Page 158 of Sire

About Lev and how we made snowballs together. How I gave him a watermelon Ring Pop, and he loved it. They don’t have them here. How Lev thinks I’m his new best friend…

And I am.

I need to tell her about Tariel and the deal we made. A new part of my plan to set us free.

But more, I need to tell Wren…

I love her.

I need to know my angel’s okay. I need to know what song she sang in the shower. That’s her new thing—singing all the wrong lyrics to her belly,our baby.

“Jesus, Jesus. Come on, Angel. Pick up,” I huff, pacing my former bedroom, the sick irony isn’t lost on me.

It’s lunchtime there, nighttime here. Wren’s probably busy, helping Ms. Davis with the preschool kids.

I roll to voicemail and guardedly leave her one, knowing the ears have walls.

“Hey, Angel. Call me back. No matter the time. I met Lev, and my surgery’s tomorrow morning. And I love you and…”

A soft knock on the door startles me.

“And I need to hear your voice. No filters. All songs, butterflies, badassery, and my baby. Call me.”

The knock demands again.

But I need to say this, “I love you, Angel. Bye.”

I end the call, ripping my bedroom door open. “What?”

“Did you forget your southern manners?” Katya tries to drawl but sounds ridiculous.

“Did you forget to go to hell?”

Slyly, she grins. If she weren’t an evil succubus, with her blonde hair and bold cleavage, she’d have a chance at being pretty.

“Always full of fire, Sergei.” She licks her red lips. “I craved that about you. Not your brother. Axel was cold.”

“Yeah, well, fucking freezing pussy will do that to a man.”

“It was never cold for you.” She drags her fingertip down my grey sweater, over my abs. “It’s still warm, ready, andwetfor you.”

I swat her hand away. “I’m married to the most beautiful woman with the hottest pussy; I’ll never cheat on my wife. I love her.”

She purrs, “But I am a queen, and you are my second king. You made a vow to me, too. You bred me in front of your brothers. You made me drip for you. Remember?”

“Unfortunately, I do. But thankfully, I wore a condom and pulled out, and Delphine’s sweet mouth swallowed what you never deserved. Remember?”

She purses her lips, threatening, “Does your wife know you breed men, too?”

I laugh. “Shejoinsus.”

Her face twists, trying another angle. “If you want to see Lev, you will give me what I want.Tonight.”

I see right through her. “What you want, Katya, is the love you never got from your father, so you tried to get it frommyfather, the Devil. When the truth is, if you opened your heart to your son, you’d find a new and better love as a mother.”

“Iama loving mother,” she hisses.

“Then act like it.” I get in her face. “Like what my mother did for her sons. Give me Lev. I’ll get him out of here and keep him safe.”