by Rachel Jonas
“You can relax,” Julian assured with a quiet laugh, one filled only with confidence and understanding. “There’s no jealousy here.”
Studying his expression for a while, I thought I’d eventually see through him, to the green-eyed monster who, in most cases, would rear its ugly head, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Levi took his Dynasty Brother’s statement as an invitation, lessening the distance between he and I even more when he scooted closer on the bed, until we were hip-to-hip.
“Zero jealousy,” he reiterated with a whisper against the rim of my ear. “So long as you’re satisfied, we’re satisfied.”
That struck me as an interesting word choice, although it shouldn’t have, coming from Levi.
No breath left my lungs as he cupped my chin and turned my lips to meet his. He kissed them with that familiar, soft sensuality that had taken me by surprise before. My eyes fluttered closed at the feel of it, as I gave myself permission not to overthink things so much tonight. After all, they certainly weren’t.
His suddenly warm lips trailed my jaw, settling against the hollow of my throat next. My pulse went wild, soaring through the roof. I don’t know what turned me on more, the fact that he was always so bold to go after what he wanted, or that knowing I’d be with them all still wasn’t a bone of contention among the princes. They were simply self-assured, accepting of this unique bond between us.
“You’re ours,” Levi spoke against my mouth, stealing one last taste. “Always will be.”
For some unknown reason, my gaze was drawn to Silas at that exact moment, and that intense gaze of his was nearly impossible to withstand. Yes, he stared, but not at the act itself, only at me. Only intrigued by my visible reaction to being touched. There was just something about him that made the distance between us maddening. I took that as a sign that something between us had to give. And soon. A valve had to be tweaked to release some of the pressure, or it would explode, and I’d leap on him like a wild woman.
That was a promise.
Shifting focus to Levi again, I realized the wine was beginning to make me feel a bit tipsy, though I was still sober enough to own my actions.
“You’re wrong,” I pointed out to Levi. “You mentioned that I belong to all of you, but that’s not entirely true. Not yet, at least.”
My gaze rose to meet Silas’ again, only to find that his stare was already locked on me. At first, Levi’s mouth continued to move against my skin, but once he decoded my obscure statement, he leaned away with a grin, letting his gaze volley between Silas and I for a moment.
“Interesting play,” he crooned, in that dark way of his.
“I only mean I think it’s time Silas and I have a word with one another,” I clarified, but Levi wasn’t buying it. His mind was in the gutter now just like always.
“Hey, don’t waste time explaining yourself to me, Love. However, I wouldn’t complain about getting the play-by-play in the morning,” he teased, gesturing toward Julian to follow him when he stood from the bed, preparing to leave. “We’ll make ourselves scarce for a bit,” he promised in an amused tone, patting Silas on the shoulder when he passed him.
Laughing, I could only shake my head at how he could never seem to turn off the crassness. As he and Julian reached the door, closing it behind them, a curious gaze passed my way from Silas.
Now, if only I knew how to explain why I singled him out so urgently. A task that would be much, much easier if I understood it better myself.
Chapter Fourteen
Corina
“I-I hope that didn’t seem too forward of me, asking to speak to you alone.” Yes, this beautiful creature had me fumbling over such simple words. “I only meant I think we should get better acquainted. And … not in a Levi-esque sort of way,” I laughed, knowing he’d understand the reference. “I mean it in more of a ‘you seem really cool and I want to know more about you’ sort of way.”
Oh, gosh. Is my face turning red? Because it feels red.
“I’d like that.” He smiled and, kill me now, my heart fluttered. “Anything you want to know, just ask.”
Silas was special, and the genuine kindness that naturally exuded from him was something I was certain I’d never get used to so easily. In a good way. I’d never get tired of the care he took with my feelings; would never tire of the way he gave me butterflies like the girls in Mom’s romance books went on about for pages.
“To start,” I forced out,” I don’t know about your family, what sort of home you come from.”
Right away, I worried he might not think it was my place to ask. Only, the warm look within his eyes said otherwise.
“Well, my childhood was relatively boring,” he answered with a smile. “I was your typical kid mostly, aside from growing up in the shadow of my Quadrant’s beloved emperor.”
There was no resentment or ill feelings within the statement. He said it as though he was merely stating a fact.
“The lack of interest in me, personally, gave me the space and privacy I preferred. It left me a lot of time to read and lose myself in my studies. And with my parents being so busy, once I turned fifteen and developed an interest in exotic travel destinations, my requests to venture off to faraway places were rarely turned down. I suppose that, to them, it helped keep me busy, and helped them not feel guilty about not having much time for me. I know traveling the world sounds like some wild, crazy adventure,” he added with a laugh, “yet, it was one-hundred-percent for research—archeological digs, collecting various samples, and exploring uncharted territories.”
Listening to him speak, I was swept away by his words, visualizing everything as he shared it all freely.
“Needless to say, that all changed around eighteen or so. Give or take. That was when my father took a sudden interest in my social life, declaring that the time between then, and when I hit twenty—a couple of years ago—as his chance to groom me to fill his seat.”
