by Scott, K. M.
The question was: was she ready for the answers Thane would most likely give?
Arranging the dates on a small platter, she couldn’t stop her mind from racing once again. Had these two women meant something to Vasilije? Did he love them? Until just a few nights ago, he’d never mentioned them, but then again, he’d never mentioned any of his vampires other than Teagan and Brandon. In fact, he’d never mentioned much about his past at all.
Sasa threw the can in the garbage and sat down at the kitchen table. She’d been so caught up in learning how to be a vampire along with being an empath and her feelings for him that she’d never thought to ask him about his past. Everything about Vasilije was so much in the present. When they were alone, what they were together was so overwhelming at times that the past seemed to be nothing compared to whatever she was feeling at that moment.
He had that affect on her. As she popped a date into her mouth, she worried that he’d had that effect on Elizabeth and Delilah too.
*
Thane roamed the streets of Suceava looking for anything to take his mind off of Sasa. What he needed was someone who could make him forget everything she brought out in him. He rarely sought out anything more from humans than blood, and only when he was unable to reach his own kind. He had a handful of vampires he’d sired, and he was loyal to them for everything he needed as a male and as a vampire. But tonight was different. Tonight he wanted to forget, and his vampires couldn’t do that for him. They’d only remind him of who he truly was.
A tiny inn across a dark field beckoned him with the possibility of finding just what he needed. In a flash, he stood in front of a tavern he’d heard Dante speak of in glowing terms as somewhere to find what he wanted. As he entered, local music played and he saw a few of the citizens of the village seated at the bar. It was dark, but as he scanned the room, he didn’t see much to confirm Dante’s boast, unless the youngest Son had a penchant for much older women. The vision of him with one of them flashed through Thane’s mind, making him shiver in disgust.
“If you’re cold, you can come sit by the fire. I promise I won’t bite.”
To his left, Thane saw a young woman seated near the fireplace in the corner of the room. She smiled shyly, and a quick glance at her told him to take her up on her offer. He walked toward her and studied the woman he would spend the night with. Pale white skin and black hair made her look like one of his kind, but he knew instantly she was human. As he sat down, he saw beautiful green eyes staring back at him. Dante had been right.
“How do you do? My name is Thane.”
Her smile grew larger. “How do you do? You sound like you’re a time traveler from a distant land. I can’t remember the last time I heard someone say that.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I’m old-fashioned.”
The woman patted his thigh. “Don’t be sorry. I think it’s nice. Nobody has manners anymore.”
“Then I guess you won’t mind sitting a while with a relic?” he joked.
Shaking her head, she giggled. “No. I think it would be nice. I’m Stefania, but you can call me Stef.”
Thane reached out to shake her hand and immediately noticed how small it seemed in his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Stef.”
“I like your accent. What is it? I want to say English, but it sounds like there’s something else in there.”
“I am English, but I’ve been a lot of places in this world, so I’m sure I’ve picked up something in each place.”
“I’ve never been anywhere else but here. It must be so great to see the world.”
“It has its ups and downs.”
As she probed him on the various places he’d visited in his travels, Thane couldn’t help but compare her to Sasa. The truth was no matter how attractive this woman was, she wasn’t the one he wanted. A bigger truth was that he didn’t care if Sasa was another man’s woman. Somehow, without him knowing it, she’d made him fall in love with her, and he didn’t want to fight it anymore.
As he wrestled with his feelings, Stef continued to talk sweetly about something, and he politely nodded from time to time, not wanting to hurt her feelings. It wasn’t her fault he wanted to be somewhere else with someone else.
“I’m boring you, aren’t I?”
Damn. He’d been caught daydreaming. “Excuse me?”
“You look like you’re a million miles away.”
Sheepishly, Thane forced a smile. “I’m sorry. My mind is elsewhere tonight.”
“It’s a girl, isn’t it?”
