Good evening,” Turner answered right away. “Who am I speaking with?”
“It’s Peter. Eleanor is right here with me. I’ll give you the Spark Notes version of what’s going on. Our dear Anastasia is an immune and a potential Dormant. Leon confirmed that the voices she hears are real by translating a conversation in a language she’d never heard before. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he hooked up with her without using protection, and she might enter transition, which means that we need to get her out of here pronto.”