Bound by Danger (The Alliance #6) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,56

up. He wasn’t used to having conversations after sex. Usually, he dressed and left, and sometimes he wasn’t the first one out the door.

However, he didn’t ever intend to leave Callie, and if they were going to spend an eternity together, they couldn’t start it off fighting all the time. It wouldn’t be the best path toward a happy life.

“There are probably Savages there,” he said.

“I’m not saying I have to go back right now, but I do have to return at some time and preferably before my rent is past due.”

“Fine, I will take you back there one day.” He said the words, but he expected her to forget about it once he got her somewhere safe, and after he managed to get her to agree to become his mate.

Callie suspected he was trying to appease her and thought she’d forget, but he was sadly mistaken. Come hell or high water, she would get back to her apartment. There were things there she could never replace.

“I’m going to find a phone. Afterward, we can go to the diner down the street and get you some breakfast,” he said.

Her mouth watered at the prospect of diner pancakes. Was there anything better in life?

As her gaze ran over Lucien, she decided there were better things in life, but right now, pancakes smothered in syrup and butter sounded like heaven.

“That would be great,” she said.

Lucien’s head canted to the side as he studied her. “Do you want to eat first?”

“No,” she said as she tossed aside the blankets. “Get the phone, and I’ll shower.”

She gathered her scattered clothes from the floor and held them against her chest as she padded toward the bathroom. She was walking by him when he grasped her arm and pulled her toward him. Before she could react, he claimed her mouth in a kiss that sent fresh heat through her.

She was starting to melt into him when he broke the kiss, left a small peck on her nose, and released her. “I’ll be right back,” he said.

“No rush.”

She took a few steps away before reality returned, and she turned back to him. “Lucien.”

He lifted his head from where he sat on the end of the bed with his socks in hand. She had no idea why, but his eyes were red again, and she missed the black.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“I have an IUD for birth control, but we didn’t use anything for protection against diseases.” She tried to stop the blush creeping into her cheeks, but its warmth radiated up her neck and into her cheeks. “I don’t have….” She swallowed. “I don’t have any diseases, but….”

He smiled as he tugged on a sock. “Vampires can’t carry diseases.”

“Oh, okay, good.”

Before he could reply, she disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door. Lucien stared at the closed door as he finished getting dressed. He struggled to suppress the jealousy churning inside him as he wondered about her need for birth control and the men in her past. It didn’t matter who came before him; no one would follow him.

Still, after she ate, he would spend the rest of the day in bed, making sure she forgot everyone who came before him. He grabbed the keycard and slipped on his glasses. He was aware his eyes had changed back to normal when he was in her arms, but now that they were apart and reality was returning, so was his concern over her safety.

Chapter Twenty-Four

He stepped outside and hesitated before releasing the knob. He hated the idea of leaving her, but he wouldn’t be gone long, and as he searched the parking lot, he didn’t see any hint of a threat. The Savages could have lackeys around that didn’t smell like the Savages, but he was sure he’d lost them.

He glanced back at the closed door before striding toward the office. He could knock on one of the doors and confiscate a phone from whoever was within, but he didn’t know how many people were in each room, and he’d prefer not to take control of a child’s mind if they happened to be inside. It would also weaken some of his newly regained strength if he had to take control of more than one person.

No, the office was his best bet. He would only have one person to contend with there.

When he arrived at the office, he opened the door and spotted the woman he drank from last night behind the counter. His hunger returned as he recalled