“Except you, maybe.” I smiled, and he nipped at my finger. “For some reason you won’t share, you’ve thrown away everything normal and comfortable in your life to take me in. You’re insane, but I appreciate it. Besides, I think my desires satisfy yours as well.”
He smiled and laced his fingers with mine. “Give me a week to sort out the mess with the Russians and I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
Yes! Now for the hard part. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t agree to take me to the fae. He went to a whole lot of trouble to keep me away from them.
“What about the Americans?” I asked, remembering his letter and trying to think of a way to lead into my question. “You can’t let them run amuck.”
He chuckled. “No, I can’t. But there are few who would step up and try to rein them in. Maybe they need their own council.”
I inched closer to him. “You’re smart. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” He released my hand and pulled me closer. “What else do you want, little goddess?” he asked, watching me intently. Maybe trying to seduce him would work.
“I’ll be an obnoxious tourist here in London for the next week, so I don’t get bored and needy,” I replied, grinning at him. “Do you mind if I stay here?” I ran my finger along his collar.
“You’re the only one welcome here,” he said, then chuckled knowing I felt his lie. The full closet in the guest room said otherwise. “Alright, from now on, you’re the only one.”
I ignored my twinge of jealousy and started picking at the top button of his shirt. I just told him I wouldn’t be his blood donor; I had no right to be jealous. Besides, I had other things I needed from him.
“Is that jealousy?” he asked, sliding his hand over my hip then up beneath my shirt.
“Nope.”
“Liar. I haven’t taken anyone’s blood but yours since the day you assaulted me in the car.”
My eyes widened, and I flattened my hand against his bare chest, having already undone three of the buttons. That was weeks ago. “What about when you raided Jonathan’s supplies?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t the same.
He rolled his eyes at me.
“Fine, but why?” I asked, suspecting it was tied to the reason he made his deal with the queen.
“Will you be satisfied with anyone else, now that you’ve had me?” he asked in return.
Wow. The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. Why did he have to point it out? I couldn’t see anyone else allowing me to attack them as a mountain lion or a large snake and leave bites all over their body. Damn him.
I continued unbuttoning his shirt and not answering his question. I still needed him to take me to the fae and I would use his logic to my advantage.
His hand stopped its wandering. I glanced up, meeting his gaze and ran my tongue over my lips.
“What else do you want?” he asked.
“You?”
“And?”
He wasn’t buying it. He always initiated our intimacy. I needed to change that for future deals.
“I want someone to take me to the fae,” I answered, pushing his now open shirt off his shoulder. “After I’m done with my selfish indulgences.”
He rolled onto his back, pulling me with him. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?” I asked, trying to push away from him. He wouldn’t let me, grabbing my hips with both hands and holding me against him.
“You thought you could tempt me with your little fangs?” he asked. “Did you think you could get your way by manipulating me?”
“Yep.” I really thought I could. He loved it when I bit him, and I was pretty sure he’d take that deal.
“They can’t have you.”
I lowered my lips to his neck and kissed my way to his ear. His body tensed beneath me. “No, but they can train me.” His pointed ears appeared and I smiled. “Don’t hide those from me.”
“I’ll think about it,” he growled.
“Which part?” I whispered trailing kisses back down his neck.
“Both, but only if you give me your darkness.”
I smiled and let the red gaze from my little beast consume me.
Epilogue
Braden sipped the stale beer in his frosted mug watching the stupidly drunken crowd. Cigarette smoke, alcohol, and sweat overwhelmed his sensitive nose, but he wouldn’t react. Even a curl of his lip would distinguish him from the other drunks. So, he adjusted his ball cap creating a longer shadow over his face and leaned back in his chair.
So much had changed since the last time he sat in this same filthy bar almost a year ago. He couldn’t decide if the results of his actions were better or worse than he anticipated. Alisandra was so much more than he thought she would be.
When Gordon’s vision revealed the bond between himself and the little mage, Braden had assumed she would become a vampire. He never expected to get his soul back, nor did he believe himself capable of loving her.
All his plans with Grant now seemed irrelevant. Braden had what he wanted without tying himself to the fae with another blood oath. Grant wouldn’t be happy about the vampire’s decision to turn his back, but Braden was beyond caring. The fae had alienated themselves from the rest of world centuries ago, sacrificing their sons to do it. They could stay that way.
