Nikolai watched the morphing emotions flood over her face as clearly as watching clouds sweep across the moon at night. Disbelief, hope, worry, desire. He wished he could make her feel exactly what he felt, wished she could see right into his heart and understand that nothing he offered her would ever be bad. He belonged to her now, and he would worship and cherish and protect her for the rest of his existence.

A thought occurred to him. “You said you’re part fae?”

“No, they told me I was part fae,” she pointed out.

He ignored the comment. “I wonder if that’s why you were able to hear my thoughts. Has it happened to you before?”

She shook her head. “No, never.”

“Hmm. It probably has to do with you being my Bloodmate, too, that we have that extra connection. Do you think you could do it again?”

“I have no idea.”

“We could try it. Maybe then you’d be able to see how I feel about you.”

He took both of her hands, and they stared at each other.

“I feel silly,” she admitted, and her cheeks pinked up. She suddenly looked younger than she was, and the sight of her caused his heart to swell.

Lauren gasped and snatched her hands away. “I did it. I heard you.”

“You did?”

“Yes, you were thinking that I looked beautiful when I blushed.”

A wide smile cracked across his face. “Yes, that was exactly what I thought.” He took her hand and pressed the palm to his chest. “What about how I feel, Lauren? Can you sense that, too? Can you sense that I mean everything I say, and that the two of us are destined to be together? You and I. For the rest of our existence on this earth.”

She stared up at him, her eyes dark pools he could fall into and drown. “Every part of my head is telling me this is crazy, and that I couldn’t possibly believe such a thing. I’ve never been dependent on another person, not for the whole of my adult life, and honestly, it scares the hell out of me.”

“But?” he prompted, sensing there was a but coming.

“But I can’t change the way I feel standing here with you. I’m not sure I believe in forever and eternity, but I believe in the right now.”

That would have to be good enough for him. For now.

He ducked his head and kissed her again. He could kiss her every moment for the rest of time. The taste of her filled his senses, the scent of her making his head swim. This woman could very well be both the making and the end of him. If she chose not to stay, he knew it would be the end. He couldn’t continue to walk this earth knowing he’d tasted heaven and lost it again.

This time, she melted against him, and he scooped her up, pressing his body flat against hers. He so desperately wanted to rid her of her clothing, wishing he could tear it from her body and lose himself inside her right here on the floor of his penthouse, but he didn’t want to risk her pushing him away again. He’d barely lost his erection since the last time they’d kissed, and the moment their lips had touched again, he’d grown rock hard. Sex had always been something he’d been able to take or leave. Over the years, he’d gone through phases of fucking his way through women, until he eventually lost interest for another few years before the desire had returned.

This felt different, however. This didn’t feel like fucking for the sake of fucking. This felt as though he needed to be inside her in order to reclaim a part of himself. He wanted them to be joined, to witness her at her most exposed and vulnerable, as though, only then, would he see Lauren for the person she truly was. Right now, she kept her emotions protected and folded inside herself, and he understood why. It sounded as though she’d not had the easiest of lives so far, and that was her way of protecting herself. He wished he could make her see that she didn’t need to be that way any longer, that she could show him the rawest part of her soul, and he would hold it as delicately as he’d hold a newly emerged butterfly.

In his pocket, his phone began to vibrate. He was tempted to ignore it, but he couldn’t.

Frustrated, in more ways than one, he broke the kiss. “I’m sorry, just give me a moment. He stepped away from Lauren and swiped the button to answer the call. It was Ivan.

“What’s happening?” Nikolai said.

“I’m away from Deacon and the other wolves now, but they know you took the girl, and they’re pretty pissed off about it. They’ve only let me go because I promised them I’d speak to you and get you to bring her back in. Apparently, she already belongs to another, and he’s on his way to collect her.”

Nikolai ground his teeth. “You see what I told you about those wolves. I knew Deacon Thorn was up to no good when you wanted me to do business with him. You see where his money is coming from? He’s selling humans. I wonder how many of those girls he has working in that club have come from such nefarious sources. We have to report this to The Directive, Ivan. At this point, we have no choice.”

