I glanced over at him, but he wasn’t watching me. And he wasn’t watching the angels. I followed his gaze.
“Double fuck.” A swarm of demons cut across the sky, dipping lower as they got nearer. They were heading straight for us.
We were surrounded, the demons from one side and the angels from another. Just when our luck seemed to have run dry, the two groups caught sight of each other. A demon let out a sharp screech, and the swarm changed its trajectory, aiming instead for its winged enemies. The angels drew their swords.
“Okay, my best bitches,” Oliver said, “thumbs out of our asses. It’s time to go.” He extended his arm, and Leanne and I latched onto him.
The demons had begun to shriek, and the angels bellowed out their battle cries. The last thing I saw was the clash of claws and steel and the last thing I heard was the wet sound of ripping flesh. Then, thankfully, we disappeared.
A very tall, very pissed off vampire glared down at me, his arms folded. “Where have you been?”
He’d been waiting for us in the kitchen. Fury rolled off of him. His fangs were clearly visible, and he didn’t bother retracting them.
I got his meaning loud and clear—he was seriously debating eating us all. Okay, maybe not me, but I’d also bet that my unholy blood would give him indigestion.
Andre’s eyes moved over my friends. “I give you shelter, and this is how you repay me?”
I stepped in front of them, recapturing Andre’s attention. “They’re helping me, as they always have.”
“Why was I not informed?” he demanded, his eyes moving from me to my friends, then back.
I reached out and touched the side of Andre’s face, half expecting him to swat my hand away. I should’ve known better. Almost unconsciously, he leaned into the touch. “You’re busy dealing with the Politia and your coven. And you didn’t need to be there.”
Beneath my hand, a muscle in his cheek jumped. Ho, he was pissed. “When it concerns you, I always need to be there.”
That was sort of sweet, in a super overbearing kind of way.
“And I will be there from now on.” He turned his glare towards Leanne and Oliver. “Your continued stay here depends on it.”
Righteous indignation bubbled up. He did not just threaten my friends. “Don’t you—”
“And you, soulmate, are not to glamour my men.”
I turned his face so that my lips brushed the shell of his ear. “I could’ve done a lot worse and you know it.”
His jaw tightened.
“I wanted to do so much worse. Keep talking, and I might.”
“Oooooooh,” Oliver said from behind me.
Andre swiveled his head to narrow his eyes at me. I pushed past him, not nearly ready to deal with Andre’s sour mood when I was still struggling with my own dark impulses.
He caught my wrist as I passed.
I yanked it from his hold and stalked away.
The air stirred behind me, and then he swept me off my feet, holding me in his arms for the second time that night. He hauled me out of the kitchen, where he’d cornered us, and pretty soon it was clear where, exactly, we were heading.
“I’ve led armies, ruled a coven for centuries, and kept every important supernatural player in my debt. Yet I cannot seem to manage one itsy bitsy siren.”
“I’m not itsy bitsy.”
His nostrils flared. Our heads were so close together.
“You drive me insane,” he said. “You know that, right?” The edge had left his tone. The thing about Andre was that it really was easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. And when his bad mood melted away, as it was doing now, his hot, schmexy side made an appearance. He pulled me in closer and bumped his nose against mine.
“What were you thinking, leaving like that?” he whispered. “I was … scared. I don’t do well with fear.”
I tightened my hold around his neck. “For the record, Andre, I wasn’t trying to get myself killed or running away from you.”
“I know, soulmate, and I expect you to fill me in on exactly what it was you were doing.” His warm breath brushed against my cheek as his mouth crept closer. “But for now …”
He stopped talking so that he could press his lips to mine. Unlike some of our other kisses, this one wasn’t frantic or hungry. It was romantic and reverent. I wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him closer, when we heard it.
“Regina,” a voice glided in from outside.
Andre stiffened, his mouth breaking away from mine. We both looked to the end of the hallway. The voice had come from beyond the back balcony.
He set me down, and we followed the voice to the rear of Bishopcourt.
When we reached the French doors that led out to the balcony, Andre stopped me. “You are not to exit this building until I okay it.”
And this was why I always asked for forgiveness rather than permission. His commands practically begged me to break them.
“If I okay it,” he amended.
Begged me.
I nodded absently, having no intention of following his orders.
He flashed me a stern look, like he didn’t trust me—smart vampire—and he stepped up to the doors.