He tried not to curl his lip at the reminder of what had been done to him. All this time, he thought he was the product of a long lost vampire’s venom. The truth hurt more than he cared to admit, one of the few downsides to having his soul back.
A burst of high-pitched giggles drew him from his musings. A group of women sauntered through the door, swinging their hips at the incredibly handsome man behind them. Grant smiled, and one of them nearly fainted.
Braden rolled his eyes. Their reaction was the reason the fae prince wasn’t allowed to leave his realm. A spark of anger stirred the vampire’s blood, but he tamped it down. He used to have that otherworldly beauty, but it was taken from him along with his fae magic. He shook his head. Pining over what was lost accomplished nothing, so he watched the man scan the room until their eyes met. His visitor’s pale eyebrows rose a fraction, and he strolled to Braden’s table.
“Grant,” the vampire said, nodding at the vacant chair next to him.
“Braden, it’s good to see you.”
They didn’t shake hands. Braden refused, knowing the magic his companion possessed. He suspected Grant would decline regardless, considering a vampire beneath him.
“I doubt it,” Braden sneered. “I’m surprised you were able to leave. Did you send her a gift of flesh to keep her distracted?”
Grant glared at him, and Braden smiled. It was the only way to distract Elise, and it only worked sometimes.
“What do you want, Braden?” Grant asked.
“I no longer require your assistance to get what I want,” the vampire replied, reaching for his frosted mug.
Grant’s pale eyebrows narrowed creating a deep furrow between his amber eyes. “You cannot back out of our deal.”
“We never had a deal beyond trading information.”
“You said you would help us destroy her,” Grant hissed. “Have you suddenly forgiven her for killing the other princes?”
Braden gingerly set his cup on the table, then leaned towards the fae prince. “No, I learned the truth of my creation and that there is no way to reverse it. There is nothing you can offer me to secure my assistance with your little revolt.”
“How dare you?” Grant hissed. “We had an agreement.”
A waitress showed up with a wide grin, but Grant dismissed her before she could even speak. She pushed out her bottom lip and walked away, clearly not used to being rejected so quickly. Braden contemplated harassing the man for his behavior but reconsidered. He wanted Grant gone.
“We had no agreement and you know it. I only asked to meet with you, so you weren’t making plans that included me,” Braden stated. “While I empathize with your situation, you have no
hope of unseating your queen.”
Grant drew a deep breath and leaned closer, tapping one long finger on the wooden table. “My niece will help us.”
Braden struggled to keep his expression neutral. He wouldn’t allow them to draw Alisandra into their death trap, for it was the only possible result of their rebellion.
“I think you’ll find her unwilling to risk her life for a group of arrogant beings who chose not to protect her world,” Braden said, leaning back again and crossing one leg over the other. “She’s pretty pissed off now that she knows the power you wield. It would’ve made our fight against Jack so much easier.”
“Of course, you’ll be manipulating her decision,” Grant spat.
“I’m simply inclined to agree with her.”
The fae glared at him for several moments, and Braden returned it.
“You’ll regret your decision.” Grant stood and walked out the door without so much as a second glance back at Braden.
The vampire shook his head again, knowing the fae was right. They would drag her into their fight unless he found a way to keep her busy. Would the Oceanic Fae Kingdom take her in and train her? They didn’t function like the others. They were more like Britain’s current monarchy—ruled by the monarch but governed by Parliament. And they didn’t imprison their people like Elise and Sabina.
He swirled the contents of his glass mug and frowned. If he sent her to the fae, would she fall for one of their too-perfect men? It was certainly possible. They could give her everything he could not. Safety, a sense of belonging, and a family. The thought of someone else bringing her pleasure ignited a surge of jealousy so strong Braden had to force his eyes closed, knowing his rage consumed his normally blue irises.
Several deep breaths calmed his mind enough to think rationally. He couldn’t let his new emotions dictate his decisions. How many times had he scoffed at humans for doing just that? Too many. The logical choice was to send her to the Oceanic Realm but not before he gave her a reason to come back to him.
He slid his phone from his pocket and sent her a text.
Braden: Is the little goddess ready to make a deal?
Alisandra: What will it cost me?
Braden: I’ll let you name the price.
Several seconds passed and he smiled, imagining her fingers twisting the ends of whatever shirt she wore.
Alisandra: Meet me at your apartment and we’ll negotiate.
Braden: I’ll be there in twenty minutes.
Thank you for reading Elemental’s Domain, the third book in Call of the Elements series. The next book will be released late spring of 2020.
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