Bewitch(64)

Payne lifted Snow with Andreu’s help and looked back at Elissa. He didn’t want to leave her here with the others, was afraid that something might happen to her if he did, but he needed to try to make amends, and this was the only way he could think of making things better between him and Antoine. Elissa held his gaze, no trace of fear in her now, her silvery eyes sparkling like starlight. She was powerful and he knew deep in his heart that she could take care of herself and her youngling if it came down to it, and he would sense if she was in any danger.
“Stay here. I will only be a moment,” he said and she nodded.
He teleported both Snow and Andreu to Snow’s room and settled the large unconscious male on his bed. Chica appeared with Antoine. Sera burst into the room as Payne was removing Snow’s ruined t-shirt. She rushed to Antoine and helped him to the chair beside Snow’s steel four-poster bed.
“Take five,” she whispered and kissed Antoine. “I’ll help get Snow settled.”
Payne looked away from them, guilt tearing him apart inside. She was so loving. It made him feel terrible. There was a witch waiting for him downstairs and he wasn’t sure what to say to her to make everything all right between them.
Sera was extremely gentle with Snow, carefully stripping him down to his underwear and then helping Payne chain him to the bed. Payne let her deal with the final shackle and rounded the foot of the bed to Antoine. He wasn’t sure what to say to him either.
Antoine held his hand out to him. Payne helped him to the bed and held him steady as he settled beside Snow.
“I’ll leave,” Payne said, his voice steady despite the turbulence churning inside him, pain colliding with fear, stripping away his strength. It was all he could do to make up for tonight. He would leave Vampirerotique and everyone’s lives forever. He would go before he brought any more pain to their lives, to people he had come to care about.
He turned to leave.
Antoine caught his wrist, his grip surprisingly strong, and held him firm. “I will expect you back at work tomorrow.”
Payne said nothing. He couldn’t bring himself to believe that Antoine meant that.
He shirked his grip and took a step towards the door. Andreu was there, blocking the exit. A futile move considering that Payne could teleport. The women stared at him.#p#分页标题#e#
Chica poured a glass of blood and handed it to Antoine.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Sera said, her voice soft and filled with warmth.
Payne closed his eyes and kept his back to her. “It doesn’t change what happened. I’m still leaving.”
“Why?” Antoine this time and he sounded as though he was losing patience now.
Payne sighed. “I don’t belong here.”
“Nonsense.” Antoine’s tone had taken a turn towards dark, a commanding snarl that Payne had heard many times in the months he had been at Vampirerotique, the one that warned to obey or face the consequences. “You are due at work tomorrow and I have something I need you to do tonight.”
Payne looked over his shoulder at the dark-haired male.
“Please apologise to the witch and thank her for helping fix what I did to Chica... for undoing some of the pain I have caused. No one here is perfect, Payne, but we can all move past our mistakes and make things better. We are family.”
Payne wasn’t sure what to say. He stared at Antoine, struggling between rejecting what he had said to protect himself and his heart from a blow that would likely kill him if Antoine was lying and accepting it as the truth. They were family. He did belong here.
He wasn’t sure he would ever truly believe that, but he could apologise to Elissa on Antoine’s behalf and thank her.
He could make things right with her, and then he would work to make things right with everyone else he had hurt.
He nodded and teleported back to the stage.
Elissa was gone.            







 
    Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance by Jennifer Ashley, Alyssa Day, Felicity Heaton, Erin Kellison, Laurie London, Erin Quinn, Bonnie Vanak and Caris Roane
    
 


 
CHAPTER 16
Payne focused on Elissa’s scent and the icy fingers squeezing his heart eased their grip when he sensed she was still in the theatre. He teleported to the foyer and found her there.
She turned to face him, her back to the glass doors and the night beyond. The warm lights from the chandeliers did strange things to her hair. Or perhaps not. He frowned. Silver streaks shot through the chestnut, and the more he stared, the more strands turned the colour of stars. Why?
Elissa looked away.
“Where are you going?” he said and took a step towards her, fear turning his blood to icy sludge.