“I don’t know, Nikolai. If I do that, it’s going to be the end between me and his daughter. She’ll never forgive me if I turn her father in to The Directive.”

“I’m sorry, Ivan, but you don’t have a choice. If you don’t do it, I will. There’s a vampire out there who believes he owns Lauren, and I’m pretty sure when he turns up to the club and finds her gone, he’s not going to be too happy. He may even come after what he believes is his.”

There was silence on the end of the line as Ivan turned over what Nikolai was saying.

“Maybe we can get in there first,” Ivan said eventually. “We could be waiting when this vampire arrives, and explain to him that Lauren is your Bloodmate, and not for sale. If we give him whatever money he paid, he might leave this whole thing alone.”

“She’s part fae, Ivan.”

There was a sharp intake of breath. “What?”

“That’s why she’s commanded such a high price. If this vampire has an addiction to fae blood, he might not care what we say. He’ll want her anyway.”

“Shit.”

Lauren was watching him with concern in her eyes. He knew this affected her more than it did any of them. It was never good to have a vampire hunting you down, especially if you didn’t even know the identity of the vampire in question.

“We can’t go back to the club,” Nikolai said. “Deacon and his wolves will take the side of this vampire, and we’ll be outnumbered. Plus, I won’t leave Lauren here alone, undefended. Our only choice is The Directive. I’m sorry, Ivan.”

Ivan let out a sigh. “I got you into this in the first place. It’s me who should be sorry.”

“I’ll make the call,” he replied. “At least then you can tell Deacon’s daughter that it was me who reported what was happening.”

“Very well.”

He hung up the phone and smoothed his hand across his head, his jaw tensing. He didn’t like to call The Directive in for problems when he preferred to handle things himself, but in this case, he had no choice. Keeping Lauren safe was his priority, even if it did mean swallowing his pride.

“What’s happening?” she asked him anxiously.

“I’m going to call in some help. I guess you could call them a law enforcement agency for supes. They’ll take down a vampire on a rampage, or deal with a different kind of supe who is posing a danger. Right now, Lauren, both those wolves who took you, and the vampire, are a threat to you.”

He didn’t want to frighten her, but she didn’t seem like a fragile flower who couldn’t handle the truth.

“You think they’ll help?” She looked at him with utter trust, and it just about broke his heart. He couldn’t let her down.

“Nothing is going to happen to you, Lauren. I swear on my life.”

He realised she was human—mostly, anyway—and that she’d been kept locked up for twenty-four hours, but other than kissing her, he’d done nothing to take care of her physically.

He took hold of her hand and guided her to the couch. “Come, sit down. You must be tired after everything you’ve been through. I’d offer you a change of clothes, but I don’t have any women’s clothing here, and I don’t have regular food either.”

She gave a weak smile. “Do you have anything to drink?”

“Alcohol?”

“I think my nerves could use one.”

“Of course.”

He went to the kitchen and poured them both a straight whisky, and then added a glass of water. Most humans in England drank tea, but he didn’t have any tea here. He needed food for her to eat as well. He’d have to order a delivery.

“What do you like to eat?” he asked her as he brought the drinks out to her and set them on the glass coffee table.

“Honestly, I eat pretty much anything. There’s not much room for picky eaters when you have to buy whatever you can afford.”

He turned away from her, pulling out his phone. “I’ll order you everything, then.”

She sat up straighter. “What? No, you don’t—”

But he’d already left the living area and gone into his office. His computer was always kept fired up, so it only took a couple of clicks on the mouse to pull up several local takeaways and order online. With that done, he needed to call The Directive.

Nikolai sighed, wishing there was another option, but then placed the call.

He didn’t have a direct line to Magno Zara, who led up The Directive, but he did have the contact details of another European, Jana Noskova, who was Magno’s second in command. She probably wouldn’t remember him—after all, Europe was a big place—but he hoped she might be nearby or would be able to get in touch with someone who was.

“Yes,” a female voice answered, her tone curt. “Who is this?”

“Ms Noskova, you probably don’t know of me, but my name is Nikolai Petrov. I’m calling you from London.”

“Yes, Mr. Petrov. What can I help you with?”

“I’m afraid I have a bit of a situation on my hands. I hardly know where to start.”

