his phone buzzed a second time. A warrior was always on call. Sighing, she checked the screen. “Torin the cock blocker says you haven’t checked in today, and he’s seconds away from sending in the cavalry.”
“I’ve been busy.” Baden’s hot gaze stroked her with delicious intent. “I’d like to be even busier.”
Her nipples tightened, and her stomach clenched. “I’d like that, too, but not until we’ve sent him proof-of-life photos. I won’t risk pop-in visitors while I’m rocking your world.” She stood and snapped a few thousand pictures of him. “Make nice with the camera...good, good...now make hate with the camera. Yes! Just like that. Now make babies with the camera...”
He regarded her with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
She selected her favorite photo—one of him making hate with the camera—and texted it to Torin with a message: Baden is ATD (at the doctor’s) and if he’s feeling better later he might throw a BYOT party (bring your own teeth) TTYL (talk to you louder)
Send.
“What did you tell him?” Baden demanded.
“The truth.”
The phone rang a second later, and Torin’s picture popped up on the screen. Gorgeous white-haired immortal! Baden reached for the phone, but she backed away from the bed and answered for him, saying, “This better be important. You’re interrupting my good time at Baden’s expense.”
Torin’s chuckle crackled over the line. “You might be worse than my Keeley.”
The Red Queen. Katarina missed the silly woman. “How is she?”
“All healed up. I’m calling to tell Baden we’re going to help William. We owe him.”
She repeated the words to Baden while twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “I don’t understand how you can war with the goat-man...thing without actually hurting him.”
“Easy,” Torin said. “We go through his closest friends and family.”
What! “That’s horrible. They’re innocent and—”
Baden snatched the phone away from her. “You have too much to do already, Tor. The box, the Morning Star. Lucifer.”
Katarina reclaimed the phone and placed it on Speaker.
“No matter what Keeley tries,” Torin said, “she can’t find the box or the Star. And now she can’t even look for them.”
“Why?” Baden demanded.
“The artifacts are missing. Three of them, at least. Danika is still with Reyes, but the painting of the office is missing, too.”
Artifacts? What artifacts? Painting of what office?
The box, she could guess. Pandora’s box. Why did the men want it back? Hadn’t it caused enough trouble?
“Who would—” Baden began, but Torin cut him off.
“Cameo. Our girl kidnapped them. I’d say she planned to ransom them back to us just to mess with me, but the agonized look in her eyes the last time we chatted tells me otherwise.”
The announcement enraged Baden. He punched the wall, cracking the stone and probably his knuckles. “Is no one going after her?”
“Are you kidding? She’s a big girl. She texted to say this is something she has to do.”
“The fool woman is going to get herself killed.”
“You know better than anyone. We can’t help those who won’t help themselves.”
Baden scrubbed his free hand through his hair, the strands proving stubborn and remaining in adorable spikes. “I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you.” He ended the call.
Katarina petted his arm, offering comfort, but he shrugged her off. The rejection stung, even though she knew its source. Self-recrimination.
Always end on a positive note.
Hands on her hips, she said, “You heard Galen’s earlier orders. You need a shower...and I need to tease you sexually until you beg for mercy you’ll never receive.”
Baden frowned at her. “He never told you to make me beg.”
“Well, good news, big boy.” She winked at him. “I’m going to make you do it, anyway.”
24
“I am the one who put laughter in manslaughter.”
—Fox, keeper of Distrust
SEX IN THE SHOWER, sex on the floor, and all I want...is more, more, more.
Katarina snickered as she snuggled deeper into Baden’s side. She couldn’t get enough of the man, and he obviously felt the same about her. He couldn’t go a few minutes without touching her, and she loved it. Just like she loved—
Whoa. Slow down.
“I’m never letting you go, Katarina.”
His startling confession left her shivering with delight. “Maybe I’ll consider thinking about the possibility of maybe becoming immortal.”
Once upon a time...
A new story. A new chance for happily ever after. But—argh!—she still couldn’t get past the fact that this particular story would last for-freaking-ever. More time, more room for error.
“That isn’t good enough. You will become immortal. One way or another.”