[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
would split in two. He snatched the plate out of Echo s hand and set it
on the nightstand beside the bed. How are you feeling? he asked
seriously.
Tired, Echo answered honestly. But I think that s a good thing,
right? I feel weak and shaky, a little cold, and I have a headache, but
other than that, I feel like myself.
All of his men huddled around him on the bed, staring at him with
a mix of relief and worry. You scared the hell out of me, Fiero
whispered into Echo s ear. Don t do it again.
Echo rolled his eyes and bumped Fiero with his shoulder. It
wasn t like he d meant to be possessed. He wasn t sure if that s
exactly what had happened, but it seemed close enough. He didn t say
Hell s Tempest 101
anything, though. He knew Fiero wasn t really chastising him. The
man had been afraid, and big, macho demons did not scare easily.
Do you think it will happen again? Onyx asked quietly, and the
atmosphere instantly sobered.
I think we need to go back to that clearing in the woods, Hex
said equally as quiet. There s something out in those trees that is
obviously a threat to us.
As much as Echo wanted to deny the obvious, as much as he
wanted to beg and plead for his mates to stay home where it was safe,
he didn t. Home wasn t safe anymore. The enemy had infiltrated their
sanctuary, and Echo was pissed. You re right, he agreed to
everyone s astonishment. The Oracle said that we will have to defeat
the evil to succeed in our tasks. Of course, I never know what the crap
she s talking about, but that seems pretty clear to me. So when do we
leave?
You don t, Eyce said flatly, his voice brooking no argument. No
argument from anyone except Echo, that is.
Oh, can it with the Me, Tarzan bullshit. I can help, and you damn
well know it.
We need you here to help Vapre in case we don t return in time,
Hex said diplomatically.
Echo glared at their leader for a long time before he finally
deflated, the air rushing out of his lungs in a huff. Who s going?
All of us, Eyce answered immediately, except for you, Vapre,
Mac, and the vampires.
Sony s going? Echo lifted a brow skeptically. After what had
happened to Mac out in those woods, he could not picture Gage
letting Sony within twenty miles of that place.
Yep. He was very& insistent. Eyce snorted, his shoulders
shaking as he tried not to laugh. Pax and Jet are coming as well.
They know that place better than we do.
102 Gabrielle Evans
Did you ask them? Or did you just tell them they were going?
Echo could only imagine how terrified the shifters would be of
returning to the place where Sage had more or less held them captive.
They volunteered, actually. Vapre rubbed Echo s knee through
the thin sheet and smiled. They want to help, and we can use all of it
we can get.
Take care of them. It was more of a command than a request,
but Echo felt he deserved a little leeway after the week he d had.
Don t worry, baby. Fiero kissed Echo s temple. They re pretty
tough, but we ll watch out for them, okay?
Echo nodded briskly. Okay, so the new moon is& He trailed off
and darted his eyes around the room. What is today anyway?
February seventeenth, Myst answered. The full moon is
tomorrow night, and it s two weeks before the next new moon. He
beamed proudly at being able to recall the information.
Echo blew him a kiss in reward. Okay, so, what are you going to
do about Gage on the full moon?
I think he ll be fine if he has Sony with him. Plus the shifters said
they could help control him. We have to trust that will be enough for
now, Hex answered with a scowl. He didn t like the plan, and Echo
could see why. Too many things could go wrong with that little
scenario.
Resigned to the inevitable, Echo sighed and bobbed his head.
When are you leaving?
Everyone looked hesitant to answer, but Syx eventually bolstered
his courage and whispered, Tonight.
Hell s Tempest 103
Chapter Twelve
Did you mean it? Echo asked when he and Vapre were alone.
Their men had left just minutes before, and Echo felt the loss as a
deep pain in his chest. He had the unshakable fear that some of them
wouldn t return, and it had taken every ounce of willpower to not beg
them to stay.
Pushing away his panic, he shifted on the sofa, turning so that he
could face Vapre, and arched one eyebrow expectantly.
Yes, Vapre said clearly. Well, kudos to him for not playing
ignorant and making Echo drag the answers out of him.
And the others?
Yes.
Have you told them?
I told Syx, but not the others. I will soon. I didn t want to add
any undue stress to them before they left, though.
