Lenore reached behind him and retrieved a silk robe hanging from a hook on the door. Even though her naked body had brushed against his, there was no hint of arousal moving through him. Not even a renegade twitch. She was testing him, getting close enough to make any male yearn for her invitation.
The baffled look on her face said it all. She couldn’t figure out why his heartbeat ticked at a sedate pace and why his eyes didn’t steal glances of her breasts and bald fanny.
If Lenore infiltrated Keystone, Christian’s hands were tied. But he couldn’t complain to Viktor—not without knowing her true motives. And what would he have to say that wouldn’t constitute as slander? Power couples weren’t uncommon, and Viktor might find her useful. Christian had just enough information on her past political maneuvers to besmirch her reputation, but she had blackmail on him threefold. Damning her would be damning himself. He’d hoped she would stay busy with her new job and forget about him, but fecking hell, she just kept showing up at the mansion like it was her home. Making enemies with Lenore would be like kicking a hornet’s nest.
Lenore slipped on the white robe but left it open in front. “You’re much quieter than you used to be. I quite prefer it.” She headed back to the bathtub. “You had a tendency to ramble on and on about the latest thing you read. Technology was exploding all around us, and all you could talk about was dinosaurs and whales.” She blew out the candles one at a time. “Remember that time you released all the animals from the zoo?” Lenore stood upright and baited him with a charming laugh that was infectious.
He couldn’t help it. He smiled at the memory of a rhino chasing a man on a bicycle in the middle of downtown traffic. They never found all the lions, and one ostrich maimed three men who attempted to catch it with their bare hands. “If those eejits had bothered to read a book, they might have learned that an ostrich can run up to seventy miles per hour. Cornered, they can kick a man to death.”
“If you wanted to free exotic animals, you should have purchased them.” After wiping off her hands on a towel, she closed the distance between them. “Impulsive behavior never reaps the rewards. You have to meticulously plan and think ahead.” She sighed while tying her robe at the waist. “I’m sorry. I’ve spent years mentoring immortals, and it’s difficult not giving advice.” Lenore reached up and touched his beard. “I remember how your smile could charm a room. Now it has a peculiar quality… like thorns on a rosebush.”
“Don’t waste your time on compliments. I don’t give a shite about your approval anymore.”
Lenore backed up a step. “You and I both know that’s a lie. In fact, my approval is more important than ever, given my position. I do wonder what it will take to get yours. You seem… distracted these days. That’s not like you. No matter how many years have passed or what hardships you faced, I still see the man who lives to please. That’s why you’re with Viktor, isn’t it? Maybe working on your own as a guard wasn’t rewarding enough. Your clients didn’t appreciate what you did for them, and you had no one else to tell you how talented you are.”
Christian bowed his head and stared at his shoes.
“Every man wants to be seen,” she said softly, drawing nearer. “To have his talents, his work, and his trophies admired by all. Or even by just one.” Lenore reached down to grip his wrist, and she held it like an iron shackle. Not to show tenderness but to feel the electrical impulses of his heart. To read his emotions with every flutter, with every quickened or skipped beat, and use it to her advantage. “I see you for what you are. I don’t wish to ruin you. But this is my time. I’m going to rise to power, and Viktor will be part of it. You’re so young and can’t see that far ahead, but I’ve already calculated the moves needed to climb to the top.”
“You’re already as high as you can go.”
“The higher authority fails you because there’s no one leader. Decisions are in the hands of the majority, and they don’t even have an equal number of representatives from each Breed to make those decisions fair