You just keep telling yourself that, love. He pulled his head from my chest, his grin downright cocky as he pulled down my shirt, giving my breasts one last caress before taking my hand again. "What's this nonsense about me getting you out of here?"
"We have a deal," I said when I was able to pry my tongue off the roof of my mouth.
"We do?"
"Yes. When you were lying there being roadkill, I told you that I would give you blood and you would get Diamond and me out of the Akasha."
"You made a deal with me while I was all but dead due to lack of blood?"
"Yes. You didn't say you wouldn't do it," I pointed out.
He shot me a look.
"All right, all right, I know, it wasn't a fair deal, but it was a deal nonetheless, and if you insist on walking around here looking like sex on two legs, then you can just honor the deal."
"My appearance again," he sighed. "I can't help the way I look, Corazon."
I narrowed my eyes on him. "You could try looking ugly, you know."
His green-eyed gaze cast upward for a few seconds in an obvious plea for patience. "If I covered myself in mud, would that help?"
I had a vision of him standing naked, his body slick with water, as I slowly, gently, carefully moved a soapy sponge over his flesh, cleaning him, leaving all that satiny, hot skin exposed, just waiting for me to touch it, taste it -
"You continue with that thought, and I will make love to you right here," he warned with a growl.
"Sorry. Mind got away from me. What was the question ? "
"Akasha. Getting you out. Me. Someone evidently named Diamond."
"Oh, yes, well, as I said, I made this agreement with your unconscious self, and since you're a big, bad vampire, and everyone is scared to death of you, I figured you could get Diamond - she's the woman who stole my husband, not that I really mind because he's a total dillwad, but still, there was a matter of pride for about five minutes - then I got over it and realized I should be grateful to her - anyway, she was in the house with me when Ulfur and the English Satan dude were arguing, and whammo! Here we are."
It took Alec a minute to work through all of that. "English Satan dude? A demon lord, you mean? Which one? "
"Um . . . Dean? No, Dale."
"Bael? "
"Yes, that's the guy."
"Christ," he swore.
"I gather he's the head bad guy."
"Very much so." He eyed me with speculation. "What did Ulfur do to bring down Bael's wrath on him, and by extension you and the husband-stealer?"
"He stole some gold thing. Oh, and this." I dug into my pocket and pulled out the broken bits of stone and twisted gold.
"Christ," he repeated, staring at it in horror. "That's one of the Tools."
"It's called the Oculus of Lucifer, I think."
"Occio di Lucifer . . ." His gaze snapped up to mine, a sense of disbelief and wonder and amazement all rolling around inside him. "The Tool has been destroyed."
"Yeah. I didn't do it, though, if that's what you're thinking."
He lifted up my hand that he still held. "You're glowing."
"Well, I can't see it on myself, but I did see Ulfur with a glow. How come you don't glow? I mean, shouldn't you, since you were sent here, too?"