Coward, Echo teased.
Vapre smiled crookedly and shrugged. It s not easy. I ve had
these feelings for a long time, but I never did anything about them.
After a few thousand years, it became easy to just push them to the
back of my mind, ignore them, and enjoy the companionship that was
offered. His eyes softened along with his voice. Then you came and
changed everything. Now, I don t see how I can keep it all bottled up
anymore.
Good. You guys are going to drive me nuts with all this
evasiveness. Echo wiggled his eyebrows and scrunched his nose to
make his lover laugh. It worked, and the mood lightened
considerably. Then he had to go and ruin it. I miss them already.
104 Gabrielle Evans
Vapre gathered Echo into his arms and sighed. I do, too, but
they ll be back soon. His voice held little conviction, and the hole in
Echo s chest stretched a little wider.
Running his fingertips lightly under Vapre s eyes, Echo found
himself lost in the stormy gray depths. It didn t escape his notice that
each time one of his mates finally faced the truth of his feelings, his
eye color changed. Echo didn t know what it meant but hoped it was a
good sign. Your eyes are beautiful.
They re different, Vapre agreed offhandedly. He bent and
touched his lips to Echo s, and suddenly, conversation didn t seem so
important.
Make love to me, Echo whispered. Make me forget for just a
little while.
Vapre didn t ask questions, didn t say he thought it was a bad
idea. His warm fingers slipped under Echo s chin, holding his face
steady, and his mouth descended on Echo s lips. They held each other
for a long time, their tongues sliding and twining together, and
everything else began to slip away until only Vapre remained in
Echo s world.
Slowly but confidently, Vapre s hand slid under the hem of
Echo s T-shirt, lifting it up his chest and breaking the kiss only long
enough to pull it over his head. Then their mouths collided again, the
tempo and intensity increasing. Need and hunger akin to pain coursed
through Echo, and he worked feverishly to divest his lover of his
clothing. Minutes passed that felt like an eternity, and then they were
both naked and sweating, wrapped around each other as they panted
and moaned on the sofa.
The day had given way to the night, the sky pitch black, and the
dark oppressive. A small voice in the back of his mind argued that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
would split in two. He snatched the plate out of Echo s hand and set it
on the nightstand beside the bed. How are you feeling? he asked
seriously.
Tired, Echo answered honestly. But I think that s a good thing,
right? I feel weak and shaky, a little cold, and I have a headache, but
other than that, I feel like myself.
All of his men huddled around him on the bed, staring at him with
a mix of relief and worry. You scared the hell out of me, Fiero
whispered into Echo s ear. Don t do it again.
Echo rolled his eyes and bumped Fiero with his shoulder. It
wasn t like he d meant to be possessed. He wasn t sure if that s
exactly what had happened, but it seemed close enough. He didn t say
Hell s Tempest 101
anything, though. He knew Fiero wasn t really chastising him. The
man had been afraid, and big, macho demons did not scare easily.
Do you think it will happen again? Onyx asked quietly, and the
atmosphere instantly sobered.
I think we need to go back to that clearing in the woods, Hex
said equally as quiet. There s something out in those trees that is
obviously a threat to us.
As much as Echo wanted to deny the obvious, as much as he
wanted to beg and plead for his mates to stay home where it was safe,
he didn t. Home wasn t safe anymore. The enemy had infiltrated their
sanctuary, and Echo was pissed. You re right, he agreed to
everyone s astonishment. The Oracle said that we will have to defeat
the evil to succeed in our tasks. Of course, I never know what the crap
she s talking about, but that seems pretty clear to me. So when do we
leave?
You don t, Eyce said flatly, his voice brooking no argument. No
argument from anyone except Echo, that is.
Oh, can it with the Me, Tarzan bullshit. I can help, and you damn
well know it.
We need you here to help Vapre in case we don t return in time,
Hex said diplomatically.
Echo glared at their leader for a long time before he finally
deflated, the air rushing out of his lungs in a huff. Who s going?
All of us, Eyce answered immediately, except for you, Vapre,
Mac, and the vampires.
Sony s going? Echo lifted a brow skeptically. After what had
happened to Mac out in those woods, he could not picture Gage
letting Sony within twenty miles of that place.
