Revealed

by Zoe Allison

  Vic raised her eyebrows. “You must have noticed, Vale. I’ve had a thing for you for ages.”

  Confusion flashed across his face. “Really?”

  “Yeah,” she said. Surely he must have known? “Even before we met. Everyone knew about you and how brilliant you were.” She smiled. “All the women loved you.”

  Vale frowned. “I do not think so.”

  Vic laughed. “Well, I’m telling you, they did. They do. I used to wonder when we’d finally get to work together. Then we did, and you were every bit as awesome as I thought you’d be. I was so worried that you’d realize how I felt, what with you not feeling the same way.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You thought I didn’t feel the same about you?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “Why would you? You’re way out of my league.”

  He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. “I did feel the same. You know that now, right?” He searched her eyes.

  She glanced away. “Even after things changed between us, I still wouldn’t let myself believe it. That was why I think I overreacted when I heard you on the phone to Hayden.” She winced at the memory. “To me it was just a confirmation of what I already knew. Then after that, I felt like what we had was so precious that I’d lose it if I upset the balance. And telling you about my past seemed a surefire way to totally explode that balance.”

  “I would have understood,” he said.

  “I know,” she said. “I’m sorry for not believing in that. But it wasn’t a measure of you. It was a measure of me and my insecurities.” She paused. “Then when you rejected me afterward, it just confirmed what I had known all along, that I was bad news and no good for you, not good enough for you.”

  “Shit,” he said, and she raised her eyebrows. She had only heard him curse once before.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I just realized how my behavior would have come across. I basically acted exactly the way you feared I would and confirmed your anxieties about telling me.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant,” Vic protested.

  He shook his head. “It is okay. It’s true. I’m sorry. I should have given you more of a chance to explain instead of retreating to nurse my bruised ego.”

  She cuddled herself into his chest. “None of this is your fault. It’s mine.”

  “No,” he said. “I am to blame. Can you forgive me?”

  “There’s nothing to forgive,” she said. “The real question is, can you forgive me?”

  He kissed the top of her head again. “I forgave you before I even left Scotland.”

  The wave of relief would probably have knocked her off her feet if she hadn’t been sitting in his lap. She cuddled even closer into him and he tightened his arms around her.

  “You didn’t answer my question before,” he said.

  She closed her eyes. “What question?”

  “You said you had assumed I didn’t feel the same way about you as you did for me. I asked if you knew now and you didn’t answer.”

  She gave him a squeeze. “It’s impossible for you to love me as much as I love you.”

  Vale eased back to meet her eyes. “You love me?”

  Vic smiled. “Of course I do. I always have. I just didn’t want to admit it, not even to myself, because I thought I’d end up disappointed.”

  A look of wonder crossed his face.

  “What?” she asked.

  “That’s what I wanted to tell you in the elevator on our way up to that final meeting,” he said.

  She frowned, trying to remember his exact words. “You came over all cryptic and said ‘when this is all over…’ then refused to finish your sentence.”

  He grinned. “Yes.”

  She waited for him to elaborate then laughed when he didn’t. “You’re being just as cryptic now, Vale.”

  He laughed. “I was going to say that once it was all over, I wanted us to be together, as a couple. Because I have loved you from pretty much our first conversation.”

  If it were possible to drown in joy, that was exactly what would have happened. It bubbled over and washed through her like the sweetest champagne.

  She tilted her face up to his. He kissed her gently, moving his hand to rest on her abdomen.

  “Vic,” he said.

  “Yes?”

  “I need you to know something.”

  “What is it?”

  He curled his finger under her chin and looked into her eyes. “You are worthy. You are the most amazing and wonderful person, and I am completely infatuated with you.” He kissed her forehead. “I wasn’t upset because I thought you were a bad person. I never doubted your virtue. I was only hurt because I thought you didn’t care for or trust me enough to confide in me. But I understand now.” He held her close. “You do not ever need to doubt my feelings again.”

  Tears pricked at her eyes. She placed her hand on top of his on her belly. “How do you feel about this?” she asked, rubbing her hand over his.

  He smiled, his eyes shining. “Terrified,” he whispered, “but also delighted.”

  She lifted her hand to his face and took in the soft caramel of his eyes that were overflowing with love, and she kissed him. After a second she broke away. “I really should go in and clean up after just being sick to my stomach.”

  “Of course,” he said, concern in his eyes. “Sorry. I’ll help you.”

  “No,” she said, smiling. “I mean I shouldn’t really be kissing you until I’ve cleaned my teeth and washed my face.”

  He laughed. “You could be covered in dirt and I still wouldn’t mind.” He lifted her to her feet and took her hand as they entered the house. “I can wait for you down here, if you want to freshen up,” he said.

  She paused at the foot of the stairs. “Come with me. I don’t want to let you out of my sight.”

  He took her hand again as they ascended. “You don’t need to worry,” he said. “I’m definitely not going anywhere.”

  They went up to her room and Vic entered the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth and wash her face. She ran a hand through her hair and came back into the bedroom. Vale was gazing out of the window.

