as I could.” Diego reached out and stroked my cheek, capturing a sinking tear with the pad of his index finger. “Why are you crying?”
I suddenly felt ridiculous. “Um. Well. I was talking to Ryan, and I got a little emotional. I just miss my friends a lot. And my job. And my P-pussy.” I started crying harder.
Diego rubbed his chest, as if my pain were causing him distress. “Okay. Do you want to keep your phone? How can we fix this? Shit, what is happening to me?” His perfectly chiseled face twisted in pain.
“I miss them. And I miss my cat. And my life.”
“Rocky!” Diego called. The guard walked in our room, and Betty shoved open the curtain while adjusting the collar of her V-neck to show off her cleavage.
“Hey, Rocky,” the hussy purred. Well, that was interesting. Get it, girl.
“Yes, sir,” my bodyguard said while politely avoiding Betty’s bedroom eyes.
“Bring the humans here. Set them up in my guest rooms. Use the back entrance and make sure no one in the council knows. Especially Graham.” What? I dropped my mouth open in shock. “Also get Claire on the phone. I have something important to discuss with her. I think there is something going on with Drew and me. Emotion sharing is an ancient practice.” The last part of his sentence was said in an awed whisper, but I still heard it. Fuck it. I didn’t care, if I got to see my friends.
Rocky left the room, and I let out a much louder squeal than I meant. Diego smiled broadly at my excitement while clutching his chest. Then, his eyes went wide. “There are going to be very strict rules,” Diego said sternly.
“I know!” I squealed.
“They will not remember the visit; this is purely for you.”
“Okay.” I nodded my head vigorously. I felt like a kid getting her very first puppy. I didn’t even want to ask why Diego was doing this and risk him changing his mind. I would follow whatever rules he wanted if it meant I could see Ryan and Yaz.
“Don’t make me regret this,” he said firmly. He motioned for me to come with him as he walked out of the room. I grabbed my phone and leapt to my feet, sprinting after him. He led me down the hall to the elevator banks. He pressed his finger to the electronic pad on the panel, and the elevator sprang to life, taking us down a couple of flights.
When the elevator doors opened, I gasped. The worn-out carpet and peeling paint from my floor were replaced with a wide-open space. The flooring was a gleaming marble tile that reflected the light from the two-story crystal chandelier above. There were beautiful bouquets of flowers on tables lining either side of the room, and crisp white couches were centered under the chandelier. It rivaled some of the most luxurious hotel lobbies I had ever seen.
“What is this place? Can I live here instead?” I asked, my jaw still on the floor.
Diego stepped out of the elevator and chuckled. “This is the lobby. Sometimes we do coven business here. You aren’t allowed here until you’ve proven that you won’t murder people, though you already demonstrated an unheard of amount of control when you refused to feed on the hopeful at the coven dinner. We can’t have humans anywhere near the fledglings, but you’re acting more like a seasoned vampire—at least when it comes to feeding. You’re obviously still learning vampire culture.”
I ignored his jab about stupid dreary vampire culture. “Do you think it has something to do with me feeding from you?” I asked while struggling to keep up with him.
“Could be. It’s rare for a king to let a new fledgling feed from him. I know I haven’t heard of it happening in a while. There is more, but I don’t want to discuss it until I know for sure.”
I squeezed his hand and pulled him to a stop in the crowded walkway. “I know what’s going on,” I teased. I started singing my words playfully. “You like me. You want to help me. You want to hooooolllldd me. You want to touch meee. You want to kiss m—”
Diego slammed his lips onto mine with such surprising power that I melted in his palms, all former teasing gone. A desperate need to claw, bite and strip the powerful man in front of me completely overwhelmed my system. He moaned, and I licked the sharp point of his