“Look?” Antoine frowned, his frustration flowing through her blood, and glanced over at Snow. “Are you alright? I did my best to get her out of the room straight away. I should not have brought her up here. My office might have been the better choice. I wasn’t thinking.”
It dawned on Sera that the look of concern in Antoine’s eyes when he had seen Anya bloodied and injured hadn’t been for her. She slowly turned her head towards Snow and looked at him, eyes wide and her body numb as she realised the gravity of her mistake. Antoine had been concerned about Snow. He had known the smell of blood would trigger Snow’s hunger and had tried to stop that from happening by quickly removing the source of the scent. That was also the reason why there hadn’t been blood on offer at the party. Antoine had wanted Snow to come down and socialise, and had taken steps to make sure his brother would be comfortable.
Sera felt so stupid.
She had mistaken Antoine’s concern as love for the woman when it had been love for his brother.
“I am fine, thanks to Sera.” Snow looked at her and smiled softly, his eyes barely touched with crimson now. “Remember what I said.”
Sera nodded and felt a little more confident as Antoine turned back to her. He smiled warmly, his blue eyes bright with it, and placed his hands on her hips and drew her up against his hard body. Sera refused to give in to him, even when his smile widened. Mercy, he knew how to melt a woman’s heart.
“You were saying something about not letting someone take me from you?” he said and she blushed. He swept his fingers over the marks on her throat.
Sera dropped her chin but Antoine didn’t let her escape. He placed his fingers under her chin and raised it, forcing her eyes back to his. They were so warm now, a sea of feelings that she would willingly drown in. She could die happy lost in this man’s eyes, or in his arms.
“I won’t let her take you from me, Antoine. I fought too damn hard for you to lose you now, or ever. As soon as she’s able to move, she is out of here. I mean it. I want her gone. No one in this world is going to come between us.” Sera glanced over her shoulder at Snow. “Present company excluded.”
Snow just smiled.
Sera turned back to Antoine, her jaw set and heart steady. Snow had told her to make Antoine see that she was the one for him, the only one out of her and Anya who could make him happy. She wasn’t normally the type to command people, but then she hadn’t been the type to seduce someone either before she had found herself falling for Antoine. For him, she would do anything, no matter how embarrassing it was. If it would make him see that what they had together was stronger than what he’d had with Anya and that she intended to keep fighting for him, because she was falling for him and she needed him more than anything, and that she would love him forever and never hurt him, then she would lay it all on the line right here and right now.
“I refuse to let you go and I’m sure as hell not about to let you or anyone else make me leave. You are mine, Antoine.” She snaked her arms around Antoine’s neck and drew him down for a slow, unhurried kiss.
Antoine’s hands settled against her lower back, holding her close to him as he kissed her, so softly and lightly that she felt as though she was floating. He pressed a final brief kiss to her lips and then pulled back to look down into her eyes.
“And you are mine.” His blue eyes shone with the promise behind those words, one of love and forever. His breathtaking smile warmed her right down to her soul. There was so much affection and happiness in that smile. Happiness that she had given him. “Anya got herself into a fight with a werewolf pack, but her injuries will not take long to heal. I will move her into one of the dormitory rooms and she will be gone soon. I would never allow her to come between us, Sera. I need you and you mean too much to me. If you wish her gone sooner, I will arrange for a doctor to take her away this night.”
The woman had been bleeding profusely from multiple lacerations. She didn’t look as though she was in any state to be moved tonight and Sera would never let her jealousy control her enough that she placed someone’s life at risk, but she appreciated the gesture.
“Move her out of the apartment and she can stay until she’s fit to leave, but I don’t want you near her.”
Antoine’s smile widened, as though he liked the jealous hiss that had been in her words and the possessive way she held onto him.
“As my lady desires.” He touched the marks on her throat again.
“They do suit her,” Snow said. “I take it she was yours long before tonight?”
Sera frowned at him. “Whatever do you mean?”