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“I think she’s coming around. She just needs some time to get used to being like us.”

“I’m sure she will. I have Donté looking after her.”

“Are you headed to Marisol?” He asked me.

“I’m going home to see Chanel first. I will get to Marisol before the serum wears off.”

“I just pulled up to The Castle. If I need to go shoot Marisol again, let me know. She’s there alone with Virgil and he’s not strapped.”

“I’ll call if I need you. But I’ll be there before she wakes up. Brother, you did a good job tonight.” I commended him.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Okay, I will text you if there is an emergency. Go and have fun with Morgan. Enjoy the win.”

“I will.” Harlen’s joy rang through his voice.

I ended the call and pressed harder on the accelerator. I sped up to merge onto Lake Shore Drive. Winning felt good. For the first time in weeks, I felt like I was gaining ground against Teresa’s campaign of terror.

Marisol Lopez was about to discover the consequences of attacking my family. And through her, Teresa would receive a message she couldn’t ignore. Chicago was my territory, and I protected what was mine. It didn’t matter that I was her maker, or that she was once my wife. Go against me and nothing good comes of it.

I waved at Josh when I pulled into my guarded and secure garage. I took the elevator up to the loft. When I let myself inside, I walked into the kitchen. The digital clock on the microwave read 3:17 AM. I was home earlier than expected.

The picture of Marisol bound and waiting for me to kill had lifted a weight from my shoulders. It also made me hungry, but not for blood or vengeance.

I shed my suit jacket and carefully removed my Cripo Glock from its holster. I made my way through the darkened loft and upstairs toward the bedroom where Chanel slept.

CHAPTER NINE

ZAND

The bedroom door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open with my fingertips. Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making her look like a princess. I moved inaudibly on the floorboards. It was a habit formed over decades of existing in the shadows.

Chanel lied in bed on her side with her back to the door. The white cotton sheets were tangled around her waist, exposing the smooth curve of her spine and the thin straps of her silk pink camisole. Her hair was spread across the pillow in loose waves. I could see the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. For a moment, I just watched her, struck once again by how beautiful and alluring she appeared without any effort. I thought of how close I’d come to losing her to the Lopez family. I could, and would not ever, let that happen again.

I approached the bed, placing my Glock on the nightstand. I removed my watch and set it there too. My shirt followed, then my belt. The buckle made a soft clink as I placed it beside the watch. The bed dipped slightly beneath my weight as I slid under the covers. My body found hers like we were magnets. Myarm slipped around her waist, pulling her against my bare chest. Pressing my lips to the nape of her neck, I inhaled her sweet scent. With another tender nibble on her neck, I inhaled the coconut and lime scent of her hair. My body desired her just as much as I craved blood.Feeling this way for a human was both exhilarating and terrifying, even for a vampire like me.

Chanel stirred in her sleep. She murmured something unintelligible before her body registered mine was nearby. “Zand.” Her voice was thick with sleep, confused, but not alarmed by my overbearing presence.

“It’s me. Your Mr. Vampire.” I whispered against her silky, warm skin. My hand slid beneath her camisole to trace the curve of her stomach. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” I said it sincerely because I meant it. I was going to have her in her sleep if I had to. Her participation in the activities was appreciated but not required for me to get off.

Chanel turned in my arms. Her sleepy brown eyes found mine in the darkness. “You’re home early. It’s still dark out.”

Instead of answering, I captured her pouty lips with mine. The kiss was urgent, the culmination of a thirst that I had to quench as soon as I could. Her lush lips parted and melted into mine, inviting me deeper into her mouth. I tasted mint toothpaste and something uniquely Chanel, a flavor I’ve come to crave more than blood.

Her soft hand cupped my cheek, and her touch ignited me. I trailed kisses down her throat. My eager fingers found the hem of her camisole and yanked it upward. She raised her arms, allowing me to slip the silk garment over her head.

In the moonlight, her skin glowed with a radiance that no vampire could ever possess. Chanel would likely attribute it to shea butter moisturizer. I believed the glow came from her inner beauty that couldn’t be contained under her skin.

My hands explored the familiar territory of her body. Each curve I had memorized but never grew tired of exploring over and over again. I had counted the moles and scars and etched them into the annuals of my brain. Every imperfection was the epitome of perfection in my eyes.

“Zand.” She moaned my name like it was the beginnings of a love song.“I need you.”

I needed her, too.

She sighed as my thumb brushed across her solid nipple. I lowered my head to replace my thumb with my mouth.Chanel’s back arched to press her breast firmly against my lips. I swallowed her breast, being extra careful to only lightly scrape my teeth across the firmness of her D cups. She had just enough tit to fill my mouth completely.

Chanel’s fingers tangled in my hair, urging me on as I lavished attention on one breast first, then the other. The scent of her arousal filled my nostrils and swirled in the air of the bedroom. It was the most intoxicating scent. It made my fangs ache with desire. I resisted the urge to plunge my teeth into her skin. Instead, I focused instead on the pleasure I could give her without drawing blood.