He clung to me as if I was a lifeline.
Actually, no. That wasn’t true. We clung to each other, reveling in the moment, the sensations...the pleasure. Losing sight of the world and its pain.
He twisted, taking me with him, and pushed me against the mattress; his muscled weight pinned me down, but he didn’t give me another kiss. He lifted his head. His panting grew worse, his nostrils flaring with every deep inhalation. A thin sheen of sweat covered his brow. Tension branched from his eyes.
“Ali. I have a present for you.”
I wanted to cry out in denial—I knew he wasn’t talking about the present I really wanted. Him. I knew how his mind worked. He’d stopped the make-out session before it could reach a point of no return and had no intention of starting up again. But I didn’t cry out. This wasn’t about me, but us.
“Show me,” I managed to say.
He leaned forward, slid his hands under the pillows and brushed against me. Wicked sensation sent me into a tailspin.
Maybe I’d cry out after all.
He straightened with a snap. Our gazes locked.
I remained silent. Good Ali. But I did lick my lips in wicked invitation. Bad. Bad!
He watched, tensing, and leaned down—only to straighten with a snap again. A growl rose from his chest. “You are too much of a temptation.”
Clearly, I wasn’t enough of one. Whine, pout.
“These are for you.” He spit the words like weapons. Which was kind of funny, considering the fact that he was actually holding weapons. In each of his hands was a small ax. The dark metal gleamed in the light, and I could see words etched into the bellies.
I sat up, taking the weapons to study them more intently.
One read There Is No Place Darkness Can Hide When Light Shines.
Okay. That was seriously beautiful.
The other read Cole Belongs to Ali, Now and Always.
And that, well, was seriously beyond beautiful.
“Oh, Cole.” I met his now-unsure gaze, and my heart absolutely melted.
“I had them made for you. They arrived a week ago, and I’ve been waiting for the right moment to give them to you.”
“But...how...? Your house.”
“They were in the backpack.”
The million-pound backpack he’d refused to leave behind. Tears beaded in my eyes.
“Thank you,” I whispered and clutched the weapons to my chest before setting them aside. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight.
The hug led to another kiss—yes!—and I suspected the kiss would have led to something more if a knock hadn’t sounded at my door. He wouldn’t have been able to resist, not again...surely.
“Meeting. Ankh’s office. Five minutes,” Frosty called.
Sighing, Cole clasped my hands and helped me up. “It’s probably for the best.”
“Not my best,” I grumbled.
He gave me a small smile.
As we trudged to the door, my cell phone beeped, signaling a text had just come in. I checked while I walked.
Nana: I’m safe.
Thank God!
Me: I’m sorry 4 what I did 2 U, but I’m happy UR safe. I luv U.
Nana: You are forgiven. I would have done the same thing to you—drugged you and sent you away—but you beat me to it. Kick some zombie butt, dear. For sheezie.
I laughed. Nana and her “hip teen-speak” always brightened my day.
Another text arrived on the heels of that one. By the way, I noticed your new tattoos. They are lovely. But I thought you were going to wait until I could go with you?
Uh-oh.
Sorry. My bad. An opportunity arose & I took it.
As distracted as I was, I almost collided with a wall.
Another A+ for me.
Cole grabbed my shoulders and steered me in the right direction.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime.” His phone beeped. He checked the screen, brightened, then scowled. “My dad says he and your grandmother are safe. He also says he’s going to run down some contacts he has and see if they know anything about Anima’s future plans, and that I’m to remember that just because he isn’t around doesn’t mean I can ride the carnal carousel with my girlfriend.”
I gasped. “He did not say that.”
Cole showed me the text.
My cheeks heated.
We strode into Mr. Ankh’s office, where everyone else was already situated. Mr. Ankh gave a speech about eating properly and resting. We needed to stay strong. Then, he said, we’d put a strategy together in the morning. He talked about making time for our home-studies program and always turning in our schoolwork. This war didn’t mean our responsibilities ended.
Cole explained what Jaclyn had witnessed, leaving out the part about a fourth victim. I knew why. Distraction was the number one cause of death among slayers. Well, that and zombie toxin, Anima plots and not asking for help when it was needed. But that was beside the point.