Slave to the Night (The Brotherhood 2)

She scrambled into his arms, and he hugged her tight to his chest.

Elliot cursed Leo for his stupidity. But he knew what he had to do.

Grace knew it, too. He could feel her trembling; he could feel fear in her heart.

"You're going after him, aren't you?" Her voice sounded strained. "You're going to go to Bavaria and try to find him?" She looked up at him, her face ashen, her eyes awash with unshed tears. "Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you won't go."

Elliot touched his forehead to hers. "I have no choice, Grace. Hell, I don

't want to leave you. But I cannot abandon Leo to that monster."

He felt a sudden wave of determination flow through her, watched her straighten as if her spine were a rod of iron. "Then I am coming with you."

"The hell you are. I need to know you're safe else I shall go out of my mind with worry."

She stroked his chest in a seductive rhythm. "Elliot, I have waited my whole life to find you. I am not saying goodbye to you now. Not after all we've been through."

He was a lucky man indeed to have met someone so courageous, so loving, so selfless. But he could not risk losing her.

"No, Grace. It is out of the question. Besides, Alexander is to accompany me."

Her mouth dropped open but then snapped shut as a confident smile formed. "Evelyn will not let Alexander go without her. If Evelyn is going then so am I."

Elliot shook his head to reinforce his position. "You're not thinking clearly. We are talking about a three-week journey, made all the more difficult by the nature of my affliction. My carriage is equipped for such a purpose, but it will be far from comfortable."

Grace cupped his cheek and forced him to look at her. "I would sleep on a bed of nettles if it meant being with you. I just want to be with you."

He lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers.

"You may come with me as far as London," he said. His desire for her made him weak. "Evelyn can stay with you in Portman Square while you await our return."

She came up on her knees and threw her leg across his lap to straddle him. "And what if Evelyn is to accompany Alexander?" She rubbed against him as she claimed his mouth in the wanton way she usually did when testing his resolve.

He had never been a man to fall prey to the cunning wiles of women. But he had never been a man madly in love.

"All right," he said, breaking contact as desire raged through his veins. He imagined being thrown in the stocks while every honourable gentleman in England threw rotten vegetables at him for putting up such a poor fight. "But only on the proviso, Evelyn does accompany Alexander."

"Agreed." She gave a curt nod and a satisfied grin. "We should pack lightly. Thankfully, I'm used to travelling with minimal clothing."

"We can't leave until dusk. I shall be pacing the floor by then."

"Then let us find a way to ease our woes while we wait," she said, moving to nuzzle his neck. Even his despair over Leo couldn't keep his passion for her at bay. Indeed, he was more than ready to spend an hour or two in ignorant bliss.

Three weeks spent worrying about Leo would drive him to the brink of insanity. Perhaps having Grace with him would ease the burden. She could not come as far as Schiltach.

He could not risk her meeting the golden-haired devil.

Thank you!

Thank you for reading Slave to the Night.

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Adele x

Abandoned to the Night