Reassurance

ANTHONY

“What are you implying?” Aya questioned, her voice sharp.

I locked eyes with her, my gaze steady. “Are you prepared to be imprisoned for the next fifty years? Because once we step foot in that castle, there’s no turning back. The vampires outside won’t hesitate to rip us apart.”

Aya’s eyes widened in shock, her mouth falling open in surprise.

“No,” Alexander interjected quickly. “Aya will not be confined in Corfu.”

“Alex,” Aya murmured, shifting in his arms to cup his face. “If that’s the only way to ensure our safety—”

“No,” he interrupted, shaking his head with determination. “I won’t have you trapped in there. You deserve freedom. This is ~our~ punishment,” he gestured between himself and his sister, who shot him a glare.

“If she’s not going in, then I don’t want to either,” Caroline chimed in, her voice whiny.

I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes at her childishness. Alexander hissed at her in response.

“I’ll drag you in there myself if I have to,” he threatened, his voice a low growl. “We’re going back.”

“But what if I want to stay with you, Alex?” Aya interjected, pulling his attention back to her, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. “What if I don’t want to be separated from you?”

Alexander’s stern expression softened at her words. “I can’t let you suffer for my mistakes any longer, Little Bird.”

“I don’t want to be trapped either,” I interjected, cutting off their sentimental moment. Aya shot me a glare. “Which means I’ll have to part ways with you. Aya, you should come with me.”

“No,” she shook her head, her voice firm. “No, I’m staying with Alex.”

“The hell you are,” Alexander retorted, his gaze meeting mine. “What’s your plan?”

“Alex,” Aya protested, squirming in his arms. He only tightened his hold on her, burying his face in her hair. Aya growled, struggling against him.

“We need to split up. Aya and I will distract the vampires. You and Caroline will sneak into Corfu,” I explained.

Alexander’s gaze snapped back to mine. “You can’t use her as a decoy,” he argued.

“She won’t be harmed,” I assured him.

Alexander growled in response, clearly not a fan of my plan.

“I don’t understand…how do you plan to distract those vampires?” Caroline asked, her voice filled with confusion.

I turned to her, my expression serious. “We already smell like you. We’ll wear your clothes, cover ourselves in your scent. Aya and I will slip out first, create a diversion. I can’t guarantee you’ll go unnoticed, but it’ll provide a safer passage to Corfu. Getting into the castle is your problem.”

“Anthony,” Caroline’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. “That sounds incredibly risky for you.”

“It’s my job to keep you safe.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, and I could hear her heart skip a beat.

“It’s not Aya’s job,” Alexander interjected.

I nodded in agreement. “Which is why I’m going to hand her off to her friends. They can protect her while I take your scents farther east.”

“What?” Aya exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief.

I met her gaze, my expression serious. “Your Canadian friend, I smelled him last night. If we can find him, I’ll leave you in his protection. You’ll need to erase Alexander’s scent as soon as you reach them.”

Aya shook her head in protest, but I could see the grim determination in Alexander’s eyes. He hated the plan. But he knew, just like I did, it was the only way to keep her out of Corfu and safe.

“I don’t want to be handed off,” Aya argued, her voice sharp.

“Aya, you can disappear again. If you hide your scent, not many people will know who you are. They know of a turned vampire who can bring the prince to his knees, but they never knew it was you before. They won’t again,” I reminded her.

Aya was seething with anger. “I won’t just stand back and hide!”

“Yes, you will,” Alexander’s voice was gentle. “You will, and you will live free. Your association with me puts you in danger. You can be free again.”

Aya hissed at him. “I said I will not hide!” She wrenched herself from his grip and stormed to the other side of the room before leaping up to the mezzanine and disappearing. Alexander grunted and stood, following her up.

I could hear their muffled voices, but I didn’t want to eavesdrop. Caroline shifted uncomfortably next to me.

“What if I ran with you instead?” she suggested quietly.

I found myself drawn to her tenacity. “You might be able to mask your scent for a night, Caroline, but it won’t last. You’re unmistakably a Night. Until your sentence is served, you’ll be pursued. That’s not my scene.”

Her face twisted into a scowl. “I have no intention of returning to exile!”

“I understand,” I said, turning to face her. She was huddled up, her long legs drawn to her chest, her soft blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. For a fleeting moment, all I craved was to thread my fingers through those golden locks. To touch her skin. To savor her blood once more. The mere thought had me hard in an instant.

“What if you get injured, trying to divert them?” she whispered.

“Darling, I vowed to safeguard your life with mine. If that’s the price, I’ll pay it to ensure your safe return to your prison.”

She let out a soft hiss.

“Once your scent fades from me, I’ll discard your clothes somewhere and they’ll eventually lose interest,” I said, grinning at her. “I’ll simply be buying you some time. And you’ll be safe with your brother.”

She nodded. “I understand. I’m just concerned about what they might do to you.”

“I can fend them off long enough for them to lose interest in harming me,” I reassured her. “They’re after you. The moment they realize you’re not with me, they’ll lose interest.”

“They might harm you, just to get to me.”

I laughed. “If there’s one thing everyone knows about you, Princess, it’s that you don’t care about others. I’m not worried about that.”

My words were sharp, and the flash of anger in her eyes confirmed they’d hit their mark and stung.

“Fine,” she retorted. “Go ahead and die for me. See if I give a damn.”

Her rage sent my blood racing, my arousal intensifying. My muscles tensed. My fangs felt heavy on my lips.

Her mouth fell open in surprise at my reaction, and I was engulfed by the scent of her desire. Even if I hadn’t sworn to protect her life before, I would do so now.

The sweet rhythm of her heartbeat filled the small space.

“How did you say you wanted to mask yourself with our scent?” she asked, her voice shaky.

I lunged.