Stroke of Midnight (Midnight Breed 13.5)

No, she hadn’t heard that.

And hearing it now sent spirals of joy and relief twisting through every cell in her body.

“You didn’t hear me tell him that I needed to make a place for you in my life. Or that I couldn’t leave the handfast without knowing you were mine.” He caressed her cheek, eyes smoldering with affection and desire. “My life is with the Order, Sera. I can’t give that up.”

“I would never ask that of you, Jehan. I understand that you’re doing something important, something that you’re devoted to. After what we found at the camp, I realize your mission with the Order has probably never been more crucial.”

“No, it hasn’t,” he said. “I can’t leave my duty, but I know you can’t give up yours either. I’m not going to ask you to leave your life behind to be with me in Rome.”

She frowned, grateful that he understood what her work meant to her, yet unsure how their two worlds could mesh as a mated couple.

“That’s why I’ve decided to pull a new team together here in Morocco. After last night, it’s obvious that Opus has a strong presence here, so I’ve been tasked with pursuing those leads here on African soil. I’ll work out the details with Commander Archer when I return to Rome at the end of the week.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She couldn’t believe what he was doing for her. For them both. For the new bond he meant for them to share.

“Jehan, I don’t know what to say.”

He lifted her chin on the edge of his fingers. “You can start by saying you love me.”

“Yes,” she whispered. Then she said it again with all the elation in her soaring heart. “I love you.”

He drew her close and kissed her, his lips brushing hers with such tenderness she wanted to weep. The next thing she knew, he had her spread beneath him on the bed. As he undressed her, then hurriedly stripped off his own clothing, his dermaglyphs pulsed with all the deep colors of his desire. His cock stood erect and enticing, awakening a powerful hunger in her—for his body, and for his blood.

Jehan clearly knew what she was feeling. His own hungers blazed in his transformed eyes and in every formidable inch of his naked flesh.

His fiery gaze scorched her face as he looked at her in utter devotion.

And need.

So much need, it rocked her.

He lowered himself between her legs and entered her slowly, as he bent to lick a searing path along her jawline, then her neck. “You’re mine, Sera.”

“Yes,” she gasped, arching into his abrading kiss as his fangs tested the tender flesh of her throat. “For the next four nights, I’m yours however you want me, Jehan.”

he was already pivoting away from him. “Now that this farce is over, I’ll go collect my things.”

When she sailed off in a hurry, both Marcel and Leila gaped at him.

“What the hell did you do to her, brother?”

Jehan shook his head. “I don’t know.” And then, the truth settled over him. Something about what she said. Something about how she said it...

She’d heard him today.

His conversation with Lazaro Archer back in Rome.

He cursed under his breath. Then he started to chuckle.

Marcel frowned at him. “She’s pissed as hell at you about something and you’re laughing?”

“Yeah, I am.” Because now he understood her cold-shoulder today. He understood her anger at him now. And he’d never felt more elated about anything in his life.

Rounding up his brother and Leila, Jehan pushed both of them out the door.

“What are you doing?”

“Sending you on your way,” he replied. “Don’t come back for four more nights. This handfast isn’t over until I say it is.”