Revealed

by Zoe Allison

  She paused. That did sound plausible. But Hayden had asked about her before? “Quizzing you again?” she said.

  He took a deep breath. “Amber and Hayden have been making assumptions about the two of us—and so has Priyanka.”

  The two of us?

  “Anyway,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I had told them before that we were just friends. Then after last night…I did not know what to think. It was too soon to discuss, so I played it down.”

  She stared at him.

  “I am sorry,” he said, regret in his eyes. “I did not mean for you to hear, and I can appreciate that it sounded hurtful. It was not intended to be so.”

  Vic tried to process her thoughts. “So…when I told you that getting me in to see Angelique was the least you could do after the way you treated me, why did that convince you? If you hadn’t done anything wrong?”

  He glanced down. “Because I had done wrong.”

  “In what way?” she asked, frowning.

  Vale met her eyes. “I should not have kissed you in my office. You were injured and it was unprofessional. I took advantage of you.”

  She shook her head. “I wanted you to kiss me. You asked, and I said yes.”

  He glanced away. “I still should not have done it. And I should have been stronger last night and let you recover fully before letting you decide if that was what you wanted.” He sighed and met her gaze.

  “My injury is beside the point,” she told him. “I knew what I wanted, and I took it. It was my decision. You did nothing wrong.”

  He appeared relieved, letting out a big breath.

  “So…” she paused, trying to gather her thoughts and figure out what all that meant. “What do you think? About us, I mean?”

  He swallowed. “I have been trying not to think about it.”

  “Why?” she said. “Because you aren’t sure if you even like me?”

  He shook his head. “No. I am very sure of that. It is because…I am worried about how much I like you.”

  A weird feeling came over her, an unfathomable mix of relief, guilt and confusion. He likes me? And he’s concerned by how much? She didn’t know what to say. “But… what about all that stuff with Priyanka? If you really are just in a working relationship, then why is your hierarchy so off?”

  Vale frowned and clenched his hands.

  She tilted her head, studying him. “You know things that she doesn’t, and yet she doesn’t seem to mind. Often it’s you calling the shots instead of her, and she still doesn’t mind. You know that the biggest traitor to The Organization is secretly locked in a prison, but your immediate boss has no clue and thinks she’s dead?” She paused. “You even managed to get me access at the drop of a hat—and I’m not even high ranking.” She watched his demeanor. He had an anxious expression and it appeared that he was holding his breath.

  Everything suddenly slotted together, all the pieces of the jigsaw fitting perfectly and showing a picture so obvious that she could hardly believe she hadn’t realized before now. Or maybe subconsciously, she had.

  “That’s why,” she said slowly. “Why you take responsibility for absolutely everything, blame yourself for everything. Why you always have this invisible weight on your shoulders.” She took a step toward him, examining his face in detail. “Why you carry such psychological tension and pain.” The anxiety on his face seemed to be melting, giving way to relief, as she spoke his innermost struggles out loud. “You haven’t even been able to tell your own sister and best friend, have you?”

  He took a deep breath. “I need you to say it.”

  “You’re him,” she said. “You’re Mr. X.”

  Suddenly Vale closed the gap between them, slipping his hands behind her head and bringing his mouth down on hers. He kissed her with a deep abandon, which conveyed that the revelation was no longer something he was attempting to hide from her but something he had an overwhelming relief at her knowing. She sensed a profound and still-strengthening connection to him, as though she understood him better than anybody else in the world. Her heart rate rocketed as that emotional fusion combined with desperate desire.

  Vic wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer, and he circled her waist so tightly that they slotted together like two pieces of their very own jigsaw.

  His kiss was just starting to make her lightheaded when he paused to breathe against her mouth. “I’m so glad you know.”

  “Me too,” she murmured.

  He kissed her again, sliding his tongue against hers and stoking the desire that was building to an intolerable level. A deep ache grew low in her belly. She needed to touch him. She pulled at his shirt until it came over his head, running her fingers over the toned contours of his chest and back. “The bedroom?” she breathed against his lips.

  He lifted her T-shirt over her head, his eyes dark with need. “No.” He backed her a couple of steps to the couch and sank them both into it. She was hyperaware of the weight of him pressing her into the cushions and the heat of his mouth on her skin as he tore off the remainder of her clothing. Despite the speed at which it was unfolding, it still didn’t feel fast enough for her. She grabbed at the material of his jeans desperately, forcing them down. She had no idea whether she managed to get them fully off or not before he was inside her and they were moving their bodies together urgently, slaking a deep, all-consuming need.

  Vic dragged her fingertips down his back and dug them into the ripple of his muscles, urging him deeper. The sensations were so fierce that she felt she was losing her grip on reality. He lifted his head to look into her eyes, his caramel gaze intense as he slowed his movements, creating waves that built and built throughout her body until her senses blurred into one incredible mass of pleasure. Their surroundings seem to drift away until all she was aware of was Vale. Nothing else and nobody else mattered except the two of them, in the moment together. She heard herself call out as if it were someone else, and sensed his breath becoming ragged against her cheek until it culminated in him groaning her name.

