Lilly's Torment(49)

"Dude, I think I just had a heart attack. How the fuck did he move that fast?" another got out in a whimpering tone.

Lilly was shaking. Every single part of her body shook. "I just began to  feel sick, I couldn't look away from the floor and began to feel  vertigo. Can we go home now, please?" She hated being weak, it pissed  her off, but right now she couldn't help herself and she was just  that-weak.

He nodded but was looking down at the floor. "Son of a bitch," he said.  "Fucking hell." He whipped his head around. "When did you get the new  flooring in?" he snarled.

They all were staring at him, which was understandable. He had his fangs  bared and looked ready to munch down on any of them immediately. "Three  weeks ago," someone finally offered up.

"Fuck." He took her hand and tugged her toward the elevators. When they  arrived he stepped in and then stopped. "Motherfucker," he said, pushing  her back out. "We're taking the stairs down to the garage."

She nodded and went right along with him. Her arm around his middle, she  rested her head to his shoulder and kept her eyes closed until he told  her that she could look. Finally, in the deep grey of the stairwell, she  let out a breath. "What happened? Was it the floor? But why couldn't we  take the elevator?" She looked up and saw him still fully fanged out  and touched her fingers to his lips lightly. "Hey, thank you."

He let out a low growl but his teeth slid back out of view after a  couple of deep breaths. "The floor in nearly every area we've been has  the same designs built into them. The rugs, the tiles, everything," he  said through clenched teeth. He was getting pissed again, or maybe it  was more accurate to say he was ramping back up again.

"What? When did that happen?" Crap, first the damn tattoos and now this?  "How long did they have me to program me with all of this horseshit,  and when?" She was getting angry now. "Just when did they have me?" She  whispered the question again. It had to have been before she came to  this area, had to have been during her transfer, right?

"I don't know," he said, staring into her eyes. "But we're fucking going  to find out. And we're not going to stop until we find these assholes  and I tear their still-beating hearts out of their chests with my bare  hands. I've had enough of this shit. They have gone too far with  attacking you in an everyday manner like this."

"Good," she said with a nod. She took a deep breath and then gave him  another hug simply because she could. "I love you, Ax. I want to go home  and stay there until the floors have been changed out, please?" She  knew that they would be changed and gone over with a fine-tooth comb  before she was allowed back in the office, and she was fine with that.

"I'll be calling the captain as soon as we get home. There is no way I'm  letting you back in this building, or anywhere, without checking it  over thoroughly." Taking her hand, he led her down the stairs.  Thankfully it was down and not up, but even still, it was a long way to  go in the chilly and narrow stairwell.                       
       
           



       

By the time they finally made the garage, Lilly was cursing herself for  wearing the short-sleeved, thin shirt she had on. "Son of a bitch, the  stairs are cold," she muttered and didn't even wait for him, she moved  to wrap her arms around him and hugged him close. "Make me warmer." It  was a demand, one made with a grin.

Shrugging out of his jacket, he wrapped it around her shoulders,  surrounding her in the scent that was all her Vhampire and leather. He  also hugged her close to him and rubbed his hands over her back. "You  should have said something sooner, Lilly. You know all you have to do is  speak up, little one."

"I know, but honestly I didn't really feel it until we stopped moving."  It was easier when they were moving quickly down the stairs, but now  that they stopped in the cold garage, she was cold. "Thank you for  taking care of me."

"You are my mate, of course I will look after you. Silly female." He  muttered the last with a dirty look to her. "Come, let's get out of here  and get you as far as we can from this crap. I want you home where we  know you are safe."

"Sounds good to me. Home sounds perfect. I can't wait to get ourselves  home so that we can poke Gavriel and make him wake up and then, if you  want me to, I will cook for us." And by that, she meant ordering in for  them.

"You don't cook, or so I seem to recall you mentioning," he said,  lifting a brow. Then he rolled his eyes. "Of course you would order in,"  he said, shaking his head. Taking her hand in his, he walked with her  to the truck.

She grinned and nodded. "You bet I would order in. I know this pizza  place that delivers. It's so freaking good." She loved pizza. Carbs.  Hell yes. "Oh now I want pizza. Lots of meat. Yummers." Okay, so she had  a one-track mind sometimes. Most times. But at least she wasn't  thinking of what had just happened to them, so that was good.

"You do know that unless you make it yourself, you really have no clue  what's on it, right?" he asked once they were moving and on the road.  "But if you feel the need to indulge in a reckless gamble with the  general populations food preparation, go for it."

"This is true but I don't care. I really love their pizza, so I think we  should get it. And yes, I feel the need to indulge in a reckless  gamble, because I trust the pizza place. That's what it boils down to,  trust. Just as I trust you as well, darling man."

"Then I say, gamble away," he told her with chuckle. "I take it you've  had the food there before enough to know they are a high-caliber  establishment." He shot her another look just in time for her to give a  nod. A soft grunt and he just shook his head slightly.

"Yes. Yes, I have had the food there before, and it is very good. I've  also seen inside of their kitchens and know just how clean they are, so  we won't be poisoned, promise," she assured him. "So come on, pizza.  Please?"

"Fine, you may order in pizza," he said. "But we're calling it in for  delivery. I am not going near a pizza place. The scents there are enough  to put me into overload and not the good kind, if there is a good  kind."

"Deal." Lilly smiled and reached out to touch him again. "Thank you. For  giving in to me. Do you want something other than pizza? Or are you  going to cook yourself something when we get home?" She hated that he  would not like something she loved so much.

"I have no need to eat any actual food for the next couple of days. You  can enjoy your pizza in peace, and I will watch you enjoying it. And no,  you don't need to feel bad for any reason. Remember, I don't require  food and can't eat that often."

"Good point." Lilly smiled and felt her cheeks heat as she asked. "Will  you bite me again? Feed from me again? I have to tell you, before you  answer, just how much I love it when you feed from me like you do."  Because they were always making love when he fed from her.

Artaxias shot her a look and rolled his eyes. "I know you have ulterior  motives and yet, for some insane reason, I cannot find fault with your  plan." Slowing, he pulled into their drive and wound his way up to the  house. Parking, he shut off the engine and turned toward her slightly.

"That's a very good thing. After I have eaten and showered, when we are  cuddled up in bed, we will get to have some fun and you will get to  feed?" she asked hopefully. "Because I like it. A lot." Okay so she  liked it more than a lot. She loved having him feeding from her.

"I think you may be addicted to it," he said softly. "Not that I mind in  the least, but we do need to ensure you keep up your blood count if I  continue to feed from you. We'll have to put you on a few supplements,  possibly. Because, in time, it would take a toll on you."

"We will do whatever it is that we need to do. I am just plain addicted  to you. Period. I'm addicted to Gav biting me, you feeding from me. Both  of you loving me." Who wouldn't love a man that would give her anything  at all that she wanted, at anytime at all that she wanted it? She would  do the same for him and for Gav as well.                       
       
           



       

"At least it's a healthy addiction. Could be worse, I suppose," he said.  Shaking his head in bemusement, or likely as close as he got, he slid  out of the vehicle. Walking around to her side, he gave her a hand down  before they headed toward the front door. "You should likely call now,  since they will be a while before getting here with that delivery."