Sweet Temptation

He frowns at me as I stalk past him and check out my eye in the mirror. Yep. It’s darkening.

I expect Kope to try a gentle approach, but once again he shocks me. He speaks to her with stern, dominant authority.

“It’s time to bathe, Zania. We will leave the room and you will bathe yourself. Our flight to the U.S. is in less than five hours.”

She wraps her arms around her stomach and cries, “You should have let me die!”

“You were not going to die,” he growls. “Your fate was far worse than death.”

“Just leave me here!”

“Bathe. Now. Or I will put you in the bath and clean you myself!”

She eyes him with malice. He takes a hard step forward and she scuttles back.

“Don’t touch me! I will wash myself.”

“When it’s time to leave,” he says, “you will be presentable. We ca

He barges past me and I follow, closing the door. It’s not until he sits on the bed, gripping the edge with his eyes shut, that his strong façade cracks and he begins to tremble.

I want to tell him he’s done well, but I can’t bring myself. Instead I sit on the other side of the bed in silence. We both relax a bit when we hear Zania step into the water. Then she begins to cry a mournful sound, her teeth chattering as she shakes, and it guts me.

I hate the Dukes. I loathe them with every fiber of my being.

I allow myself to imagine A

And then another thought smacks me and I’m struck with sudden anxiety.

Where is Fly

I whip out my phone and ring him, but there’s no answer. Next I text A

Get her?

Yes, I respond, but F is missing.

My heart pounds, waiting for his response.

Leave with or without him.

Damn, that’s hard-core, but I suppose I get it. Better to have one missing than two. At this point, with so few allies, we’re playing a numbers game.

Kope looks over, so I show him the texts and he nods. He’s tense, and I understand. We won’t relax until we’re on a plane, far away from here.

I wonder if it’s too early to call A

I dial her number and lie back, gri

“Hello?”

I sigh and focus on her voice. I can’t wait to get home to her.

The rest of the trip is a blur. After Zania bathes and dresses she refuses to speak to us again. Kope miraculously manages to get her to eat three bites of warm flatbread from his fingers.

I don’t need to be a child of Duke Astaroth to see there’s a bond between those two. I let him take care of Z for the remainder of the trip, only getting involved when absolutely necessary. He knows how to deal with her in the way that she needs, and I don’t care for another black eye.

Fly

When we land in Amsterdam later that day we all change out of our Arab getups into Western wear. Sca

Zania looks frail in her loose jeans, as if she can’t manage to stand straight, but it’s clear what a beautiful woman she’ll be when she’s well. Her arms are crossed and she taps her foot furiously as she stares into the tax-free store, her gaze locked on the bottles of liquor. Kopano steps between her and the glass, and she narrows her eyes, which are no longer swollen. They’re now big and dark brown and full of fire. Kopano seems to be drawn to those eyes, though he’s clearly not at ease with her dire need for alcohol.

They stare hard at each other, co

I’m glad when our flight is called. One step closer to seeing A

During our flight, an attendant sees Zania hunched over, hugging herself, shaking and groaning. Kope tries to play it off as motion sickness, but the flight attendant still seems worried. It certainly looks like an emergency to anyone with eyes.

Kope even tries to rub her back to put on a good show, but Zania yanks away with a yelp. Yeah, these two are going to get this plane grounded if they’re not careful. It’s time for me to work my charm.

I smile up at the frowning attendant and beckon her nearer. She’s probably late twenties. European. She swipes her eyes over me, and a great deal of her worried aura lightens, suddenly forgotten. She leans down and I sit up taller to get closer as I whisper.

“Between us,” I say, “I think my mate’s lady is up the duff, if you know what I mean.”

Her eyes widen and she pats her stomach with question.

I nod. Grin. “They haven’t a

I wink for good measure. Then wet my lips. Her aura pops red, and my body reacts without permission.

No, I remind myself, feeling guilty.

“Well, all right then,” the flight attendant says, brushing a hand down my shoulder and arm. My body tightens and I’m holding my breath. “If you need anything, let me know.” She dips closer. “Anything at all.”

Go away, go away, go away, and for the love of all things holy don’t touch me again.

I give her a nod and she finally turns to go up the aisle. A quick glance to the side finds Kope and Zania both glaring at me. I suppose they didn’t care for the pregnancy bit, but oh well. They should be grateful. I exhale and close my eyes.

At some point Zania nods off, still bent over, and her head ends up on Kope’s thigh. Hahahaha, the bloke is frozen as stone, trying not to be affected. I take advantage of the moment of peace and move to the empty row behind us. I lean my head against the window and soon fall asleep.

I’m woken sometime later from a vivid dream where I’m obliterating A

It doesn’t help.

I press my fingers over my forehead as hard as I can. My knee bounces faster. I inhale a filling breath and pull out my mobile, opening the picture of me with A

I can’t wait to land. I want to see A

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX