can flash. What you and I did the day I took you to Aleksander, moving from one location to another with only a thought. He called in an order and picked it up.” Baden held out a chair for her. “In Paris.”
Impressive. She sat, asking, “Why didn’t you pick it up? You can flash.”
He settled in the seat next to her, their thighs brushing together. “I can only flash to specific people. And apparently any place I consider home.”
People like Aleksander. So...Baden’s victims?
A gloved finger stroked the line of her jaw. “You just flinched. Why?”
“Your intentions toward Alek,” she said, opting for honesty. Hide nothing.
A vein throbbed in the center of Baden’s forehead. “If you’re planning to ask me to release him, don’t. He won’t leave the fortress alive.”
On one hand, yay! No more crazy, cruel Alek terrorizing the world. On the other hand... “Cold-blooded murder isn’t an acceptable solution to anything. And I don’t want him released.” Don’t want you committing a dark deed, sending you deeper into your turmoil. “I want an annulment...and maybe for you to leave him locked up for the rest of his natural life. As long as there’s breath, there’s hope.”
“He isn’t human, which means he’ll live—”
“What!” Not human? When did that happen? “He’s immortal?”
Baden frowned. “The beast is pawing at my head... I think Aleksander is merely half immortal, that he’ll live longer than you but not forever. Now.” He poured her a glass of red wine. “I don’t want to talk about him.”
Such a normal action from a man who wasn’t normal. “News flash. Your wants aren’t more important than mine.”
He searched her eyes before he nodded. “You’re right. Now I’m the one who’s sorry. Forgiven?”
How could she deny him when he hadn’t denied her? “Forgiven,” she said with a little smile.
As she sipped and moaned at the richness of the wine, he removed the lids from the platters of food. “Do you like seafood?”
“Love it.” Pretending to be a lady—only taking one small bite at a time—wasn’t as difficult as she would have guessed. With Baden’s attention fixed on her, watching her every move, her stomach twisted. The rest of her continued to ache.
“You look uncomfortable,” he said, almost sounding...smug.
“I am.” Play a little hard to get.
Actually, why bother? It had been too long since she’d experienced any kind of pleasure. If a night with Baden meant forgetting the past six months, if only for a little while, well, sign her up for a little some-some tonight.
“How, exactly, did you meet Aleksander?” He growled the name, as if it scraped his tongue.
If Baden were a dog, he would have barked at her, too. Maybe even nipped her. He would have been labeled aggressive, but as she knew, aggressive wasn’t synonymous with cruel. A growl was merely a warning: dark emotions were escalating.
If fear was the culprit, she knew to create distance while remaining within eyesight. But that wasn’t the case here. Baden had no concept of fear. He was angry—at her? Or her circumstances?
For a man who’d once claimed her marital status meant nothing, well, that would be big. Huge.
“I thought you didn’t want to discuss him?” Studying his features, she added, “My husband, I mean.”
He bared his teeth in a scowl. “I didn’t. Now I do.”
And what Baden wanted, Baden got.
She reached out and traced her fingers down his gloved arm. The action served a dual purpose. One, it helped get him used to her touch without paining him, and two, it reminded him she was here with him, not Alek, hopefully soothing the worst of his anger.
He stared down at her hand with confusion...and longing?
Oh, yes, and it nearly undid her. She continued stroking him, saying, “He wanted to buy home protection dogs from me. He, meaning my husband.”
Baden’s scowl deepened.
Stroke, stroke. “Then, while I had him within my clutches, I seduced him for his money and power.” Don’t remind him of his shitty behavior. Oops.
Baden’s copper gaze narrowed on her. “Do you want me to kill him now?”
“No.” Stroke, stroke, stroke. “I’m just reminding you of your assumptions about me.”
He pushed out a breath, his shoulders turning in the slightest bit. “My apologies. I know you better now, and know you only married him to save your pets.”
As another wave of grief crashed over her, she pulled her arms close to her middle, ending all contact. “But I failed.”
He leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her lips, and his cheek brushed hers. He grimaced. To her