“After we finish with the treaty?”
“It’s occurred to me to do it now, to hell with the treaty.” Her chest ached at the idea but she was angry enough she just didn’t care at the moment.
Neo’s brows lifted and he watched her make a couple passes before speaking. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
“I don’t care anymore. I just want to be done with it.”
“Hold up a minute. Back up. Tell me about your call this afternoon.”
Gwen shrugged. “They said they want me to stay on the treaty project.” She looked at the walls, the paintings, anything but Neo. Now was the time, she knew she had to tell him, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to hurt him. This would hurt.
“But that’s not all they said, is it?” Something in his voice made her glace at him. She found him watching her with narrowed eyes.
“No.” She let her head hang, it was time to be completely honest. “They said once the treaty was signed, I was welcome to come home. I would always have a place in the clan.”
Neo was quiet for a couple seconds. “And?”
Damn, she’d tried to avoid this. She sighed before continuing. “They also said you can visit, but you won’t be invited to join the clan.” Her chest ached. Turning, she saw him watching her, a somber look on his face, but he didn’t look surprised or stricken like she had been when they’d told her. “You look like you expected it.”
“Well, not entirely no. But I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“Why not? I was.”
“I’m used to it. I’ve been rejected by so many, for so long, I’m used to it.”
Pain rose in her chest again but faded as anger started to replace it. Yes, Neo had made a mistake, but he’d been paying for it for more than two thousand years. Why was he still being punished?
11
Neo watched Gwen as she paced his living room. When she’d started, before he’d convinced her to tell him what her alphas had said, her movements had been anxious. He could tell there was something she didn’t want to tell him, but her movements had changed. Her steps had sped, they were more decisive and sure. If he had to guess, he’d say she was getting mad, but he didn’t know why.
“Come sit down,” he patted the couch next to him, hoping she’d sit and let him touch her. Even just holding her hand would be better than watching her stalk back and forth.
“Not right now.” Yep, she was angry, her voice confirmed it.
“Talk to me,” he said. “Tell me what’s going through your head.” She stopped, turned to face him, and crossed her arms across her chest.
“Why are you still being shunned like this?” Gwen tapped one foot, as if waiting for an answer he couldn’t give her. “We are mates, the curse is obviously lifted, or exhausted maybe, but what business is it of anyone else? Why do they treat you like this?”
“I don’t know, babe, but supes have long lives and longer memories, that’s all I can say. Are you sure they don’t want me because of my past?”
She tilted her head and stared down at him for several seconds, “What do you mean?”
“Did they actually come out and say I’m not welcome in the clan because of my past?”
“Well, no, but what else could it be?”
“Come over here and sit a minute,” he patted the cushion again, this time waiting until she was seated before continuing. “Didn’t you tell me clans over there only accept people who can benefit them in some way?” He turned in his seat, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her against him, she resisted a bit at first. He was gentle but persistent until she relaxed in his arms and laid her head against his chest, then he continued. “I have no misconceptions here, baby. My only connection is my sister. While I live well here, it’s not because I personally have anything. I make a wage, but it’s nothing amazing. The apartment comes with the job. Well, partly, I get an upgrade to this floor because I’ve always been on this floor with my family, but you get the idea. I have nothing to offer your clan.”
“Don’t call them my clan.” She sounded angry, and that she was put out on his behalf made him hopeful she would decide to stay.
“All right.” He didn’t want to push her when she was already on the edge. He wanted to ask if this meant she was going to quit the negotiation position, but this wasn’t a good time.
They sat together on the sofa for some time, Neo sitting sideways, leaning against the arm, his arms wrapped around Gwen where she leaned against him. He held her, one hand sliding slowly up and down her back until her breathing evened out and he felt the anger drain out of her. He thought she’d fallen asleep against him, but was enjoying the feel of her in his arms, until she spoke.
“Do you think your sister was serious about finding me a job?” Gwen’s voice had lost all the passion and anger from earlier and she didn’t tense or move in his arms.
“I’m sure she was. She’ll want to get to know you better first, so she can find something that fits your skills and personality, but I have no doubt she meant it.”
Gwen was quiet a while longer, then she tilted her head back and looked up at him. “I want to finish this treaty, as quickly as we can manage while still satisfying my contract. As soon as we finish with the treaty, I want to bind myself to you. Then we can go to Wales, pack my stuff, and arrange to sell my holdings there.”
“Are you sure?” Neo’s heart leapt but he didn’t dare hope for too much. “Maybe you should give it a day or two, don’t commit to anything until we finish with the treaty.”
“No. I’ve made up my mind. We belong together. While I love my place in Wales, I don’t want to be anywhere they don’t want you, too.”
His breath caught in his chest, and he didn’t know what to say. Instead, he pulled her close, closed his eyes, and just held on. She felt so right in his arms, he didn’t know how he’d lived so long without it, but now he never wanted to lose it.
“Speaking of the treaty, you said they had very specific terms. What were they?”
“They want to make sure any attack on our dragons while they are in Las Vegas, are taken as seriously as an attack on one of your clan.”
