Page 92 of Vipers and Vendettas

His eyes find mine. ‘What else could there be?’ he asks faintly.

‘Tamadrielle,’ I say. ‘I had to tell the vamps I was his.’

I shiver. ‘They were threatening some pretty nasty things, and I wasn’t demoning up the way I did with Dante and Pierre, so I told them he was my master to buy myself some time. They contacted him. He knows I was there. I’m afraid he’ll be able to deduce the rest.’

I swallow hard. ‘If he comes, he’ll take me back.’ I clutch Maddox’s hand. ‘He’ll use me for whatever he had planned before, but when he finds out about the baby, he’ll use her too. I can’t let what happened to me happen to her too, Julian. I can’t.’

He grips my hand. ‘I promise you,’ he says. ‘On pain of death, he will not have you or our baby, Jules.’

Our baby.

‘I’m sorry,’ I say to all of them. ‘I didn’t mean for any of this. I’ve put you in danger from one of the most powerful of the High Fae.’

Maddox’s hands cup my face. ‘None of this is your fault, pet. None of it. Let’s go home.’

He hesitates. ‘Unless … Do you … want to go back? After what happened with the vamps, I’d understand if you don’t. I could get us a suite at a hotel in Geneva or Paris if you’d like. Where will you feel safest? Anywhere. Name it.’

‘Maybe a suite some other time,’ I say, ‘Right now, I’d like to go …’

I want to say ‘home’.

‘Back to the estate,’ I say instead, not wanting to presume anything however much I’m tempted. ‘It’s safe though, right? No more surprise visits from supes or fae?’

My eyes widen. ‘Holy shit, thereissomething else! I totally forgot.’

‘What the hell more can there possibly be, woman?’ Jayce exclaims.

‘Robertson.’

‘What about Robertson?’ Maddox snarls.

‘He was there, with the vamps.’

‘Could he be working for Tamadrielle?’

‘I don’t know. When I told McCathrie who I was, he said to Robertson that they didn’t need him anymore. He looked shocked that I was there, or maybe that I was the one they were looking for. I was taken to the basement right after that, though, and I didn’t hear anything else.’

Maddox rubs his face. ‘Let’s go home and let the past few hours sink in a bit,’ he says.

‘Aye,’ Krase says, taking my arm. ‘Jules and the bairn need rest.’

I stifle a yawn as I’m picked up. ‘I can walk on my own, you know,’ I mutter, but I snuggle into Krase’s chest anyway.

‘Hush, deamhan àlainn. My beautiful demon,’ he whispers. ‘Rest. When you wake, I’ll show you how to feed properly.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, no more strip club dregs for you, coineanach beag.’

I lean back to look at him. ‘I don’t get it.’

One of the others laughs.

‘Jules, you literally got a job at a human sex club. Subconsciously, you knew you’d need to feed while you were away from us,’ Axel says.

Krase smiles at my gobsmacked expression. ‘You were feeding every time you were working without even knowing it,’ he chuckles. ‘But knowing when you’re doing it feelsso much better.’

ChapterThirteen