“I suggest you start at the beginning.” Her tone hadn’t softened any.

He cleared his throat. “Yes, of course. I guess I should start by saying that I’ve been afflicted by The Thirst.” He almost heard her straighten on the other end of the line, suddenly paying more attention.

“Go on.”

“The same night I was struck, I picked up on the scent of my Bloodmate. But this is where the problems start. She’d been kidnapped by werewolves, and had already been sold on to another vampire before I found her. I took her from where she was being held, but the vampire who has bought her still believes she is his.”

“Lives cannot be bought and sold,” Jana replied.

“I’m aware of that, but this is an underground trade. I believe it’s also where the werewolf, Deacon Thorn, has been making his money—stealing young, vulnerable women off the streets and selling them on to be blood slaves to wealthy vampires.”

“Jesus Christ. And you say this woman is your Bloodmate?”

“Yes, without a doubt,” he replied. “Oh, and she’s part fae.”

“Any powers?”

“She has an uncanny way of knowing what I’m thinking.”

“Are you sure that’s not just because she’s a woman?” Jana said, and for the first time Nikolai heard a little teasing in her voice. “Anyway,” she snapped right back to her formal self. “I digress. First of all, I must let you know that here at The Directive we are aware of a rise in cases of The Thirst, and also that they seem to be tied to the appearance of a Bloodmate. We’re also aware of what would happen to the vampire afflicted with The Thirst if something were to happen to his or her Bloodmate.”

Nikolai’s thoughts went to that possibility. What would happen to him if he lost Lauren? No, he couldn’t even comprehend it. A life without her now was unthinkable. Just the way he’d acted at the club the previous night was enough of a warning. She was the tonic to his soul, and to live without her would mean losing his mind. An insane vampire with The Thirst would be a very dangerous thing indeed. He would kill hundreds before he was taken down. He couldn’t risk that happening.

“I understand,” he replied.

“No, I don’t think you do. Because of the number of Bloodmates that have been making an appearance recently, The Division has put together a secret branch to make sure they’re protected. We won’t let anything happen to your Bloodmate, Mr Petrov.”

“Call me Nikolai, please.”

“Very well, Nikolai. I’ll need both your address, and the address of this wolf who you believe is selling people to vampires. The secret branch is in France at the moment, following up on another case, but I believe they can spare a member of their team. It will take a few hours for him to reach you—it may not even be until tomorrow night now—but I’ll make sure he’s on his way, and he’ll bring reinforcements.”

“Thank you, Jana. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

“You’re welcome. We must keep the vampire community safe, after all.”

He gave her the addresses, and then hung up.

He wondered what Lauren had been doing all this time. This must all seem like a huge shock to her, after everything she’d been through. Already his heart and body longed for her, even though they’d only been apart a matter of minutes while he’d been in his office.

Nikolai left his office and stepped back into the main living space of his penthouse. Frowning, he glanced around. Where was she? A breeze lifted the curtains on the sliding glass door that led out onto the balcony, and his heart lurched. A rush of ice cold fear flooded his veins. Had the other vampire been here and taken her while he’d been on the phone in his office? Could taking his eyes off her for a moment be all it had taken to lose her?

But then he forced himself to calm. The sliding door to the balcony was open, and beyond the door he caught a glimpse of a red dress and long, dark hair. He exhaled a sigh of relief.

Nikolai stepped outside to join her. She didn’t turn to acknowledge him, just continued to stare out over the incredible view. The lights of the city winked and flickered in a vast sprawl out to the horizon. The snake of the river wound away from them, more lights from boats settling on the black water.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, still not turning to him, though now he knew she must have heard him join her. “I’ve never seen London like this before. I’ve only ever really seen it from ground level.”

Nikolai didn’t see the view. It vanished to him. All he could see was the smooth curve of her shoulder, the narrowness of her waist, the way her dark hair moved in the breeze.

“You’re beautiful,” he said, stepping closer. “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

The front of her body was pressed against the safety railing which was made of glass so there was nothing to spoil the vast views of the city.

He moved up behind her, a breeze ruffling her dark hair, and slipped his arm around her waist. He buried his face against her throat, inhaling that glorious scent of her. Instinctively, he knew he would never grow tired of that scent.