  “Okay?” she asked him.

  He turned and smiled. “Yes. It’s so peaceful and quiet outside. Not like city living.”

  She joined him by the window and cuddled into him. He wrapped his arms around her tightly.

  Vic glanced up. “I think you’re craving some peace.”

  He smiled softly. “I think you’re right.”

  She lifted her face up to his and kissed him. “I had an ulterior motive for asking you to come up here with me.”

  He frowned. “Oh yes?”

  She pulled him toward the bed.

  Vale raised his eyebrows. “I’m not sure that is a good idea.”

  She let her sundress slip to the floor and stood in only her underwear. “Really?”

  He hesitated, swallowing hard. Then he dragged his gaze back up to meet hers. “You have just been really sick. I don’t want to make you feel unwell.”

  “I’m fine now,” she said, beckoning him closer.

  He closed the small gap between them, taking her face in his hands and softly brushing his lips against hers. Vic drew his head down, deepening the kiss. She could feel his resolve weakening and her pulse quickened, sending sparks of fire through her veins.

  Vale broke contact for a second, running his hands through her hair and gazing intently into her eyes. His breathing was a little faster than before. “Is this definitely what you want?”

  “One hundred percent,” she said. “Don’t you?”

  “Yes,” he murmured, glancing down at her mouth. “I just want to make sure it’s right for you.”

  “It’s right,” she told him, and drew him farther toward the bed.

  He lifted her onto it, the need in his eyes indicating that she had extinguished all his doubts. Vic pulled off his shirt, relishing the contours of his muscles under her fingertips. He laid them
both down and bent his head to kiss her, obviously hungry for her. As she ran her hands over his chest and down his back, his breathing quickened against her lips. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered, sending a sweet shiver down her spine.

  Vale slid his hands down her body, removing the last of the garments that separated them and leaving a delicious wave of goosebumps in his wake. Her pulse drove harder both from the sensations created by his touch and also from the anticipation at their inevitable reconnection, which she had craved for what felt like years rather than weeks. He dragged his mouth onto her neck and slipped his fingers between her thighs, gently stroking and intensifying her desire.

  Everything melted away, not just the heartache of the past few weeks but all her previous doubts and frustrations that they would never be together in this way. Everything became crystal clear—they were meant for each other and it had been there the whole time as the undertone to their friendship, they had both just been too blinded by their internal conflicts to see it.

  Vic dug her fingers into his back, clinging to him as he pushed her further and further toward the edge while whispering encouragement in her ear. She lost herself to the thrill of it, the exquisiteness of sensation and the delight that the man she loved was the one creating those feelings and sharing in them with her.

  Just when she was close to losing control, she managed to haul her consciousness away from the brink in order to spin him over, climbing on top. She eased herself slowly onto his length, watching the rapture intensify on his face with each movement until finally they were fully as one. She leaned down to kiss him, her hair spilling onto his face, and they started to drive together.

  Liquid-hot fire spread through her entire body. Her passion for him was so intense that she lost the power of coherent thought whenever he was in her arms, and she was never going to let him go. She had always been his, and now that he was finally hers, she wouldn’t doubt his feelings or let anything come between them again.

  Vic moved her mouth against his more and more urgently, trying to drink him in. She dragged her lips along his jawline, tasting him. When she reached his neck, she ran her tongue against his skin, eliciting a groan that sent her heartrate into overdrive. Her head swam with his scent and taste. She thrust faster against him and his breathing spiraled out of control. She reveled in the fact that she had the power to make him lose his grip on any self-restraint. The sensation of it sent her pleasure soaring impossibly higher, and she abandoned herself to it, breathing his name against his cheek as the first wave of her climax crashed over her.

  Vale pushed his hands into her hair, lifting it from her face and kissing her desperately. He moaned her name against her lips. “I love you.”

  “Vale,” she whispered, “let go.”

  He became racked with obviously intense pleasure as he surrendered to it. She pressed her mouth to his and their breathing synced into gasps of passion before finally slowing as the tide of satisfaction washed over them.

  Victoria sank onto him, burying her fingers in his hair. She rested her forehead against his and looked into the caramel of his eyes. “I love you too.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Move up, Vale.” Amber shoved him farther up the couch.

  He rolled his eyes. “For goodness’ sake, there’s plenty of room.” He put his arm around Vic on his other side, instinctively placing his free hand onto the small swell of her belly. She snuggled into him and a warm, satisfied feeling pooled in his veins.

  Hayden pretended to sit in Amber’s lap and she laughed and pulled him down next to her. “Switch it on,” she told him.

  Hayden lifted the remote and flicked on the television. The face of the UK Prime Minister appeared on screen, standing behind a podium.

  Vale’s heartrate spiked. “I still think we should have been there with her.”

  Amber made a dismissive noise. “She can handle it, Vale. She didn’t want us raining on her parade.”

  That statement didn’t do much to ease his anxiety as he watched the screen. “Turn it up, Hayden.”

