Fifteen minutes later, I pull into our driveway.

Two cars down, Row’s badass silver Range Rover sits, making every other car on the street seem less-then. I’m not surprised he’s here. He’s been at our house every day since Carver left. Row is basically my babysitter, guarding and guiding me as much as he can until ‘daddy’ returns.

Blegh. I don’t know why I just said that.

I hate the fact that everyone’s acting like I’m some delicate princess in a castle in need of protection. And even worse, I hate that it’s kind of partially true.

I hop out and glance down toward the sidewalk. Two other vampires Carver had arranged as additional guards, watch me from beneath black sunglasses as they hover outside our place like the freaking secret service. I lift a hand and wave, but they pretend like they don’t see me.

The first rule of vampire guard club. Don’t talk about vampire guard club.

I step into the house and look around our living room. Reina’s got her laptop on her lap, Row sitting beside her as they both look at something.

“Hey! I’m home.” I force my lips into a semblance of a smile.

“Aura! You’re here! Good!” Reina closes her laptop and turns to face me. Row rolls his eyes and gets up from the couch, heading towards the kitchen.

“That’s my cue to go finish cooking you guys some food.” He chuckles when Reina wolf whistles at him and adds a little extra swing in his hips.

“Were you waiting for me or something?” I ask Reina, eyeing her suspiciously. I know I’ve been a bit of a downer since Carver left, but I didn’t think it was that bad.

“How you holding up, babe?” Reina pats the couch beside her and I slump down next to her, resting my head on her shoulder.

I shrug. “Good I guess.”

“You’re a shitty liar, you know that?”

“Thanks.” I roll my eyes. “But seriously, I’m okay. I just want to know Carver is okay, you know?” The worry is eating me up inside like some sort of beast tearing apart it’s kill.

“I know, and he’ll be back soon. You’d know if something was wrong, right? Through your bond?”

I huff out a breath. “That’s just it. I have no idea.” I stand up, and grab my shoes from where I’d toed them off. “I’m going to go change into something comfy. I’ll be back down for dinner.”

“’Kay, I’m here if you need me.” Reina smiles at me softly, and there’s concern in her eyes. Concern for my well being. I know I’m being selfish. I’m not the only one that’s going through a lot right now, she is too.

I toss off my dress and cardigan and switch into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I stare into the mirror, willing whatever abilities I have to give me a sign that Carver’s okay. That Morana hasn’t torn him to pieces and scattered him to the ends of the earth. Nothing. I get nothing. After a few minutes of pouting I head back down stairs, grabbing the remote and putting on one of our favorite shows. Supernatural ought to get a laugh or two out of me. A few episodes later a car slows outside the house and I jump up off the couch.

“He’s back!” I shout, rushing to the door. I pull it open and run outside, throwing myself at him. He catches me with ease and I wrap around him like a vine. “You’re here!” I pull back, looking him over for any injuries, like they’d still be visible after our super healing.

“Bonjour, ma belle.” Carver plants a kiss on my lips and I kiss him back with gusto. He walks us up into the house, his hands firmly on my ass and my hands in his hair as we kiss passionately.

“Hey, Carver. Nice to have you back.” Row chuckles as we close the door behind us.

I barely let him up for air as he says a quick hellow to Row before flashing us up the stairs with his super speed.

“I missed you, Carver.” I breathe him in. His delicious scent. Dark chocolate, a tinge of copper, and male musk. A thump sounds and I peek over his shoulder to see he dropped a bag on the floor. It distracts me long enough to pull away. “What’s that?”

“Just my overnight bag.” Carver traces a finger across my brow, smiling down at me and I beam up at him.

This right here. Us together. And safe. This would be enough to keep me happy forever. I sigh happily and press my face into his chest. “As much as I’d love to jump you right now, and I’m dying to do so, I need to know what happened.”

“Things are bad in France.” Carver leans back into the headboard of my bed and rubs his hands up and down my arms. “Morana is recruiting more of La Teiur.”

“I hate to sound dumb, but what is La Teiur?”

“They are Morana’s assassins. I am one of them. Now reactivated.”

“Is that why she wanted you there? Did she make you do something?” I shake my head and hold up a hand. “You know what? Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. I just want to know that you’re safe and back with me. What else happened?”

Carver fills me in about the ins and outs of court bullshit and tells me about how Morana seems to be planning something, but exactly what, he’s not sure.

“Do you think she knows about the Dria?” I ask, dread coiling in my stomach at the thought.

“I don’t think so, ma belle.” Carver frowns. “But she’s definitely is amassing power for something. I just am not sure what. Yet.”

“Right. Yet.” Ugh. I hate being a step behind that bitch. But for now, I can’t complain.

“What about you? What happened while I was gone? Did you hear from Lavinia?”

I frown. “No. We haven’t. Did you?”

“No, I don’t think she’ll reach out to me directly. It’s too dangerous. Morana has increased her searches for them. Something has caught her attention and she’s like a rabid dog with a bone.”

“That’s not a good thing is it.”

“No. It’s not. And my sources at her court had nothing for me. Whatever it is, Morana is keeping it to herself.” Carver looks around my room, his lips pursed in thought. “What about Lucian? Have you heard from him?”

I shake my head. “Does it bother you? That I’m supposed to be with other men as well as you? I feel like it’s not fair to you.”

Carver chuckles. “Ah, ma belle. I am not bothered in the slightest. I feel it in my soul. A kinship with these men. I cannot explain it better than that. Just that I know we are all meant to be.”

Relief floods through me as I process his words. I’d never thought that I’d end up with someone like Carver. Let alone someone like Lucian. At the same time. And looking for a third to round us out. It’s surreal and something that I can’t explain but he’s right. It’s ancient and it’s powerfully undeniable.

We talk for another hour before heading down to eat dinner with Reina and Row. During dinner we’d barely been able to keep our hands to ourselves, our desire for each other growing and flaring hotter. “We can do the dishes guys, I don’t want you to break them if you try to do them while you’re so distracted.” Reina laughs.

We don’t need more than those words and we’re off like rockets, crashing into each other like supernova’s. His mouth finds mine, and our clothes go flying. Our bodies move together like they’re one and before either of us is ready for it, we’re shouting each others names and tumbling into a deep sleep, entangled in each other and thoroughly satisfied.