They stood exposed to the entire city, only reinforced, waist-high glass separating them from the drop below. He kissed her neck, and she moaned in response, tilting her head to the side.

His fingers caught the front of her dress and dragged it down, pulling the strapless bra beneath down with it. She made no move to stop him. He kept going, yanking the front of her dress down over the tops of her tits, exposing her to the fresh air and the whole of London beyond. Her tits were perfect, small and perky, with nipples that turned to bullets at the slightest touch.

“Nikolai,” she gasped as he nibbled at her neck. God, how he wanted to bite her, but it was too soon. They hadn’t even talked about that yet, though her blood sang to him like sirens luring shipmen into their death.

“I want to take you here,” he growled at her. “Right in front of the entire city. I want every single inhabitant of this place to see that you’re mine.”

He pulled the dress down further. It caught on her slender hips, but only for the briefest of moments, before the material fell to the floor, creating a pool around her high heels. Fuck, she was exquisite, standing there in only a tiny slip of black lace panties and high heels. He wanted to step back and just stare at her, drink her in with his eyes, but at the same time, he didn’t want to stop touching her for a single second.

“Oh, God, Nicolai,” she gasped. “This is crazy.”

“No, it’s right. It’s how it’s meant to be.”

His cock lengthened, turning to steel beneath his suit trousers. He pressed into the small of her back, right above the luscious curve of her bottom. He was taller than she was, but the heels she wore had given her extra height.

As he kissed her neck and shoulder, he cupped her breast with one hand, squeezing and rolling the nipple, while the other hand moved lower. He skirted the flat plane of her stomach and then moved lower. His fingertips slipped beneath the front of her panties, slipping down, through the little patch of curls that nestled above her bud. She squirmed against him, pushing back so her bottom pressed firmly against his crotch, and then circling her hips forward, encouraging the movement of his fingers. She didn’t seem to care that she was standing naked in front of the entire city, her tits exposed and his hand down the front of her panties.

“Oh, Nikolai. Keep going.”

“I want to hold you up as you come in front of the city, got it? I want the world to see what I do to you. How your body is mine now. They might look, but no one else will ever touch you.”

She sighed at his words, a whisper of breath on the air, and his fingers slipped lower. He circled the little bundle of nerves slowly, one, two, three times, feeling her body tense, and then moved between her thighs, parting her folds. He pinched her nipple with his other hand, just hard enough to hurt, hearing her suck in air over her teeth in response, but making no attempt to tell him to stop. Her wetness coated his finger. She was so ready for him, so ripe, and he pushed inside her. Lauren gave a small whimper, and he fingered her a couple of times before adding a second digit and then a third. He wanted her to be impaled on his hand, to have her writhing and screaming out her pleasure for the whole city to hear.

He was terrified she would push him away, but he could tell she was already too far gone. Sliding his fingers in and out of her, loving the way she gripped him so tightly, he ground himself against the base of her spine. His other hand pulled and twisted her nipple, lengthening it until it was as hard as stone.

Nikolai wanted to fill every hole, to sink himself inside her, his tongue in her mouth, his cock in her pussy, his finger up her ass. He wanted to feel her convulse around him as she came, to hear her scream his name as he emptied himself inside her. She was his now, and he was hers.

His cock was so hard, he thought he might explode, but he didn’t want to push her any further. There would be plenty of time for that. He would be able to take her every night from this night onward.

He curled his fingers inside her, finding that little pad on the inside of her wall that would take her to the next level.

Lauren shattered around his hand. Holding onto the metal bar that topped the glass barrier, she came hard for all of London to hear. Her pussy pulsed around his fingers and she cried out, her body first tensing to the point of snapping, and then suddenly relaxing against him.

But it wasn’t the strength of her orgasm that focused his attention, or even a desire to find a release of his own.

A golden light had appeared across her skin, illuminating her arms and hands.

“Lauren?” he said in wonder, slipping his fingers from her body.

She came out of her daze and blinked as she looked down at herself, and then lifted her hands in front of her face. “Oh, my God. What is that?”

He stared at her. “I have no idea.”