Fuck. Was it that obvious? No wonder Ramiel had given him a hard time about being all moony-eyed just two nights ago. This thing with Sasa was making him look like a lovesick puppy. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Stef took his hands in hers and squeezed softly. “It’s not rude to be thinking of someone. I understand. Who is she?”
Thane shook his head. “No one.”
“Your face says something different. I’m guessing she’s not a no one to you.”
Leaning up against the bricks of the fireplace, he stretched his legs out in front of him, easing the tension from them, and folded his arms across his chest. “It doesn’t matter. It’s nothing that can be anyway.”
“That’s some body language you have going on there, Thane. All blocked off and negative. Why don’t you tell me about it? Sometimes it helps to get things off your chest. I’m a pretty good listener, and you look like a nice guy. Maybe I can help you figure things out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out. You said it all when you called me a nice guy. That’s the problem.”
He knew that wasn’t the crux of the problem. Sasa being in love with another man and that man being a possessive fuck was. But he felt like feeling sorry for himself for a minute.
Stef wasn’t going to let him off that easy, though. “Being a nice guy is never a problem. Women love nice guys, no matter what we say. We claim to want the bad boy, but those guys never take out the garbage or change babies in the middle of the night. No, I doubt your problem is that you’re a nice guy. Anyway, you look badass enough to carry nice off.”
Her description of him make him chuckle. “Thanks. I’ve had my moments, but it’s been a long time since I thought of myself as badass.”
Looking him over, Stef smiled. “You’re built like a giant. I actually considered not speaking to you you’re so big. Whatever you may think you are, you’re badass. Maybe you’re just a sweet badass.”
“Sweet badass, huh? Is this some new strain of badass?”
Giggling, she said, “Well, let’s call it a new species of badass. The Thane Badass. Big and bad on the outside, but sweet on the inside. How’s that sound?”
He smiled, thankful for her effort. “Pretty damn lame, but thanks.”
“So does this lady know you feel something for her, or are you suffering in silence? I think you look like the long suffering in silence type.”
“She and I can’t be, so there’s no point in saying anything.”
“So this is some serious pining you’ve got going on. We women wonder if this actually occurs with men.”
Inhaling, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Just the nice ones.”
“Let me guess. She’s with some asshole and he treats her pretty bad.”
Thane nodded. “Yup.”
Stef leaned back against the bricks and threw her hands up in the air. “Well, there’s just one thing that can be done. You have to tell her.”
That couldn’t happen. Sure, he probably could kick Vasilije’s ass and Terek’s, who would probably help his close friend out. Ramiel might help him if things got bad. Fuck, what the hell was he thinking? These were the men he had to stand side by side with against the Archons and he was figuring out the logistics of knocking Vasilije senseless and stealing his girlfriend.
“No way. Too much bad could happen if I did that. Nope. I just have to deal with this like a badass would.”
Stef leaned over and qui
etly said, “So you plan to just throw her over your shoulder and steal her away?”
“A sweet badass.”
“Oh, so you just plan to suffer while you watch her stay with another man. I get it.”
That was pretty much it. Vasilije would eventually leave her. Thane was sure of it. But until then, he had no move. He was stuck in the friend zone.
A group of people came through the door and sat down a few tables away. One of the females waved over toward Stef, and she turned toward him. “My friends are here. You can hang out with us, or you can continue silently pining.”
The idea of staying was no better than being alone in his room at the monastery, but he shook his head and stood up to leave. “I better get going anyway. Thanks for the chat.”
Stef looked up at him and smiled. “I thought so, but think about it this way. Nothing lasts forever. Maybe you were just meant to wait for your lady.”
“Maybe.”
By the time he reached the monastery, Thane was ready to accept what Stef had said as truth. If waiting was he needed to do, then waiting it would be. If Vasilije was bringing Elizabeth and Delilah home, it probably wouldn’t be a long wait.
