Page 25

Vlad woke to sunlight warming his face. He blinked groggily.

Memories of last night danced through his mind. His eyes slammed open.

He sat up, hand reaching out blindly for the woman at his side, only to find empty space and cool leather.

His heart sank.

The scent of coffee teased his nostrils. Vlad looked around.

Delphine sat in the window seat overlooking Manhattan. She was wearing his shirt and nothing else, her long legs stretched out in front of her. Steam curled from the mug in her hands as she watched the city below, her expression thoughtful.

Relief clenched Vlad’s gut, along with a flood of emotions that made his breath catch.

“You’re still here.”

She looked over, one eyebrow arching. “Did you think I’d make a run for it?”

“The thought crossed my mind.” Vlad relaxed and propped himself on an elbow.

Her gaze danced down his naked chest and lingered on the blanket covering his lower half.

Vlad smiled. “Like what you see?”

Delphine’s eyes darkened. “Very much so. I told you I like you, didn’t I?”

Heat pooled in Vlad’s belly at her words. He rose and crossed the room, conscious of her gaze tracking his movements as he wrapped the blanket around his waist.

“You did.” He settled beside her and stole her coffee. “Though I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”

Delphine narrowed her eyes. “Don’t push your luck.”

Vlad laughed and handed her mug back. “Want a fresh cup?”

They ended up curled on the couch and telling each other their life stories.

“Do all super soldiers know how to fight like that?” Vlad twisted a strand of her hair around his finger as she lay in his arms.

“The Immortals trained us.” She took a sip of her coffee and rested her head comfortably on his shoulder. “After they rescued us from Greenland, they sent us to foster families all over the world, mostly Immortals, some humans. The older children like Serena were worried it was to isolate us at first. But it didn’t take us long to realize that they only wanted us to experience everything we had missed out on and garner a wealth of knowledge and understanding from different cultures and ways of life that would serve us in the future.”

“Is that where your accent comes from?” Vlad said curiously.

“Yes.” Delphine’s expression softened. “I grew up in France. My adoptive family owned a vineyard in Bordeaux.”

Vlad watched her face. “You miss them.”

“Every day.” She smiled faintly. “My grandfather likes to fart the French national anthem at the family Christmas dinner. And I have an uncle who’s rescued about twenty dogs.” A chuckle left her lips. “My mom is a terrible cook, so much so she is banned from ever hosting our family dinners.” Her expression tuned wistful. “I try to see them once a year.”

Vlad propped his chin on her head. “How did you guys end up in a mercenary corps together?”

“The Immortals made sure we all met up regularly since we were kids, so we knew one another long before the corps was formed.” Her tone grew nostalgic. “After all, those of us who survived the events in Greenland were family, bound by more than just blood. The ones who saved us insisted we should not be stopped from getting to know one another, however much the Immortal Societies feared we might form an alliance and try and take revenge on them.”

Vlad sobered at that. Though Serena and Jared had spoken about the Immortals who had spearheaded the daring rescue mission, he still didn’t know much about them. Judging from Delphine’s words, the super soldiers held them in the highest regard.

“It was Alexa King who suggested Gideon form the corps. He’s the smartest one among us.”

Vlad startled. “Mila Jackson’s mother?”

Delphine stared at him over her shoulder. “You guys met?”

Vlad nodded. “In Philadelphia.” He paused. “Did everyone join the corps?”

Delphine shook her head and settled against him again. “Only those who wanted to. We work independently, but we also support the Immortals on critical missions.” She put her coffee down, turned until she was lying face down on top of him, and propped her chin on his chest. “What about you? What was it like growing up with Yuliy?”

“It was”—Vlad’s mouth curved at the memories—“everything my mother could ever have wished for me. We lived on a grand estate outside St. Petersburg. Gustav and Lena helped Yuliy take care of me when I was growing up. My uncle brought Tarang home when I was six, as an apology for spanking me after I broke my dead mother’s favorite hairbrush.”

Delphine arched an eyebrow. “The tiger was an apology gift?”

“Yuliy rescued him from a traveling circus.” Vlad’s expression softened. “No one was more surprised than my uncle when Tarang turned out to be the perfect match for my powers.”

Delphine’s eyes sparkled. “I can imagine. You suit each other.”

She leaned up to kiss him.

Desire licked through Vlad’s veins. His hand found her thigh beneath his shirt.

The doorbell rang.

They froze.

“Are you expecting someone?” Delphine said against his lips.

“No.”

She frowned and reached for her cell on the coffee table.

Tarang appeared at the top of the stairs, his tail swishing excitedly. He slinked down the steps and disappeared into the foyer as the bell rang again.

Vlad groaned.

The tiger’s enthusiasm could only mean one thing.

“Shit.”

Delphine showed him the live view from the camera outside. “Is that?—?”

“Yup,” Vlad said sourly. “That’s Mae and Nikolai and their damn familiars.”

Delphine slid off him and straightened his shirt where it had ridden up her thighs, her expression growing shuttered.

Vlad took her hand, conscious of what was going through her mind even though she hadn’t said a word. “I’m over her.”

She chewed her lip. “Are you sure about that?”

Vlad nodded and pulled her in for a quick kiss.

“I realized it the day after we first slept with each other,” he murmured against her mouth. “I was already halfway over Mae. You took me over the finish line.”

Delphine slowly relaxed. A smile tugged at her lips. “It was a spectacular finish line.”

Vlad grinned sultrily and swooped in for another kiss.

There was banging at the door.

“We know you’re in there, Vlad!” Mae yelled. “Tarang just told Brim you’ve been cavorting with your new girlfriend.”

