And so did my trepidation for their safety.
The vampires’ steps echoed through the vast foyer, distinguishable from ours as they marched as one solid entity. “We will invade by boat and land on the eastern shore,” Misha said as he walked. “As bloodlust worsens, the muscles of infected vampires grow too dense, impeding their ability to swim.”
Shayna hurried to Misha’s right side. “So if we have to, say, um, run for our lives, the water is the best place to be?”
Misha nodded slowly at Shayna. “Provided the depth of the water and our speed are sufficient. The thirst of bloodlust further amplifies a vampire’s strength and velocity.”
Oh. Goody.
Taran swore behind me. Bloodlust just kept sounding better and better.
“The boats are almost ready. We will divide into three separate teams.”
“Excuse me, Misha,” Emme said quietly. “But shouldn’t we use two boats, or one big boat? With only seventeen of us, it might be better to stay in larger groups.”
Emme’s blush deepened as Misha regarded her. “Once we are on land, it will be to our advantage to stay as a group. However, smaller boats will dock closer to shore and will be faster should we need to flee.”
My fingertips swept over Emme’s tense muscles as I caressed her back. “And the more boats, the more options we have for escape, honey.”
Emme nodded. I supposed I should have reassured her, but the reality of the situation offered very little in the inspiration department. As everyone veered into the dining room, I grasped Misha’s arm. He stopped, as I’d intended, but he wouldn’t allow me to pull him into the office across the way. His resistance didn’t surprise me. Master vampires didn’t take kindly to being led anywhere.
His spine straightened and those hard gray eyes skimmed along my arm until they fixed upon my face. “I need to see you privately, Misha.”
A brief wind swept across my cheek from the speed with which he whisked us into his study. I’d only just felt his grip against my waist when the door slammed shut behind us. My eyes widened as he slowly lowered me to the floor. He said nothing, allowing his body to speak for him. The smell of lust surfaced immediately. He was aroused. And crap, somehow I’d caused it.
Lust remained unfamiliar, at least on a personal level. And while I’d scented it in clubs where dancers ground, at restaurants where couples stumbled out clutching each other in anticipation, and on Bren when he’d spotted his conquest for the evening, never had it been directed at me. Yes, Danny and I had sex as teens. But what Danny and I’d shared lingered as a distant memory of innocence, attraction, and a wish to please.
Misha’s scent of bare skin and implied promises of bliss left no hint of innocence. What did I expect? After all, he’d had more than a century to learn the art of sex, and his growing aroma and need assured me he’d mastered his craft.
I swallowed hard. I hadn’t expected such a response. Nor did I want it. My eyes wandered down. Misha obviously possessed the defibrillator to resuscitate my sleeping girl parts. But beyond my fear of intimacy at his hands lay the realization that Misha wasn’t the male who haunted my dreams and beckoned my beast.
Misha leaned into me, his soft, perfect lips parting to reach mine. I shrank away. “I’m sorry, but this isn’t what I want from you, Misha.”
Judging by the blatant confusion hardening his features, I may very well have been the first woman in history to refuse Sir Misha Aleksandr. Several long seconds passed before he released his hold. His tight black sweater hugged every muscle on his two-hundred-pound-plus form. His mane had been swept back into a tail, revealing that angelic face with the devilish twinkle. I chuckled. Misha was without question the hottest thing with sharp incisors—the poster child for ethereal vampiric beauty. Yet whenever I closed my eyes, images of Aric inundated my thoughts: the way he held me, the way his gaze met mine…the way he smiled.
Misha crossed his arms, his Russian accent thick over his words: “Tell me then what it is you desire.”
My eyes lowered to the bluestone floor—beautiful, despite all the cracks and imperfections. “I want you to watch over Emme. Out of all of us, she deserves to live the most.” I forced the words out. “If it comes down to it, Misha, and the rest of us don’t make it, I need you to get her to safety.”
Misha raised my chin with a single finger, perhaps because he knew I couldn’t move just then. “If you consider her weak, why do you anticipate you and the others will perish before her?”
My tigress rose to the surface. “Because Taran, Shayna, and I will die before anything happens to her. Emme is…different. She still believes in the good of others, despite the darkness that surrounds us.” I shrugged. “The world needs more Emmes.”