“Did that suck as bad as it sounds like it did?” I asked.
Silas let out a gentle laugh that made me breathe deeply. “Not so much. It was mostly just a crash course of the do’s and don’ts of being in the public eye. Seeing as how I wasn’t exactly the poster child for recklessness, he knew he didn’t have much to worry about.”
Until now.
Hearing how normal his life had been before this made me curious.
“So, how have your parents reacted to news of the blood bond?” I had to ask.
He was thoughtful for a moment.
“Honestly, there wasn’t as much fallout as you might think. Especially with you having seen firsthand how Emperor Westower reacted. I was simply told to be mindful that I was raised to be a man of my word, and whatever I chose to commit to, it was my responsibility to see it through. My mother, however—because she’s chosen not to side with the half of the population who doesn’t quite buy what we’re doing here—has only acknowledged how honorable she thinks my choice has been.”
That warmed my heart, hearing her acceptance of his decision.
“You are honorable,” I nearly sang, somewhat in awe of him as an individual. It seemed impossible to find someone so pure at heart.
My declaration seemed to affect him when his gaze lowered with a smile.
“Don’t you believe that?” I asked.
His shoulders lifted with a casual shrug. “I’ve never really considered it,” he confessed, not realizing the response only drove my point home further. “With a lifetime of dealing in facts and figures under my belt, I suppose I’ve learned to operate that way as well. I don’t generally do things with some long-term goal in mind—which some might argue is rather reckless—but I’ve learned to simply go with what makes moral sense to me in the moment.”
“Your mom sounds like a wise woman,” I stated confidently. She seemed to know her son well.
“She is,” Silas confirmed.
“Are they worried about the blood sickness?” I asked thoughtfully, referencing his parents.
; “Not so much about their personal supply, but there is great concern for the rest of our Quadrant.”
From what I could tell, the blood distributed to monarchs, and other high-ranking Ianites, was more heavily regulated than that of the general population. Although, that didn’t’ necessarily make them safe.
There was an odd, conflicting pang within me. Having only ever been an advocate for spreading the sickness, I was at a loss for what to say to Silas in return. However, with my views on the need for there to be a drastic change soon, I quenched the guilt that arose.
“I have high hopes we’ll reach a viable solution in the near future, though,” he shared, piquing my interest. “I believe we can use the formula that’s been developed so far as a base for something altogether different,” he proposed, “an alternate solution that will suit humans and Ianites alike. Actually, I’ve already discussed the possibility with your team.”
Now I understood. This all tied in with the conversation Liv and I had before dinner, the proposition I shot down almost right away because it had bad idea written all over it. Still, that was only because I cared about her and the team, and couldn’t bear the thought of them doing something reckless on my behalf.
“What’s your idea?” There wasn’t much I could do about the heavy skepticism within my tone. It was real. It was honest.
“Well,” Silas sighed, “I won’t bore you with the science behind the theory, but the plan is to develop a secondary virus that can be administered as a vaccine. One that will allow me to remove the aspect of the original strain, which creates the dependency on human blood. Meanwhile, I might be able to preserve the more favorable traits it produces—speed, strength, immortality—all the things that most would argue have been the positives about becoming what we are.”
“And you really think this can be achieved? You really think it could change things?”
He didn’t rush to give an answer. Instead, he lent real thought to a response.
“I do. And over time, it’s possible I can take it a step further, but I need to do more research.”
His idea could possibly remove the dynamic between his people and mine. What made humans subject to harsh treatment, enslavement. However, it did nothing to even the playing field between their kind and ours. It was a place to start, though.
It was enough to convince me it was worth a try.
“What do you need to get this thing going?”
Silas’ brow quirked when I piped up with the question.
“Well, for starters, I’d need several samples of the tainted blood, which is kept under tight security inside a vault within the Simon Tine Facility.”
I knew the place well, seeing as how I’d infiltrated it on three separate occasions.
“Do you know of someone who can get you in?” I asked hesitantly, because of the shape my thoughts were beginning to take.
A frustrated sigh left his mouth. “Unfortunately, not anyone I trust to be discreet, which has been the holdup.”
My heart raced inside my chest, and I tried to bite my tongue—to no avail. “What if I told you that isn’t true?” I asked, nearly panting. “What if I told you … I could get you inside?”
There was a long stretch of silence as I let my admission resonate with him, while I let him understand what I was proposing. The amount of trust I’d just staked in his character blew my mind, leaving me feeling a bit nauseated, if I was being honest.
When his brow tensed, and he stared with so much confusion bleeding into the look, my heart skipped a beat.
“Then, if you’re serious, the next thing I’d ask you for would be a well-scaled map, and information on getting past their tight security.” He continued to stare with so much wonderment, I wasn’t quite sure how to read it.
Is he in awe of me, or considering turning me in to someone who could punish me for what I’d just shared?