  She held him tightly as the waves of their climax gradually slowed, along with their breathing. He sank his weight onto her, burying his face into her neck.

  They lay in silence for a while and she appreciated the feel of his relaxed body as she held him securely against her. He rested his cheek on her chest, tangling his fingers into her hair and rubbing strands of it over his fingertips.

  “You feel okay after that revelation?” she asked him.

  His breath sighed against her skin. “Absolutely.”

  She smiled. “I think this is the most relaxed I’ve ever known you.”

  He laughed, the sound vibrating from his chest into hers. “It’s the most relaxed I have felt in a long time…perhaps ever.” He lifted his head and met her gaze. “You’re good for me.”

  A light, warm feeling filled her chest as he traced his fingers along her cheek. She was falling for him, but it was too soon to admit that.

  He leaned down to kiss her gently and she lifted her hand to run her fingers through his hair. She sighed.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. There was something different about his voice, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what.

  She smiled. “I just remembered that we’re part of a covert organization who are under attack from an evil league, risking our exposure to the world and probably resulting in certain death.”

  He laughed. “Yes, I just remembered that too.” He bent his head to kiss her again, at first just a light touch of his lips, then a deeper, more searching contact. She felt she was losing her grip on reality again. She tangled her fingers into his hair, trying to forget that they really needed to get dressed and get to work.

  Eventually, she broke away. “We should go back in.”

  Vale sighed and uncharacteristically cursed under his breath.

  She raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never heard you use that language before.”

  He shrugged. “There’s never been a situation t
hat called for it as much before.”

  She laughed. “Really? Not the numerous times you’ve been in battle facing unspeakable peril? And you even just used a contraction!”

  He grinned, his whole demeanor more lighthearted, despite the grave situation they and The Organization faced. “This is much more important, and the stakes are higher,” he told her.

  She kissed his cheek. “What are the stakes?”

  His expression settled on a more serious tone. “My heart.”

  Her own heart picked up its pace a considerable degree. She wanted to make a meaningful statement in return, but her mouth had gone too dry. Then he kissed her again and the moment was lost.

  “Okay,” he sighed. “I suppose we had better get dressed.”

  “Yeah,” she said. Still neither of them moved, and both laughed.

  Vic stroked his face. “You seem different somehow.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Different?”

  “Yeah. No more tension,” she said.

  “You mean I’m less formal?” he grinned.

  She smiled. “Yeah, exactly. You even sound different in some way.”

  “I feel different, to be honest with you,” he said. “Carrying that secret around had been a terrible burden, even worse of late. But I never realized to what a huge degree until it was lifted. I feel about two decades younger.”

  Vic grinned. “If you were two decades younger, you’d still be old.”

  “Ooh,” he said, pretending to be pained, “that hurts.”

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll always be here to kiss your pain better.”

  He smiled and rubbed his nose against hers.

  “Are you glad it was me who guessed?” she asked. “Or do you wish one of the others had first?”

  “No,” he whispered, brushing her lips with his. “I’m pleased it was you. I think I wanted it to be and that subconsciously I was giving you clues, hoping you would realize.”

  Hearing that created a warm glow that started in her chest and flowed through her veins right down to her fingertips and the tips of her toes.

  “Priyanka even told me to confide in you,” he said.

  “She did?” Vic asked, a stab of guilt piercing her insides.

  “Yes,” he said. “I think she could tell how I felt about you, perhaps even before I did.”

  That still seemed an alien concept to Victoria. From her point of view, his feelings for her had only just started that day—or the previous night at a push. “I had no idea,” she told him. “I thought you didn’t think of me in that way. You never seemed to see me like that.”

  He frowned. “Really? I’ve always seen you. I thought it was obvious, though I tried to hide it, even from myself.”

  She smiled, feeling that if her grin got any wider, it would crack open her face. Then she remembered what he had just said about Priyanka encouraging him to confide in her. She groaned.

  “What is it?”

  She covered her face with her hand. “Priyanka. I’ve really offended her. I need to apologize.”

  He lifted her hand from her face and kissed her cheek. “She will understand. You did find a very incriminating item in her office, after all.”

  Vic shook her head. “But I let my feelings for you and misunderstanding regarding your relationship color my reaction. I’m not a jealous person, but that’s how I behaved.”

  He frowned. “I hope you don’t think I bring out the worst in you.”

  She smiled. “You bring out the best in everyone, Vale.” Internally, her smile faded. Even the best of her wasn’t good enough for Valentino, but now that she knew his secret, maybe she should tell him hers?

  He kissed her forehead. “Right. I really am getting up now.” He lifted himself off her, then gave her his hand and pulled her to her feet. They both started putting on their respective clothing.

  Vic watched him dress as she lifted her shirt over her head. She wanted him to know. She didn’t want any more barriers between them, but she couldn’t find the words. She imagined his face falling and the look of horror that would appear if she just blurted it out. She couldn’t do it…not right now. She couldn’t risk losing him. Once Harvey was gone, she’d tell him.

