Page 18 of Twisted Desire

“Our bar tab would say otherwise.”

He shrugs. “We’re at war, kitten. Gotta stay hydrated.”

I roll my eyes when he winks at me. “About Jax,” I start, “do you really think he’ll help us?”

He purses his lips. “Well, the guy has a high level of self-preservation, so here’s hoping.”

“Hope isn’t a strategy, Nikolai.”

“Whatever differences he has with the dark fae—and with me—he’s not stupid. He knows The Experiment is a threat to his existence. I made that clear when we spoke.”

All of this war talk is depressingly sobering. “Okay, but after this meeting, we have to strike. Hard and fast. I’m done waiting for them to make the first move while we’re traveling all over the place looking for allies.”

“I understand, but without those allies, we don’t stand a chance against their members and their weapons.”

I stay silent for several beats. “I hate this,” I finally mutter. As ridiculous as it is, I miss the days of running the hotel with Tristan—with Max. Hell, I even miss dealing with Aurora, teasing her—and teaching her.

We’ll get them back, I tell myself in a stern voice, following Nik’s suggestion, and wonder how many times I’ll have to say it until I trick myself into believing it.

Joe checks on us every so often as the hours pass, but he doesn’t offer us any more booze. He cut us off, I think. I can’t remember. He did bring us more mozzarella sticks, though, so I can’t fault the guy.

“Guys, I’ve got to kick you out. It’s almost two.”

I lift my head off the bar top. “In the morning?”

Nikolai laughs. “Yes, in the morning. Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”

Nikolai all but carries me to his room. Oliver must’ve fallen asleep in Allison’s bed because the room is empty when we get there. Most of the liquor has burned through me—or has been soaked up by the food I devoured. Now I want to sleep. Today was weird and frustrating, and tomorrow is likely to be even more so.

I kick off my shoes, setting them on the floor beside Nikolai’s suitcase.

He starts getting ready for bed while I drop onto the bed near the window.

“Are you good?” he asks, unbuttoning his shirt.

I stare at the ceiling, my head spinning. “I’m hungry.”

“Seriously?” he laughs. “You had to have eaten thirty mozzarella sticks downstairs.” When I say nothing, he adds, “I can see if the kitchen is still open.”

I sit up and my gaze lands on his bare chest. “I don’t need food, Nik, I—”

“I realize that,” he says, coming closer. His form towers over me until he crouches to meet my gaze.

I frown when I see the knowing look on his face. He wants me to feed on the hotel staff. “No. That’s not fair.”

“Fine, then you’ll have to wait until we hit a feeding unit.”

I have to stop myself from grinding my teeth. I don’t want to go into a potential fight tomorrow without feeding.

“Have you powered up?” I ask.

A touch of a grin spreads across his lips. “‘Powered up.’ I like that. Yes, I did, and it was delightful. I probably fed a little too much, but hey, better safe than sorry.” He folds his arms across his chest. “Don’t look at me like that, Skylar. Cut the judgment. I didn’t hurt anyone, and you know it.”

I scowl, looking away. “Whatever.”

“Are you seriously going to be like this?”

“Yep,” I deadpan and lie back again. “I’m not feeding on the hotel staff.”

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