Page 42 of Blood Sacrifice

Salvator’s jaw bunched, and I could feel his frustration since he was used to doing everything himself. Right now, he was having to sit back and let me take care of him. “They won’t be easy to bring in,” he finally said. “These are trained soldiers.”

I touched his thigh and his body stiffened. “These are trained soldiers who are spellbound,” I replied. “I’m bringing in a covert team who are used to neutralising threats. This is what we do—rescue magical beings from the threat and tyranny of others. Let us do our job.” I squeezed his leg and went to move my hand away, but he caught it, bringing it up to his lips to press a kiss on the top of my fingers.

I felt that kiss all the way to my toes and into the very centre of my soul. His eyes met mine and the world slowed down for several seconds and my breath caught. There was an undefined emotion in his eyes that made a creature of darkness stir deep in my stomach. Maybe it was because of the passage of time, but I never remembered Salvator having this effect on my breathing before, or possessing the ability to rob me of my words.

I dragged my gaze from his, confused and uncomfortable by the feelings cascading inside me.

We returned to his villa, and I watched Salvator drag the unconscious wolf into his home and put him in a room at theback of the property that had bars on the windows and locks on the outside of the door.

I packed my property into my bag, and accessed the information on our secure server. Then, I wandered outside and drew sigils on Salvator’s car to ensure no one followed us to the safe place we were going. The house would be cloaked by powerful magic to hide it from prying eyes and listening ears.

I jumped at the sudden noise behind me, realising too late that it was Salvator dropping his kit bag onto the ground. His eyes widened and he looked around him as if there was an enemy he was searching for.

“I thought you were supposed to be a lithe predator who can stalk about unnoticed,” I said, rolling my eyes.

His grin made butterflies beat low in my stomach. “I save that for the nighttime.” He shrugged one shoulder. “It’s much more dramatic when you jump out at the victim.”

“Asshole,” I muttered as I turned away, but my lips twitched into a small smile.

“What can I say? I’m technically a dog.” Salvator opened the boot and threw his bag in. He moved to the front door and lifted another bag, and when he set it into the boot beside the other one, I noticed the zip was open and it was filled with weapons.

“Are we going to war?” I queried.

Salvator glanced up for a moment. “People have been trying to kill us, so yes, I plan on some retribution.”

Normally, I shied away from violence, but there was something about the thought of Salvator showing his dominance in a fight that made a fire ignite inside me. To cover my reaction, I lifted my own bag, and he took it from me to place next to his.

I climbed into the front of the car, setting my handbag at my feet, and retrieving my phone with the coordinates for ournext destination on it. Salvator slid into the driver’s seat, taking my phone to study the map.

“I know the area,” he said. “You can direct me when we get closer.”

I slumped down in my seat and settled myself in for the journey. My mind travelled over all the topics we had covered this past week, finally landing on what I really wanted to know.

“Do you have children? A few ex-wives in your closet?” I asked, staring at the mountain range in the distance.

The car swerved for a moment before Salvator managed to stabilise it. “What? Fuck, no!” I felt the weight of his glare on me. “What would make you think that? Do you have a houseful of kids and a highway filled with broken hearts?”

I spun to face him and met his furious gaze. “No!” How could I explain that no one had ever measured up to the memory of him? “Never!”

“Then why would you think that I could forget you?” I hadn’t mentioned him in my reply, but Salvator zeroed in on the issue. “Just because I thought you were dead doesn’t mean I decided to find someone else.”

He returned his attention to the road, his jaw so tight, I swear he was going to break a back molar.

“We were never mated,” I said in a low voice. “No one would have blamed you.”

He hit the steering wheel, and I jumped. “For fuck’s sake, Luna. We never fully mated because Balor would have killed you for allowing yourself to be polluted by a lycan. That does not mean that my wolf didn’t find his mate in a small village four hundred years ago.”

The air inside the car was static, like a thunderstorm brewing. I expected to see flashes of lightning emitting from the roof liner.

Time stretched between us, and I watched the tension build in his shoulders and biceps.

“I’m sorry,” I said, sucking in a deep breath. “I should have known you wouldn’t disrespect the mating bond.”

He growled in reply and refused to look at me. I felt ridiculous, but the man was a walking sexual fantasy. The silence thickened until I swear it began to absorb all the air in the car, and I felt lightheaded.

“Fine!” I flung my hands up in annoyance. “I said I’m sorry. There’s no need to give me the dark and moody treatment.”

He continued to stare straight ahead and ignore me.

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