That thought put a smile on his face, but as quickly as it made him happy, he thought about how devastated Sasa would be once Vasilije showed his true colors and suddenly he felt like shit again. What he needed to do was go to his room and do some work. That would take his mind off Sasa and everything she made him want to do. And the next time Ramiel bitched about needing a few hours away from researching the prophecy, he needed to ignore him. Time off was only making things worse.
He looked in as he passed the study but saw no one. Probably better that way. In fact, maybe he should just avoid Sasa for a while. He’d need to see her at the Sons meetings, but if he could hide out for a while under the guise of doing work, they’d all be better off.
“Thane? Can we talk?”
So much for avoiding her.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw her standing at the door of the study, and when he turned to answer, she was looking up at him with the sweetest look on her face. God, she was killing him!
“Can it wait? I was just about to go up to my room.”
Nice. Just how a friend should act.
She dropped her gaze toward the floor and hunched her shoulders. “Oh. Okay. It’s no big deal.”
Only an asshole would think it wasn’t a big deal. Since he wasn’t an asshole, he couldn’t say no just because he wanted to go upstairs and wallow in his own misery. Damn. Being a nice guy was going to get him in trouble.
“No, it’s okay. What’s up?”
He followed Sasa into the study and sat down across the desk from her. She looked like she had something serious on her mind but wasn’t sure how to approach him about it. Suddenly, his gut tightened at the thought of what she was about to say.
“Thane, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the two vampires Vasilije plans to bring here, Elizabeth and Delilah.”
A dozen nights flashed through his mind, and none of it was what Sasa wanted to hear. He’d seen Vasilije’s favorite females do things that could make him blush. Delilah was as vicious as a viper, and Elizabeth was the purest hedonist he’d ever seen, possibly even outdoing Vasilije in her pursuit of pleasure. No orgy of his was complete unless those two were there, and they were usually with him. Elizabeth had never been much for settling down with her sire, but Delilah was a different story. She’d hated even the male favorites of his. Thane could only imagine what she’d do when she saw Vasilije with Sasa.
What was he supposed to say? That Elizabeth had been Vasilije’s fuck partner in crime at those orgies, or that Delilah had never accepted his leaving her? That unless each of them had found religion, they’d be a real problem living under the same roof as the sire they both adored?
He couldn’t do that. So he lied. “I know them to see them, but I wouldn’t worry about it. He says they can help us get into the Archon offices, so we’ll all be working on where they can best help us.”
Sasa seemed to like this answer, and Thane wondered if after the Sons defeated the Archons if he might get involved in politics since he was such a complete liar. Thankfully, the two females would be spending time with all the Sons at the monastery, not just Vasilije. With any luck, he’d be able to direct Elizabeth toward Dante. He was always up for a good time. And maybe Ramiel could find something to do with Delilah. They were close in temperament, and if they didn’t kill one another, maybe he could keep her away from Vasilije for most of her free time.
“What do they look like?”
Like the kind of women who seduce men away from their wives and girlfriends.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen them. But I don’t remember them as any more noteworthy than anyone else,” he lied.
Sasa wrinkled her forehead and raised her eyebrows at his vague description. She wasn’t buying this. “Noteworthy? I know you’re lying, Thane. No one describes women as noteworthy. You sound like a politician.”
Just then the phone rang, and he thanked the heavens for saving him. As Sasa spoke to whomever was on the other end, a tiny frown settled into her features.
“Oh, okay. You’ll be back soon?” she asked.
The voice on the other end said something Thane couldn’t understand, and Sasa turned away and whispered, “I hoped you’d…” Whoever she was speaking to must have finished her sentence because she stopped speaking and then simply hung up the phone.
When she turned back to face him, Thane saw she was upset even before he heard the sadness in her voice. “That was Vasilije. He’ll be bringing Elizabeth and Delilah back on Saturday.”
The unspoken question hung in the air. What would take five nights to get two women here?
