The Demon's Song - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,75
as good as it got with the wind whipping at his top speeds. Resigned, she just tucked her head into his neck, breathed in the scent that was singularly him, and hoped that wherever they were going, it was a place that might give her back a little bit of hope.
He cheated, singing in her ear and lulling her to sleep, so Sofia had no idea how long the flight actually took. She knew that with her in his arms he couldn’t travel quite as fast as he’d like, but he also went faster than he probably should with a human passenger.
Regardless, Sofia opened her eyes to the rhythmic sound of ocean waves and the feel of Phenex’s lips on her skin. Light, butterfly-soft kisses over her cheeks, her nose, her mouth. Her lips curved before she could start to worry all over again. Her eyes opened.
“We’re here,” he said.
She rose slowly up on her elbows, finding herself in what looked like a large hotel suite. There was a huge Jacuzzi tub in one corner, an impressive minibar, a sitting area…and to the left of the bed, doors that opened out onto a balcony overlooking the moonlit sea.
The moon and stars were such a welcome sight that she wished she could run and wrap her arms around them. As it was, she breathed in the night air, fresh and scented with flowers and plants she couldn’t quite identify, and felt the welcome buzz of life rippling through her. She’d needed this. It wasn’t home, but…in a way it was, just by being out in the air. God, she’d needed this.
“Wow,” she finally said. “So where is here, exactly?”
He grinned, looking pleased with himself. It was so innocent, so boyish, that Sofia couldn’t help but return it. It seemed he’d been paying more attention to her needs than she’d thought. He just hadn’t been letting on…and she didn’t want to imagine why. Didn’t want to spoil this.
Right now, it was perfect.
“Mirage, Florida. This is the town where Justin and Vivi got together. I liked it,” Phenex said.
Sofia looked around, unable to get past her amazement that she was really here, overlooking the ocean. “I can see why.” She’d heard the story about Vivi and Justin, the vampire hunter falling for the vampire king in a little beach town in Florida. And she knew Phenex had been around to bust some vampire-hunter heads when they’d tried to interfere. But this wasn’t anything she’d expected from the words “I need to tell you something.”
“Same hotel and everything?” she asked.
“No. I’ve been coming back here on and off for a while to chill out when I get a chance. I like this place better.”
“Okay. Not arguing.” He’d never mentioned coming down here. Go figure. Sofia looked around again, and when she inhaled, she could smell the sea. It was a warm night, too, the ocean-kissed air like a taste of summer after a few months in the cold. She shivered, but with pleasure. When she turned back to look at Phenex, he was watching her hungrily. The intensity in his eyes, though it quickly vanished, confused her as much as it pleased her.
“What is this about, Phenex?” She said it with a smile, but at the risk of spoiling it, she needed to know.
“I owe you some sunshine. This place will have it in spades in a few hours.” He paused, and actually looked a little embarrassed. “You look like you need it. I should have noticed. Maybe I could use it, too. What do you say?”
What could she say? It wasn’t what she’d asked for…but it was something she desperately needed. And for once, Phenex hadn’t had to ask or be told. He had simply gone ahead and given this to her. It was far more than she’d expected. It felt like, finally, some movement forward.
The pleasure Sofia felt was impossible to deny, even if it turned out to be foolish.
“Anything I would say would be an understatement, so we’ll go with yes,” she said. But when Phenex reached for her, she held up a hand. “One condition,” she said, and his expression was immediately wary. “Sing for me tonight. Please. You haven’t sung just for me since the first night we were in Terra Noctem. You know you have a beautiful voice. This will only be perfect if you share it with me.”
He looked relieved, then got a wicked gleam in his eye.