Page 52

No?

The stress in that word put me on edge, as though I could fight shadows for her.

I was fairly certain I would try, that I would find a way to enter her dreams, her memories, and rid her of whatever plagued her. I knew better than most that life was hard, that it hurt no matter how blessed a person seemed, that it didn’t exist without pain, yet knowing that, I still felt determined to do away with what I could for her.

I wanted her to have the perfect life without strife.

“I want to pet the snake. Don’t care if it rattles. It’ll like me.” She whispered those pleading words, taking away the unease inside me, making me smile.

Of course, she dreamed of being told she shouldn’t pet a rattlesnake, and no doubt she’d still attempt to pet it—dream or not. It was so on brand for the chaotic woman that I had to restrain myself from reaching out and gathering her in my arms, to kiss her for the perfectly ridiculous person she was.

I held back. One of the benefits of our bond being I could tell how run down she was, how much she needed this sleep. I wouldn’t dare disrupt it, no matter how adorable I found her.

Instead, I moved to the office to complete work while she slept. I didn’t like to leave before she woke, mostly because the opposite would bother me. Rising to find she’d left never sat well, and I didn’t want her to ever feel that same nagging doubt.

I threw myself into my work, sighing at the problems that constantly sprang up. I had hoped that I would take over and resolve it all. Perhaps that was the ignorance that always came with ambition, the confidence that one would gain power and make things better.

If people knew how little they could truly affect things, how much would still go wrong, they would never choose to still try to climb the ladder.

Blackstone had turned more unruly as well. I’d used them to my benefit when I’d needed them, riding them to my place here, figuring that our ideals were aligned, at least well enough to use to my advantage.

Now I wondered if they weren’t like alligators in a moat. Yes, they had benefited me, but they would turn on me just as quickly if given the ability.

I certainly didn’t want to lose a hand—or anything else—to those snapping teeth.

I moved one file away, choosing to consider dealing with that later.

The truth was that ignoring Blackstone had done little good. They’d chirped in my ear, then lifted their voices when they failed to get what they wanted.

If I didn’t find a way to put them down soon, I had a feeling they would pose a larger issue. They had helped take down one head of clan—I was not so foolish as to think myself immune from them taking another swing at that nonsense.

My gaze found the wall, where Grey slept on the other side.

For the first time since becoming a vampire, I had others to worry about as well. I couldn’t simply keep clawing on my own, couldn’t cut and run and try to come back later. Instead, I had a weakness, a person for Blackstone to target if they felt I wouldn’t play ball.

Which meant, for now, I had to placate them.

I signed an order that I never expected to, one they had presented, an antithesis to anything I thought would better the clan’s future. I moved my hand faster than usual, as though that would make me not have to think about what it was I signed. The faster getting this done, the better.

I could deal with the problems later, could try to rein in this beast, but it was more important not to get bitten, first.

I was the sort of man to always play the long game.

Soft steps drew my attention, making me realize I’d worked for hours. Time often got away from me, since there were never enough hours in the day. Grey peeked around the corner, wearing her clothes from before.

I missed her naked, to be honest. Not just because it was nice to see her bare form, but because she somehow felt more mine when nothing obscured my sight of her.

“Sleep well?” I asked.

She pressed her lips together as though searching for an answer. “I had a weird dream.”

“Oh yeah? Do tell.”

She came in and sat in one of the chairs across the desk from me, bringing her knees up so her heels pressed into the edge of the chair, curling into the side of it. “You were in it,” she said.

“Dreaming about me, hmm? How scandalous.”

“You were snake,” she snapped.