It wasn’t just the idea of me dying, but the notion of another male fucking me.
It seemed Jace had acquired a bit of possessiveness where I was concerned, which we both knew was tied to the bond.
Just as we both knew his penchant for strategy would win in the end.
I admired that about him because my mind worked the same way.
I’ll under—
We’re not talking about this. Not yet. Not until we’re left with no other option.The words were a sharp snarl, the discussion done.
All right, I agreed, focusing on my body once more and trying to relax into a more submissive pose.
Jace’s palm tightened on my thigh as he began running through the names of all the Blessed Ones and their heirs. Apparently, several of those heirs had chosen to rest along with their fathers, immortality boring them after a few thousand years. Which meant some of the royals were actually those who’d first been bitten and turned.
Vampires like Darius.
Through Jace’s thoughts, I learned that Darius was Cam’s only progeny, which was why Darius would likely one day be forced to lead.
Jace had never turned anyone, which was uncommon. He noted in his mind that Kylan had waited until this year to create a vampire.
Everyone else had bitten and turned at least one other human.
And those vampires had turned more.
And more.
And more.
Several thousands of years had allowed for the creation of a lot of vampires, and the bloodlines had been diluted as a result.
Only those from the first three generations—Cronus and Johan’s era; Cam, Cane, Kylan, Ryder, and Jace’s era; and Darius’s era—were considered true royals because of their close familial ties to the Blessed Ones.
Everyone else fell somewhere down the line.
Some couldn’t even trace back their origins.
I learned all this from Jace’s mind as I listened to him sort through all their identities for the potentialliegethat Lilith spoke to in the logs.
He went through their identities quickly, locking on a few and dismissing the others in the blink of an eye. It was fascinating to hear, his strategic process a seduction of sorts.
His palm on my thigh didn’t help.
And neither did the fact that he could hear how his intelligence impacted me.
Fuck it, he said, his hands finding my hips as he pulled me over to straddle his thighs. Darius muttered something, but it was lost to the pounding in my ears.
Jace caught my mouth in the next instant, his tongue dueling mine as he continued to consider whom Lilith might have awoken.
His ability to multitask was intoxicating, causing my blood to boil in my veins with each passing second.
Because I tracked every thought and agreed with each decision yet managed to keep up with the movement of his lips on mine.
He was able to engage my body and my mind at the same time, leaving me satisfied in a way that rivaled our time in the shower.
“My Prince.” Darius’s tone lacked emotion.
However, Jace recognized the subtle note of impatience in the air.