A conspiratorial huff issued from the tiger in the foyer.

“It’s not even ten a.m.,” Nikolai said in a disapproving voice through the door. “Have you no shame?”

Vlad scowled, climbed into his trousers, and stormed over to the entrance. He yanked the door open.

Mae and Nikolai stumbled into the hallway.

“I don’t want to hear that from you, asshole!” Vlad hissed at Nikolai.

Tarang greeted them enthusiastically, his tail sweeping the floor with rapid flicks.

Brimstone trotted in and gave the tiger an affectionate head bump.

Mae recovered and beamed. “We brought gifts.” She pushed a couple of bags into Vlad’s arms and strode past him into the living room. “Now, where’s your lady—oh.” She stopped at the sight of Delphine. Her expression turned sheepish. “Sorry, we didn’t quite realize you were mid-cavort.”

“Hi,” Delphine said in a quiet voice. “You must be Mae Jin.”

The super soldier startled when Mae went over and gave her a quick hug.

“And you are Delphine.” Mae stepped back, a warm smile lighting up her face. “We’ve heard about you from Lily and Serena.”

Nikolai greeted Delphine with a friendly nod, Alastair ruffling his wings on the sorcerer’s shoulder.

Delphine had stiffened. “Lily?” Her gaze danced between Mae and Nikolai. “You mean Lily Soul?”

Vlad frowned at the name. “Isn’t that the Seer in Chicago? Why would she—?” He froze, the pieces of the puzzle concerning Mae and Nikolai’s sudden disappearance finally slotting into place. “Wait,” he ground out. “Don’t tell me you guys going off grid had something to do with her?!”

“Kinda. We had a situation with the Italian coven, but Lily also told us to make ourselves scarce for a couple of days.” Mae scratched her cheek guiltily. “We would have come back if it looked like your plan wasn’t going to work. It was the only way to make sure you two—you know.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

“We got together?” Delphine’s eyes had shrunk to slits.

“I was going to say became friends in the biblical sense, but that works too,” Mae said brightly.

Hellreaver quivered on her chest.

“ My witch, my fiends are demanding a sacrifice ,” the demonic weapon rumbled.

Delphine tensed.

“He means he wants meat,” Mae told the super soldier hastily as the weapon transformed. She narrowed her eyes at Hellreaver. “And you, how about you stop saying ambiguous things? It’s why we got in trouble with those Italians.”

Vlad curled a lip. “What’d he do?”

Nikolai shuddered. “You don’t wanna know. My leg still aches.”

Hellreaver zoomed out of the living room toward the kitchen, Tarang, Brimstone, and Alastair following in his wake.

“Don’t make a mess,” Mae warned.

“You people know this is my place, right?” Vlad said, incensed.

Nikolai grimaced. “Don’t be such a killjoy. Besides, we lived here for a while. Your apartment is practically our second home.”

Vlad scowled.

The front door opened. Cortes strode in, Popo on his shoulder. He slowed at the sight of Mae and Nikolai, surprise widening his eyes.

“When did you guys get in town?” he said while Mae greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.

“This morning.” Nikolai shook the sorcerer’s hand.

Vlad stared at the Colombian. “Since when did you have a key?”

“Since a while back,” Cortes said with a nonchalant shrug. He indicated Mae and Nikolai. “They made a copy and gave it to me. I rang the bell the other day because I was being polite.”

A headache throbbed at Vlad’s temples as he glared at the couple.

“We like it here,” Mae said shamelessly. “There’s free food, booze, and you have the best entertainment system in Manhattan.”

Delphine’s mouth twitched. She sobered when Vlad cut his eyes to her. “We should change the locks.”

A dirty smile curved Cortes’s mouth. “Oh. Are you guys moving in together?”

Popo leaned toward his sorcerer. “It looks like mating conditions were optimal last night, my Enrique,” he hissed in a conspiratorial tone.

“I’ve missed that bird,” Nikolai told Mae.

Vlad and Delphine exchanged a hesitant look.

“We haven’t broached the subject yet,” he said quietly.

Mae wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, you should start packing when you get to Washington,” she told Delphine.

Delphine stilled. Vlad lowered his brows suspiciously.

Delphine’s cell rang. She checked the screen. “It’s Gideon.” She took the call and listened for a moment. Her pupils flared. “What?”

“Gideon’s gonna give her a job in New York,” Mae whispered to Vlad.

Vlad’s chest tightened at her smile.

He could tell she was genuinely happy for him.

His gaze switched to Delphine. Though they hadn’t discussed the future, the possibility of the super soldier becoming a permanent fixture in New York and in his life was something he very much wanted.

Delphine ended the call.

She met Vlad’s stare, her expression a little shocked. “A position just opened up in New York with the Special Affairs Bureau. Gideon wants to assign me as a representative of our corps.”

Vlad forced himself to stay still. “What will you do?”

Delphine hesitated. “I—” She stopped and swallowed, her expression growing vulnerable for the first time since he’d met her. “I don’t know. It’s so sudden.”

Vlad closed the distance between them and took her hand, his heart racing.

“Say yes,” he breathed, staring into her eyes.

“What?” Delphine blinked. “Are you sure?”

Vlad pressed their lips together in a soft, sweet kiss. “Yes.”

Delphine’s shoulders unknotted. She smiled tremulously and coiled her arms around his neck. “No take backs.”

Vlad grinned and swooped in for another kiss, happiness lightening his heart and body.

“They know we’re still here, right?” Nikolai muttered to Mae and Cortes.

***