Neo couldn’t help the laugh that shook his chest, but managed to keep from laughing aloud.
“What?” Gwen sat up to look at him, a crease between her brows as she frowned at him.
“Granted, but we have a stipulation of our own that goes along with it.”
“What?” She continued to look at him but didn’t pull out of the circle of his arms.
“They must abide by all local laws, both normal and supe, as well as respecting the treaties our Fraction holds. In addition, any offenses committed while here also fall under our purview and the offender must deal with the penalty before he or she can leave.”
“By respecting treaties, you mean?” she looked at him, expectant.
“I mean no picking fights with, or pissing off, the weres for example. I mentioned yesterday we have a treaty with them, remember?”
“I remember.” Gwen was quiet for a full minute, and Neo wondered what she was thinking.
“Your stipulation is acceptable. I have just a couple other things.” Gwen outlined a couple of minor issues about accommodations the Welsh clan leaders wanted, but were of no real consequence to Neo or Teya.
Just before midnight, Gwen yawned, then turned pink.
“I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to imply you’re boring,” she rushed to say.
Neo couldn’t help the smile that crept across his face. “No worries, babe. Neither one of us had much sleep last night. Do you want to go back to your room? Either for the night or to get something, or do you just want come get in my bed?”
Gwen blinked twice and looked at Neo. “Do you have something I can sleep in?”
“I like your birthday suit.” He grinned as she frowned at him. “Sure, you can have a t-shirt, or anything else you’d like, out of my closet.”
“Then let’s go to bed.” Gwen sat up,
then stood. She waited for him to get to his feet, then he led her into the bedroom.
12
Gwen’s eyes were gritty and she fought another yawn as Neo led her into his bedroom and went to the closet.
“What kind of thing you want? A t-shirt or something else?”
“A t-shirt is fine. I just want something soft and loose.”
He pulled a shirt from a hanger and held it out to her. “Here, I’ve got some shorts or sweat pants if you want them.”
“No, this is good. Thanks.”
“You take the bathroom first.” He motioned to the door on the other side of the bed.
“All right, I won’t be long.” She slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. After using the facilities, she changed into the t-shirt. She was surprised to find it fell half way to her knees. Neo wasn’t that tall, she wondered why he had such a large shirt? She hesitated for a moment, then slipped her underwear off and put them in the middle of her folded pile of clothes before carrying them back into the bedroom where Neo waited. She put her clothes on top of the dresser while Neo took her place in the bathroom.
Looking around the room, she wondered for a moment if she should wait before getting in bed, then noticed he’d turned back the covers. Gwen took that as an invitation and slid in between the soft, smooth sheets. She’d just pulled the blanket up over her when the bathroom door opened and Neo emerged, without a stitch on. Unable to look away, she watched him as he turned out the bathroom lights and made his way to the far side of the bed.
“What?” Neo asked after a moment.
Gwen stared at him a second longer. “Is this how you normally sleep, or is this for my benefit?”
“What?” he glanced down. “Oh, this is how I always sleep.” He lifted the blanket and slid in beside her. “Come here.” Neo wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her close. She moved over, rolling to face him as he lay on his back. She curled against his side while his arm went under her head and around her back. Gwen rubbed her face against his chest and breathed in his scent before closing her eyes.
“Real smooth, Neo.” His voice made her open her eyes.
“What?”
“I forgot to turn off the light.” He looked at the lamp on the table on his side of the bed.
“Here, I’ll get it.” She pushed herself up on her hands and knees and stretched across him, deliberately dragging her breasts across his face as she went. It was farther than she’d thought and she wobbled at the edge of her reach. Neo’s hands griped her waist, keeping her from falling as she pressed the button with the tip of her finger and plunged them into darkness. She moved back onto her side of the bed, making as much body contact as she could manage along the way.
“I thought you were tired. You’re making it hard to be a gentleman.”
“I am tired, but not that tired.”
“You should have said something before we turned out the light.”
“We don’t need the light. Not being able to see will make our other senses even sharper. This could be fun.” She trailed her hand across his face and down his neck as she drew back to kneel where she had been laying. His hand started at her knee and caressed up her bare leg, sending shivers of delight through her. Her fingers played over the smooth skin of his chest, teasing one nipple to a hard bead before moving to do the same to the other.
Neo’s hand on her thigh inched upward, teasing and drawing abstract designs with his fingertips over every inch of skin he encountered. Gwen pushed the blanket back and ran her hand along his body, enjoying learning every smooth and rough spot on his torso while she waited for Neo to realize his shirt was all she had on.
13
Neo woke to find Gwen missing again. He found sleeping with her in his arms to be incredibly restful, he just wished he could wake up with her still there, even once. Rolling over, he found the dim glow of the bedside clock. 4:32. Neo dropped his head back to the pillow and thought about what to do next. Did he get up and try to find her, try to go back to sleep, or give up on sleep and start the day?
He had just about decided to get up and get dressed when the bathroom door opened and Gwen stepped out. “There you are. I thought you’d left again.”
“No, I needed to use the loo. I was trying not to wake you.”
