Page 139 of Kingly Bitten
“Yes, I would prefer you wander around naked every day, all day, but only for me. Not others. And we won’t be alone on this mission. Hence, clothing is required.” He gestured to the pants and tank top on the bed.
I noted the lack of underwear and heard him reply mentally that it was deliberate. It seemed the thin white fabric was intentional, too.
His silver gaze glittered with wicked intent after I dressed, his focus immediately falling to my chest. “Perfect.” Then he handed me a thick vest. “This is for protection.”
“For me or for everyone else?” I asked him, catching the double use of the word in his thoughts.
“Both. Protects you from any potential gunfire. And it protects everyone else from me killing them for seeing you in that top.”
I slid on the vest as requested as I said, “You chose my outfit.”
“Yes. For me, not them.”
I just shook my head and accepted the socks and shoes he handed me next.
Jace gripped my shoulders to hold me steady as the jet touched the ground, his strength and stability a masterpiece of experience and age and power.
I marveled at it as I finished lacing up my tennis shoes, the black color the same as his own.
Upon finishing, he pulled my hair up into a ponytail, then gave me a once-over and a nod. “Good as new.”
“I won’t feel that way until after a shower,” I admitted, the stiffness of rebirth a leftover sensation that crawled along my skin.
Jace paused, considering the option, then said, “We’ll do that after we’re done.”
I nodded in agreement, the labs taking priority in my mind.
I may finally find out who I am. What I am. Who I’m linked to. How I was made.
And all of that was far more important than a shower.
“I’m ready,” I told him.
He bent to press his lips to mine, his mind holding a whole myriad of emotions and thoughts that seemed to fire at once. But they were all there and gone faster than I could decipher them, his practical side quickly taking over. “All right. Let’s go, little genius.”
38
Jace
Darius waitedfor me near the edge of the field, his attire of jeans and a T-shirt rivaling mine. Juliet stood beside him in all black, her vest matching the one I’d given to Calina. Technically, both vests belonged to Juliet. They were likely Darius’s versions of romantic presents.
I’d have to remember not to consult him for future gift giving.
Assuming Calina even liked such things.
Why am I even thinking about this?With a shake of my head, I grabbed Calina by the waist and phased with her to Darius’s side.
She didn’t react, her mind having caught my intention a second before I completed the action.
And as per her usual, she accepted it with grace because she labeled the move as practical.
It’s like you were made for me,I told her. Then my focus went to Darius. “Was Damien able to provide any useful infiltration details?”
He shrugged, the picture of nonchalance. “Just the codes to the bunker door and the commands the Vigils will expect to hear.”
“Well, that certainly does sound useful,” I replied, amused by his deadpan delivery. “You sound disappointed, Darius. Is it because we won’t be drawing blood upon entry?”
“I think I’ve seen enough bloodshed to last me a few days,” he returned, referring to Lajos’s nightclub we’d attended and all the dead humans we’d found while searching the premises for anything useful.