Yep. He was very& insistent. Eyce snorted, his shoulders
shaking as he tried not to laugh. Pax and Jet are coming as well.
They know that place better than we do.
102 Gabrielle Evans
Did you ask them? Or did you just tell them they were going?
Echo could only imagine how terrified the shifters would be of
returning to the place where Sage had more or less held them captive.
They volunteered, actually. Vapre rubbed Echo s knee through
the thin sheet and smiled. They want to help, and we can use all of it
we can get.
Take care of them. It was more of a command than a request,
but Echo felt he deserved a little leeway after the week he d had.
Don t worry, baby. Fiero kissed Echo s temple. They re pretty
tough, but we ll watch out for them, okay?
Echo nodded briskly. Okay, so the new moon is& He trailed off
and darted his eyes around the room. What is today anyway?
February seventeenth, Myst answered. The full moon is
tomorrow night, and it s two weeks before the next new moon. He
beamed proudly at being able to recall the information.
Echo blew him a kiss in reward. Okay, so, what are you going to
do about Gage on the full moon?
I think he ll be fine if he has Sony with him. Plus the shifters said
they could help control him. We have to trust that will be enough for
now, Hex answered with a scowl. He didn t like the plan, and Echo
could see why. Too many things could go wrong with that little
scenario.
Resigned to the inevitable, Echo sighed and bobbed his head.
When are you leaving?
Everyone looked hesitant to answer, but Syx eventually bolstered
his courage and whispered, Tonight.
Hell s Tempest 103
Chapter Twelve
Did you mean it? Echo asked when he and Vapre were alone.
Their men had left just minutes before, and Echo felt the loss as a
deep pain in his chest. He had the unshakable fear that some of them
wouldn t return, and it had taken every ounce of willpower to not beg
them to stay.
Pushing away his panic, he shifted on the sofa, turning so that he
could face Vapre, and arched one eyebrow expectantly.
Yes, Vapre said clearly. Well, kudos to him for not playing
ignorant and making Echo drag the answers out of him.
And the others?
Yes.
Have you told them?
I told Syx, but not the others. I will soon. I didn t want to add
any undue stress to them before they left, though.
Coward, Echo teased.
Vapre smiled crookedly and shrugged. It s not easy. I ve had
these feelings for a long time, but I never did anything about them.
After a few thousand years, it became easy to just push them to the
back of my mind, ignore them, and enjoy the companionship that was
offered. His eyes softened along with his voice. Then you came and
changed everything. Now, I don t see how I can keep it all bottled up
anymore.
Good. You guys are going to drive me nuts with all this
evasiveness. Echo wiggled his eyebrows and scrunched his nose to
make his lover laugh. It worked, and the mood lightened
considerably. Then he had to go and ruin it. I miss them already.
104 Gabrielle Evans
Vapre gathered Echo into his arms and sighed. I do, too, but
they ll be back soon. His voice held little conviction, and the hole in
Echo s chest stretched a little wider.
Running his fingertips lightly under Vapre s eyes, Echo found
himself lost in the stormy gray depths. It didn t escape his notice that
each time one of his mates finally faced the truth of his feelings, his
eye color changed. Echo didn t know what it meant but hoped it was a
good sign. Your eyes are beautiful.
They re different, Vapre agreed offhandedly. He bent and
touched his lips to Echo s, and suddenly, conversation didn t seem so
important.
Make love to me, Echo whispered. Make me forget for just a
little while.
Vapre didn t ask questions, didn t say he thought it was a bad
idea. His warm fingers slipped under Echo s chin, holding his face
steady, and his mouth descended on Echo s lips. They held each other
for a long time, their tongues sliding and twining together, and
everything else began to slip away until only Vapre remained in
Echo s world.
Slowly but confidently, Vapre s hand slid under the hem of
Echo s T-shirt, lifting it up his chest and breaking the kiss only long
enough to pull it over his head. Then their mouths collided again, the
tempo and intensity increasing. Need and hunger akin to pain coursed
through Echo, and he worked feverishly to divest his lover of his
clothing. Minutes passed that felt like an eternity, and then they were
both naked and sweating, wrapped around each other as they panted
and moaned on the sofa.
The day had given way to the night, the sky pitch black, and the
dark oppressive. A small voice in the back of his mind argued that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]