He slid his fingers out, running his hand over her ass, murmuring, “Relax.”
She did as he lifted from his elbow, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her to him. Sliding them down in bed, he twitched the covers over them and settled her snug to his side.
She rested her cheek to his chest and whispered, “What about you?”
The answer to her question was, by giving her that but not giving himself release, when he had her next, his orgasm would be extraordinary.
Or more extraordinary than what his little witch always gave to him.
Sometimes it was good to give so that what you took later could be so much better.
He didn’t explain that.
He gave her an alternate explanation that was nonetheless true.
“You’ll learn, sweet, that I take pleasure in pleasuring you.”
She pushed closer and snaked an arm around his middle. “I’ve already learned that.”
He smiled at the ceiling.
“Are you…eventually are you…” She lifted up and caught his eyes. “Are you ever going to, you know, um…feed from me?”
His heart thumped and his still-hard cock jumped.
“Do you think you’re ready for that?” he asked.
“I’ve heard that it’s…well, nice.”
“It is,” he confirmed.
“You’ve given me a lot of nice things, Yuri.”
He was delighted she thought so.
He gathered her closer, pulling her up his chest, and lowered his voice when he said, “I intend to continue giving you a variety of nice things, Aurora, for a very long time.”
Her face warmed, those big, blue eyes telling him how she felt about that idea.
“So, will you…soon?” She didn’t spell it out, but Yuri understood.
“Tomorrow morning,” he told her, and she relaxed into him.
“Good. I like the idea of getting something nice.” Her hand slid up his stomach, his chest, to the base of his throat. “And I like it more that I finally get to give something nice to you.”
“My sweet, if you don’t think that watching you take pleasure from me, which means you’re allowing me to give you pleasure, isn’t giving me something nice, you’re very wrong.”
She bit her lip and dipped her face closer.
Letting her lip go, she whispered, “Good.”
“Now kiss me, Aurora, and let’s get some sleep.”
A smile hit her eyes before she bent to him and pressed her mouth to his. Her timid tongue touched his lips and he gave her access, allowing her to taste him before he tightened his arms on her and gave her the good-night kiss she deserved.
Her heart was slamming in her chest when he released her mouth and pulled her back down his body.
“Settle in, my sweet,” he murmured as he reached to turn out the light.
When the room was swept with darkness, she did as told.
But she didn’t sleep.
He allowed this for some time before he called, “Aurora?”
“I’m not a seer,” she said strangely.
“Pardon?”
Her arm around his stomach went tight.
“I’m not a seer, Yuri, but I still can’t get it out of my head that something is gonna happen soon. I’ve never had this feeling before.” She took in an unsteady breath. “And it kind of scares me.”
He turned into her, keeping her close, and when he settled on his side, he tucked her closer.
“This is just a feeling?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“No visions with it?”
She shook her head on the pillow and said, “No.”
“It isn’t a stretch, button, to have anxiety about what’s happening.”
She was silent, thinking on this, before she said, “I hope that’s it.”
Yuri hoped the same.
“Try to set it from your mind so you can sleep.”
“Okay, sweetheart.”
He gathered her closer at the same time she snuggled deep into him.
Having given her concerns to him, she found sleep quickly.
Smelling her, feeling her tiny softness pressed close, her warmth, listening to the steady thrum of her heart, even with all this, Yuri did not do the same.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Hope Is Powerful
Delilah
“Let me get this straight,” Cain started over breakfast three days later. “You’ve got some crazy Mexican witch in the back forty sacrificing a yak, or some shit, in order to get visions of what might happen, doing this either to put your minds at ease or so she can tell you what you’ve got to stop. You’ve got six other witches, my mate included, chanting over a bowl you hope will guide you to the leader of this mess. You’ve got a lock on one, and maybe five other, training camps that, right now, teams of immortals and mortals are setting up to go in and take down. And if any of this is successful, it’s going to seriously anger the enemy. You’ve also got a vampire you trust who’s cornered an enemy vampire, rescuing the concubine he was set to rape and murder but detaining him. Because of that, even though the security in this place is so tight it’s a wonder anyone can breathe, you’re planning to put The Three in danger to take all of them over two thousand miles just so Abel can interrogate this guy. A guy, mind you, who might not know anything or anything you can use.”
He took in a breath, his eyes scanning the people at the table, which included all of The Three, the rest of the family, Gregor, and Yuri, but none of the witches.
Then he finished, “Do I have that right?”
“You do,” Abel, sitting beside me, confirmed.