Thane had no answer she wanted to hear. If he stayed in that room, he’d end up saying something that would hurt her, so he just nodded and silently left her sitting behind her sire’s desk.
For three nights, Thane didn’t see Sasa. He didn’t know where she was, but some part of him was thankful to not see her. He couldn’t stand to watch unhappiness smother her and nothing he could say would help. To see those soft brown eyes so sad was too much to bear.
He thought about her, but he couldn’t fix what he knew was troubling her, so it was better off this way. Ramiel had become a slave driver after they’d had some success with Kali on Wednesday, so his time was taken up with other things. By the time Friday night came, he felt sure he could avoid her until Vasilije came back the next night.
It was four a.m. by the time they finished working for the night, and all Thane wanted was his bed. After nearly five hundred years as a vampire, Friday night was nothing more than just another night. Dante had somehow convinced Sion and Kali to go out, and as Thane made his way up to his room, he smiled at the idea of Sion having a good time. If anyone could get him to relax, it was those two.
Stripping down, he slid into a pair of flannel pajama pants and remembered how Sasa had given him them as a surprise present after he’d complained about the Romanian weather and the draftiness of the monastery. The memory made him smile as he laid his head onto the pillow and drifted off to sleep.
A banging at his door woke him up, and he sat upright in bed, unsure how long he’d been asleep. He listened for the sound again, but nothing came. He waited, and just as he began to lay back onto the bed, it happened again. Scrubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he made his way to the door and opened it to see Sasa standing there. Her eyes, normally so soft and kind, raged with a look he’d never seen in them before.
“Sasa, what’s wrong?” he asked, half expecting her to say that fuck of a boyfriend of hers had done something. He’d have to wake up quickly if he was going to pound the living shit out of Vasilije anytime soon.
When she finally spoke, her voice was ragged and edgy. Not like her at all. “I’m hungry. I don’t know who to turn to. I’ve never hunted. Vasilije always feeds me, but h
e’s not here.”
There, in the darkness, she looked up at him needing what he could give her. Even if he wanted to turn her away, he couldn’t. But he didn’t want to. He wanted to know what her lips would feel like on his skin. He craved the sensation of her fangs sinking into his vein, drawing his blood into her mouth, into her body.
Without a word, he led her into his room toward the bed. She clutched his hand as if she feared he would let her go without giving her what she needed. When he released it to allow her to sit, a tiny whimper escaped from her throat, and as he sat down next to her, he held his arm out toward her. “I won’t let you suffer, Sasa. Take what you need.”
How much he wished she would be at his neck, her lips gently pressed against his skin as he listened to the sound of her soft breathing so close to his ear, but he didn’t feel right taking advantage of her. She was a vampire carelessly abandoned by her sire, but Vasilije would be back.
Her hands tenderly held his forearm as her mouth sought out his wrist, and with one sharp push, she drew first blood from him. The feeling was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. He’d fantasized about how her lips would feel against his skin, but their softness was more than he’d even dreamed possible. She was ravenous but gentle as she took his blood inside her.
The desire to take her into his arms and pull her against his chest nearly overwhelmed him, and he closed his eyes to conceal his longing for her. She was so close. He wanted to taste her lips on his, to be inside her as she fed from him. To shelter her from everything she feared so she had someone who loved her to depend on.
She took what he offered, never once hesitating as she satisfied her hunger. With each tug on his vein, he grew more excited, wanting more than to just be a friend helping another in need. He wanted her in his bed, his to satisfy every night until she fell asleep wanting for nothing. He wanted to worship her as she deserved, a goddess beside him.
As Sasa fed, he let the fantasy of her being his take over…
He’d waited so long and tonight she was finally here with him giving herself to him as he’d dreamed of so many days. Dressed in her usual sweater and jeans, she looked like the sexiest woman he’d ever seen as she lay beneath him, her gentle eyes wide with uncertainty as she looked up at him. He knew what she feared. It didn’t matter. None of it did. Whatever came at them, he’d protect her.