Night Unbound(38)

“Yes.”
But even the Others couldn’t drag him away now.
Zach rose.
“You can sleep in one of my brothers’ rooms,” she said, closing the distance between them, “or you can sleep downstairs with me.”
“I’ll sleep wherever you want me to sleep,” he told her, voice hushed.
Taking his hand, she led him down to her bedroom. Once there, she hesitated. The uncertainty that entered her pretty features erased his own.
Zach squeezed her fingers. “I just want to sleep beside you, Lisette. Hold you in my arms, if I may.”
Her smile returned. “You may.”
The minutes that followed were enchantingly domestic. Lisette brushed her teeth and found a new toothbrush for Zach to use. Then she closed herself in the bathroom and emerged wearing a silky nightgown that fell to her knees and somehow managed to appear both modest and alluring at the same time.
Drawing the covers back, she climbed into bed and waited for him to join her.
Having declined her offer of a pair of sweats or shorts that belonged to her brothers, Zach settled himself beside her in his leather pants. Pain gripped him as he eased down on his side.
Lisette sat up and leaned over him to help him find a more comfortable position for his aching wings.
He sighed. Much better. “Thank you.”
Smiling, she dipped her head and kissed his cheek. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
Warmth filled him at the touch of her lips.
Turning off the lamp, she lay on her side, facing away from him, then eased back against him.
Zach spooned his large body around hers, her curves arousing him and making his blood sing despite the pain that battered him. Drawing her closer, he wrapped an arm around her and buried his face in her fragrant hair.
This, he thought, is all I need. And, after savoring the moment as long as he could, he let a healing sleep steal over him.

Chapter Six
Lisette’s stomach fluttered with nervousness as she strode up the walk to David’s front door. One of the last to arrive, she could hear the other immortals in the area gathered together inside, chatting with each other and their Seconds.
She had lingered in the forest a few miles distant, listening for the rest to ride or drive past, and timed her own arrival carefully. Not late enough to be late for the meeting. But late enough to, hopefully, prevent much conversation and keep Seth and David from having enough leisure time to pick her brain.
Étienne and Richart, along with their wives Krysta and Jenna, were already inside. Lisette bolstered her mental barriers as much as she could to keep Étienne from nosing around in there and finding Zach.
How she wished she could’ve remained snuggled up in bed with Zach instead of leaving him—still asleep—to attend this damned meeting.
Silently, she swore. Don’t even think his name, she admonished herself. She couldn’t risk the elders picking up on it and pouncing.
Several immortals and Seconds called greetings as she entered.
Smiling, she offered them a casual wave as she closed the door behind her.
“Hi, stranger.” Sarah came forward and gave her a big hug. “It seems like I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Like every other immortal present, Lisette had a soft spot for Sarah.
Sarah had been the first gifted one in history to ask to be transformed so she could spend eternity with her husband. Though Roland was about as antisocial as they came, he had always been kind to Lisette, so she was thrilled that Sarah made him happy.
And it had been fan-freaking-tastic to finally have another female Immortal Guardian in the area. Too much testosterone was not always a good thing. Lisette had needed a break from it and had felt instantly comfortable with Sarah.
She forced a grin. “It’s been so crowded around here lately, the only way I could quiet the voices and get some sleep was to spend more time at home.” A solid explanation, she thought, for the many ears attuned to their conversation.
“Oh, right,” Sarah said. “I keep forgetting it’s hard for you to tune out all of our mental B.S. Since Roland and I have been doing the opposite and spending more time here lately, you probably got tired of my picturing him naked.”
Across the room, Roland laughed.
Lisette did, too. “I have caught a stray image or two.”
Several immortal males faked a shudder.
Grinning, Sarah linked her arm through Lisette’s and drew her into the room. “Admit it,” she ordered the males. “You’re all just jealous because he’s hotter than you.”
Snorts and protests all around.
Tracy wound her way through the big, male bodies and stopped before the two immortal women. “Excellent timing. I just heard Darnell give David a call.”
“David isn’t here?” Lisette asked, surprised. David loved Ami like a daughter—as did Seth—and had stuck very close to home since she had become pregnant.