  Hayden obliged and the Prime Minister’s voice became apparent. “…and we should have the other world leaders joining us now,” she said. A live stream came online behind her, featuring leaders from international society.

  The PM started to speak. “Thank you for allowing me to take the floor first. We should now have the head of The Organization speaking from her new London headquarters. Welcome, Ms. Prashad.”

  Priyanka’s smiling face appeared on an additional screen. “Thank you, Prime Minister. I’m delighted to speak with you all.”

  “And we you, Ms. Prashad. I wonder if you could start off by telling us more about The Organization. We know you have been around for a long time, even though society was largely unaware of your presence until a few months ago.”

  “That’s correct,” Priyanka said. Our organization came into being during the 1950s in response to the threat at large from malevolent vampires. Their number was not great at first, much like the rest of us benevolent ones. But our numbers grew over time, and although that meant more of us, it also meant more of them. We have worked covertly since then to quash any threat against humanity.”

  “Thank you,” the PM said. “I would like to pass the baton to my colleague in the United States. Madam President, you have the floor.”

  “Thank you, Prime Minister. Good afternoon to you, Ms. Prashad.”

  “And good morning to you, Madam President.”

  The President laughed. “Thank you. I wanted to ask what you would like to say to the public who are only just coming to terms with the existence of your subspecies?”

  “Of course,” Priyanka said. “That’s a good question. I would like to tell you all that we have always been here, in the background. And though the numbers of the malevolent of our kind exist, those numbers are small and in the minority, much the same as with the human race. Most of you are good, kind and hardworking people. We are the same. The Organization has protected you without your knowledge over decades and will continue to do so for decades to come. However, we will now be stronger in our efforts, because we are working together, humans and vampires. The Organization is opening its doors to human recruits—and not for the first time.”

  At that point Hayden nudged Amber and she smiled.

  Priyanka continued. “Together we will strive to make a better, safer world for us all. And we will succeed, because we are doing it together.”

  Vic leaned into Vale’s ear. “She’s bloody good.”

  He smiled and kissed her forehead. “I knew she would be.”

  The press conference went on until all the world leaders had spoken. They, of course, had known about and worked with The Organization since its inception and realized how valuable it was to society. It was in their best interests to instill faith in it within all their communities.

  Valentino stood by the cabin window, gazing out over the shore of Loch Ness and reveling in the peace and tranquility. Amber and Hayden had been correct when they’d told him he would love Scotland.

  Thinking about Priyanka and her press conference inevitably brought Gareth into his thoughts, together with its usual sorrow. He had been checking in regularly with Priyanka to make sure she was doing okay. As usual, she had been an absolute rock and fought through her own anguish, taking The Organization from strength to strength. She had been delighted when he’d told her about the baby and had appreciated hearing both their accounts of how Gareth had tried to bring Vale and Vic together—and his admission to Vale that he still loved Priyanka, despite their separation.

  Vale took in the stillness of the water, feeling that it reflected all aspects of life right now. The fact that the Glassmarsh-Moore case was finally closed, Priyanka was taking The Organization onto new horizons and there was even closure with Angelique. Once she’d heard about the fall of the Moore malevolents and the relationship being forged between humans and vampires, she had effectively committed suicide by throwing h
erself into the wall of her cell and burning up in the Impervious flame. He shook his head. How twisted to choose that fate rather than live an integrated life with humans.

  However, best of all was the tranquility and satisfaction of his private life. He glanced across at where Vic was laughing with Hayden, her hand resting comfortably on her stomach.

  “Penny for them,” Amber said, arriving at his side.

  “I’m not sure they’re worth that much,” he said.

  She smiled, a knowing look in her eye.

  “What?” Vale asked.

  “I’ve worked out what it is,” she said.

  He frowned. “What what is?”

  She shrugged and lifted a piece of lint off his shirt. “How your voice is different.”

  “How?” he asked.

  Amber’s smile widened. “It’s since you’ve been with Vic. Your speech is more relaxed. You’re contracting your words almost all the time now.”

  He thought about it. “Oh yeah. I am, aren’t I?”

  She laughed. “It’s good to see you loosen up.”

  He smiled. “And you.” He put his arm around her. “There is one thing I’m worried about, though.”

  She frowned. “What is it?”

  He gestured toward Vic. “I hope I can be a good father. It’s a big responsibility and not something I have any experience of.”

  Amber opened her mouth but he jumped in before she could speak. “Yes, yes, I know,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I’m so old that I have plenty of experience.” He smiled, knowing that she always liked to get in that particular joke.

  She nudged him. “That isn’t what I was going to say.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Oh yes? Then what were you going to say?”

  “That you do have experience,” she said quietly, “of being a father.”

  He looked at her. Moisture was glistening in her eyes. “In what way?” he asked.

  She cuddled into his side. “You’ve been a dad for the past decade,” she said softly. “Mine.” Her voice cracked. “And you’ve been a bloody fantastic one.”

  Vale felt like his heart might stop, but in a good way. He pulled her into an embrace. “I love you.”