  “What’s the plan?” she asked.

  Vale was buttoning up his jeans. “We get back to HQ and start brainstorming. We need to figure out how to head them off at the pass. So, firstly, we need to know where the pass is. Did Angelique tell you anything useful?”

  A stab of panic pierced Vic’s chest at the mention of her name. “Yeah,” she said, as she put back on the last of her clothing. “I managed to get out of her that Moore is amassing an army.”

  Vale frowned. “Like Glassmarsh’s army?”

  “She said it was different this time. It sounds larger-scale and more powerful. I think draining humans en masse within a short time period gives them extra powers.”

  He looked at her. “Like the ability to take on someone’s appearance? Someone you’ve drained?”

  Her eyes widened. “Absolutely.”

  “That explains what we saw in Sydney,” he said.

  “And,” she said, “it explains Erik Weber. One of them took his appearance. The process must be a switch, and that’s why he appeared different facially, because he was wearing someone else’s features in death—those of the vampire who killed him.”

  Vale hesitated, clearly putting two and two together. “And the reason the DNA didn’t match—”

  “Was the mole,” she finished for him, the pieces slotting into place. “Whoever it is falsified our DNA tests that said the Berlin body didn’t match Erik’s DNA. The Berlin lab’s original test was correct. The malevolents just didn’t want us to find out about their face-changing ability.”

  Vale’s eyes widened. “If we find a list of who had access to our labs on that one, it will narrow our search right down.”

  “Yes,” said Vic, relief washing over her. Things were finally going their way.

  “How did you get that information out of Angelique?” Vale asked.

  Vic hesitated, worried about what he would think of her tactics. “I might have threatened her a little bit.”

  Vale raised his eyebrows. “Threatened her? With what?”

  Vic screwed her face up. “With your sister.”

  He looked at her, eyebrows still raised.

  She took in his expression. “Are you angry?”

  He grinned. “Nope.”

  Vic blew out a deep breath and smiled. “Phew.” She kissed his cheek. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  She made to walk toward the door but he caught her arm and drew her back into his body. “Just one more moment.”

  He pressed his lips to hers and Vic immediately lost herself in him. He was all-consuming and she had no control over her emotions or actions when she was in his arms.

  He broke contact to whisper against her mouth. “Can we come back here and carry on where we left off? As soon as this thing is done?”

  The idea of that was wonderful. She smiled. “Absolutely.”

  They reluctantly stepped apart and left the flat hand-in-hand, getting into the elevator. Vic punched in the button for the ground floor and the doors shut. Feeling Vale’s eyes on her, she lifted her gaze to meet his. “What?” she asked.

  He closed the small distance between them and kissed her, pushing her up against the elevator wall. The lift came to a stop and the door opened. Vale smoothly broke off and took her hand to stride out of the door.

  “Bloody hell,” she said. “Cavorting in the elevator? You are a changed man.”

  He smiled. “I hope you liked it.”

  She grinned. “I loved it.”

  They exited and got straight into a waiting car, which pulled away in the direction of HQ.

  Vale lifted out his phone. “I need to call Hayden and Amber. I missed a call earlier, after the US HQ was attacked.”

  Vic felt a pang of guilt. “They’ll be worried.”

&n
bsp; He dialed up Amber’s phone on video call. She picked up. “Where the hell have you been?”

  “Apologies, sorella. I got…carried away with something.” He glanced at Vic.

  Vic raised her eyebrows at him, and he smiled.

  Amber narrowed her eyes. “Oh yeah?”

  Vic decided to weigh in. She leaned toward him so that her face appeared on the screen. “Hey, Amber.”

  Amber appeared surprised. “Vic! How are you?”

  “Great, thanks,” Vic said. Amber nudged someone off camera, Hayden, no doubt.

  Vale pointed the camera back at himself. “You’ll want an update about our situation. Where are you, by the way?” He squinted at the background behind Amber.

  “Never mind that now,” Amber said. “Why are you talking funny? No, don’t answer that. Just tell me what’s going on, for God’s sake. We saw the attack on our US HQ on the news.”

  “Okay,” Vale said. “Here’s a brief overview in a nutshell. Harvey Moore is Glassmarsh’s brother. He is amassing an army with increased powers, the extent of which remains unknown but includes them being able to change their facial appearance to match humans they have drained. It seems as though a single malevolent has to drain hundreds within a few minutes in order to develop these abilities.”

  “Oh,” Vic added, “and the dead human they steal the appearance of takes on the features of that malevolent vampire.”

  Amber watched them silently.

  “And,” Vale added, “there’s mole at the agency who’s working for Moore. But we don’t know who it is yet.”

  “Right…” Amber said. “And you neglected to tell us any of this before, because…?”

  Hayden came into shot. “Give him a break, Amber.”

  Amber sighed. “I’m not sure he deserves one.”

  Hayden smiled and looked directly into the camera. “Of course he does.”

  Vic shifted her gaze to Vale, who was smiling too.

  Amber rolled her eyes. “Fine. We’ll see you soon.”