Yet, there was something about him, a sense of trust between us that defied all logic. So, I threw caution to the wind.
“You won’t need it,” I blurted, “because if you go through with this … I want in.” Tension rose at an alarming rate, but I’d already put myself out there. “What do you say?”
“I say it’s a bit insane for a human to willingly put themselves in that sort of predicament,” he answered, perplexed.
“And I say it’s a bit insane for a vampire prince to risk his title, and his good standing to help humanity,” I countered, feeling a smile ghosting on my lips as the raw energy emerging between us left me breathless.
“Then, I suppose we’re insane together,” was Silas’ final conclusion. “Where do we start?”
Excitement budded within me when he didn’t dismiss this notion of us joining forces, but instead seemed to embrace it.
“We start by finding a keycard and calibrate it to match the facility’s current system. We might not need it if we’re able to get in some other way besides waltzing through a door, but it’d be handy to have in our possession just in case. I used to know a guy who—”
“If you can get the specs on the system, it’ll only take me a few days to have the card ready and at our disposal,” Silas interrupted.
My heart raced, and I didn’t impress easily. There was something about a guy with a face and body like his, who could also talk nerdy to me.
“I’ll get Felix on it right away, and get back to you,” I promised, but that thrumming inside my chest still hadn’t quieted.
Silas nodded.
“We’ll have to keep this between us.” His warning touched my ears next. “The others will never understand why I’d take you along to carry out something so dangerous. They’d never understand the importance of having someone with me who’s done this before.”
I nodded. “Understood. Aside from enlisting Felix for help, no one else has to know. I’ll even insist that he keep this from Liv and the others.”
Silas smirked at that. “Then, I suppose we agree that we’ll ask for forgiveness instead of asking for permission.”
I liked the way he thought. He could probably tell as much from the huge grin I now wore on my face. However, the look on his confused me when it dimmed.
“What is it?” The question left my mouth just a little above a whisper, as the depth of his stare pulled me into it. My initial thought was that the reality of what we just agreed to hit him like a ton of bricks, and he was going to change his mind.
“It’s just that … I’m concerned I’ve misled you in a way.” Those were not the words I expected to hear.
“How so?” I asked.
“Before meeting you, my thoughts toward humans weren’t so different from most Ianites. I wasn’t an advocate for equality among your people and mine, and certainly wouldn’t have considered carrying out this plan we just devised. So … I don’t mean to represent myself as some sort of saint,” he admitted. “Giving you a false impression of myself is the last thing I want to do.”
The meaning within his statement wasn’t lost on me. I got it. He wanted me to know that, in the not-so-distant past, he wouldn’t have shown someone like me an inkling of compassion, wouldn’t have thought twice about ending my life if our paths were to have crossed under different circumstances.
But he was missing the point.
Being honorable had nothing to do with who he once was, but everything to do with the man I sat before today.
“So, if you weren’t always like this,” I dared to ask, “what changed?”
He’d done things for my team I’d never forget. All with there being no promise of a reward for having done them. It seemed worth inquiring why he was so different now.
When he peered up, the look said so much. “The only answer I have to that question is … you. I changed because you came along, and your nobility has bled into my life in ways I never imagined it could. And the strange thing is, I feel like I got a better understanding of who you really are while you were away, seeing and hearing how your team reveres you, how they’re alw
ays so sure of your honesty and loyalty toward them,” he explained. “Since I’m being frank, hearing them speak of you was humbling. In many ways.”
Liv only had kind things to say about he and Julian too, and I trusted her judgment perhaps more than anyone else’s. It was because of her take on things, combined with what I saw here for myself tonight, that I didn’t see a reason to hold a grudge. Regardless of how Silas viewed humanity in the past, there was no question in my mind that he’d grown to see the error of his ways.
Honorable was the exact word I would use to describe him.
Moving closer, I leaned in, took a leap of faith, and pressed a kiss to his mouth. It was my hope that he knew my interest in him had nothing to do with the few glasses of expensive wine in my system.
No … this was all inspired by him.
Our lips moved together slowly, and a surge of unexpected passion spilled from my heart. He took my chin in his hand, reciprocating the kiss as my mouth was teased open with his tongue before gently plunging it inside. Yielding to him, my head tilted and the tug on my emotions was dizzying.
There was this sense within me of being mindful of not tarnishing the sweetness of this moment between us, so I eased away. He was silent at first, and I imagined he, too, found himself wondering what this magic was that swirled around and through us.
“What could I have possibly done to deserve that?” he asked thoughtfully, as his gaze synced with mine.
“It was for reminding me that there’s still good left in this world. And also … because it was long overdue.”
My response brought out a boyish smile from him, and the sight of it moved me just like everything else about him.
“In no more than a week—once all our ducks are in a row—we’re going through with our mission,” I assured him. “And we’re doing it together because, for what it’s worth, Silas, I trust you … with my life.”
And I meant every single word I’d spoken.
From the bottom of my heart.
Chapter Fifteen