“You didn’t wake me, the lack of you did.” He reached for her with one arm.
Gwen frowned a moment, shook her head, then turned out the light. A few seconds later, the bed dipped as she slid back in beside him. Neo wrapped his arm around her middle and pulled her close, inhaling the honeysuckle scent of her skin. He didn’t know if it was her soap or her natural scent, and he didn’t care. It was her and that was all that mattered.
“I will need to go back to my room at some point though. All of my clothes are there.”
“What are Ellis and Isla doing since you don’t need them to shadow your every move?”
“I don’t know. They’ll be somewhere nearby. Probably inside the MesoAmerican just in case I need to go somewhere.” She paused. “I’ve been thinking about it.” Gwen fell silent for a while.
“About what?” Neo prompted.
“About staying here.”
Neo’s heart leapt. He hadn’t dared to hope she might give up her home and her clan for him. Yes, she’d said it last night, but she’d been angry. He wanted to be sure it was what she really wanted, not a decision made in anger. “Is that what you want?”
“It is.” There was a strange note in her voice that made Neo think there was more to this than she was saying, but he didn’t know how to get it out of her. Instead, he curled around her.
“I’d love to have you move in here. Bring anything you want, do whatever you want to the place. I want you to feel at home.”
“That’s sweet.” She wiggled back against him. “I only have a few pieces of furniture that mean anything to me. I’ll get those shipped and get rid of the rest.”
“Whatever you want to do. If you want to go back and pack it all up and ship your entire place here, I’m good with that too. We can even find a house in town if you like.” They fell quiet and after a few minutes Neo drifted back to sleep.
14
At 10:15, Gwen sat at the conference room table between Neo and Ellis. They were working on writing up the treaty with all the details and stipulations both clans required. She didn’t understand why Ellis insisted on attending, even though she was still inside the resort and on the same floor as the offices of all the people who ran the casino and clan.
One item at a time, they went down the list of requirements each of the clan alphas had made and wrote out the treaty, including each of them. Ellis put in comments here and there and told them how to word different passages. Gwen shot him curious looks several times, not always taking his directions as she typed it all up. She couldn’t figure out why he’d insisted on attending.
It took them until one o’clock to get the first draft done. Gwen typed the last sentence, sat back in her chair, and stared at the laptop in front of her for a couple minutes.
“Now what?” She looked at Neo, then over at Ellis, and back to Neo while she waited for an answer.
“I say we take a break, get a bite to eat, then come back and double check everything before we submit it to the alphas for approval.”
She was quiet for a few seconds. “Sounds good to me.” She turned to Ellis. “Would you like to join us for lunch?”
“Thank you for the offer, but no. I have something I have to do.” He looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment. “Any idea what time you’ll be ready to get back to this?”
“An hour should be plenty of time,” Neo said. “Do you want us to call before we sit back down?”
“I would appreciate it.”
Neo nodded. “Then I will.” Neo pushed his chair back and stood, rolling his shoulders and twisting his neck as if it was stiff.
Gwen stood and realized Neo wasn’t the only one who was stiff, but she didn’t
want to let on, especially not in front of Ellis. She couldn’t figure out why he was here. Something told her he was reporting back to their alphas, but she didn’t know how long that had been going on. Had they only told her they were giving her the assignment to negotiate this treaty, then sent him to keep an eye on her? To report on her and make sure she did things exactly to their specifications?
The thought sent a stab of pain in her stomach, sharp and intense. It took her breath away, but she followed Neo from the conference room and did her best to keep anything from showing. She waited until she was alone in the lift with Neo to close her eyes and take a deep breath.
“You all right?” Neo asked beside her.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. She wondered how much she should tell him. How much of her suspicion was valid and how much had she manufactured in her head? “I’m not sure.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“I’m not sure.” She took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out in a rush. “I’m afraid I may be imagining it.”
“Imagining what?”
She filled Neo in. “But I have no proof, just a light going off in my head and suspicion.”
“It will work out, it always does. The real questions are, how much will this affect you? And how are you going to deal with your alphas?”
“Off hand, I don’t know.” Gwen blinked. She had a lot of thinking to do, but first she had to make sure it wasn’t all in her head. The lift door opened, and they stepped off and went to the café.
15
Over the centuries, Neo learned to control his temper. It took a lot to make him lose his cool, but the idea Gwen’s clan had sent her here to do a job but sent someone to spy on her and make sure she did everything exactly to their specifications had him steaming. He wasn’t quite to the point of an explosion yet, but he was getting there. He wasn’t sure how much more it would take to make him lose his grip. He watched her across the table, wishing he could make her hurt stop. Take it all away, even if he had to bear it himself. Experience told him how it felt knowing your clan doubted you enough to set a watchdog on you. As if you were incapable of even the simplest jobs on your own. He understood. He’d dealt with it when he’d first returned to the clan. Even then, he understood why his father had done it. Neo had earned the distrust, and he knew he had to re-earn the trust he wanted back. He couldn’t see why they would do such a thing to her.
The Dragon Chronicles_City of Sin Page 24
