Page 69 of Winter Unleashed
“We can’t,” he repeated.
I glanced down at his hand, still massaging my breast. “Then you’ll have to stop that, and get rid of this,” I added as I rubbed against his erection.
His lips twitched upward as he slid his hand from my shirt and took a step back. “You truly are perfect for me,” he whispered as he lowered his lips to mine. Before the kiss went too far, he took my hand to lead me to the house.
Belial had left by the time we got inside and that was probably for the best. Liam was calmer but since he hadn’t released his frustration, I was sure things could escalate quickly if Belial said one wrong thing. And let’s face it, he would.
We told the others we were going to call Astrid and to standby in case she agreed to let us see Cybil. We’d want them to be there for that meeting.
Liam kept my hand in his as we walked to his office, and only let go when we were standing in front of the bookcase. As I moved out to the balcony, he stopped at the bookshelf to pull the secret book that opened the hidden panel that concealed the scrying mirror.
He met me outside with the mirror in hand and we waited for Henry and Walter to join us. Once the birds were in place, Liam muttered the secret words to call Astrid.
“Maybe I should learn how to call her,” I said. “You know, in case something happens to you, and I need her.”
“That won’t be happening,” Astrid said as she popped up in the mirror. “Only Liam can call me. If something happens to him, I’ll know and will come to you on my own.”
I nodded. “Understood. We need to talk.”
“All right,” she muttered and a second later we were standing in her house.
I shuddered and hugged myself. “Blech! You told me it got easier the more we did that,” I said to Liam. “It feels like being stretched on one of those medieval torture devices.”
Astrid laughed and took me by the shoulders. “It gets easier, but it takes a while.” She turned to grab the teapot from over the open fire. “Sit and tell me why you’re demanding to see me.”
“I think you know why,” I replied, accepting the cup of fragrant liquid. “We need to find Celeste. If you haven’t found her yet, then we need to know that our friends will survive if we kill Cybil. Basically, this shit needs to end. Like yesterday.”
For the first time since I’d met her, she looked abashed. I hadn’t known her long, but she was usually confident and a little arrogant. Now she looked like I’d caught her shitting on the rug.
“I know, and I’m sorry. I wanted to find her myself.” She shook her head. “I needed to.”
My mouth opened and closed a few times. The shock of what I was hearing left me speechless. It was rare but happened every so often. “Are you saying that your ego is the reason this has been going on so long?”
“Yes.” She said it simply and easily.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I rose to my feet and backed away from the table. I knew she didn’t need to be close to me to kill me, but the space made me feel better. “Pixies pixed my best friend to the point of agony. If they’d attacked her like they had attacked me, she’d be dead. I’d have lost my best friend because you want to prove something to yourself. Are you fucking kidding me?” I repeated.
“Red,” Liam said, but Astrid touched his arm to quiet him.
“She’s right, Liam. What I did is wrong. I should have told you weeks ago that your friends are safe. The only vampires who will die are those Cybil turned from human. Since your friends were shifters when she turned them, they’ll not only stay alive, but they’ll retain their tribreed status as well.”
“For fuck’s sake, Astrid,” I said weakly. “You held onto this information forweeks?There are children at risk.”
“I know. If you’d like to speak with Cybil, I can bring you there now.” She looked more downtrodden than I ever thought possible, and I fought against the empathy I felt for her.
“Bring Stella and Philip over. Bruno too,” I demanded and took Liam’s hand. “Can we have some privacy for a few minutes?”
Without warning, Liam and I were suddenly in a twilight forest full of lightning bugs. “Well, she’s good at nailing the ambience, that’s for sure.”
His lips were on mine before I knew he’d moved. His hands fisted in my shirt so tightly his knuckles dug into my back. “You are amazing. No one has ever spoken to her the way you do. Well, not for long anyway. There’s something enchanting about you, Red, something I can’t describe.”
“I don’t know what to say. I don’t like bullshit, so I call it like I see it.”
“It’s more than that. You have a power over people you’re not aware of. Why do you think so many men and women went to bed with you even while they feared you?”
I snorted. “Because horny is horny, and I have a nice ass.”
“Don’t I know it.” He lowered a hand to squeeze the ass in question and pull me tightly against him. “Your ass and their sex drive were not the only reasons they wanted you.”