"Easy, love," Bade said, smiling at my uncertain expression. "You're safe with me."
I watched as Bade removed his clothes and wondered if he was safe with me. Bade was not aroused as he knelt down beside me, but he was still about six inches long completely limp. I was both impressed and intimidated. He took me in his arms as he stepped into the tub and my heart fluttered. I felt a combination of exhaustion and excitement as he lowered us both into the water.
Bade settled me onto his lap and took a big lick of the syrup on my forehead. I snickered and turned my face away. "Yuck," I laughed as he licked me for the second time.
"I assure you," he said softly, "that I would get no pleasure from taking advantage of you. Especially not with you weakened like this."
He took several handfuls of water and poured them over my hair.
"Why don't you tell me what's got you so weak," he said. "I understand it probably took a lot of energy to put the crowd in a trance like you did. That was impressive, by the way, love," he said, pouring shampoo into the palm of one large hand. "But what else did you do?"
I told him about taking some of Elijah's misery while he held my head with one hand and washed my hair with the other. His big hand could have easily crushed my skull and I felt both small and cherished under his careful ministrations. I knew through his touch that Bade enjoyed taking care of me.
"I didn't know you could to anything like that," he said thoughtfully.
He washed the rest of me while I explained the process the way Mathias had explained it to me. I still wasn't clear on everything, but it made more sense when I touched somebody. It became clear what I needed to do when I needed to do it.
"Does that make any sense?"
"Sort of," he said, smiling at my confused expression.
Bade's eyes held a kindness I'd never noticed before as he looked down at me. There was a warmth to his eyes that made them darker than their usual icy blue. Bade is only two years older than me. In fact, we'd been attacked in the same year. Neither one of us had been able to get "properly drunk" for our twenty first birthday because of the fast metabolism we'd both inherited.
"Sometimes I'm amazed that Marco lets me get so close to you," he whispered. "Don't get me wrong, love, he's right to expect me to protect you. After all, it's my job to protect the queen in his absence. But I can't help but care about you."
"Well," I said, my voice becoming fainter, "I wouldn't want a protector who didn't care about me." Then a thought crossed my mind. "I thought Luther was supposed to protect me in his absence."
"He was just filling in. It is the captain of the wolf king's armies who guards the queen, not his beta wolf." He shrugged. "Before I came back he had no choice. And had I never left the pack, I would never have held the position of your protector."
Bade was previously Marco's beta wolf before he split from the pack. But his actions would now forever deny him that position. Luther was currently the second in command, but he didn't want to inherit the pack if anything should happen to Marco. Bade might still lead the pack someday, but I'd rather have him as my protector and Marco as my king. Marco had known when he appointed Bade as captain of the guard that he would be spending more time with me. That spoke volumes about his trust in Bade, and it helped me to relax in his arms.
I rested my face against his chest while Bade washed his own hair. He propped me against the side of the tub while he rinsed and quickly scrubbed any remaining blood from his body, though I hadn't seen any.
"I feel like I can never get clean enough after something like that," he said, shivering slightly as he washed his feet again. "I washed off really fast before leaving Mason's but I just wanted to be sure."
This made me laugh. A werewolf who was phobic about hygiene? It was the funniest thing I'd seen in a while. Bade slid me back onto his lap and we just enjoyed the hot water for a few minutes while I toyed absently with his silver nipple ring.
"Is this big enough for you?" he asked.
Before I could even respond to the question I felt my cheeks burning.
Bade looked down at me and laughed. "Not that. I was talking about the tub. But I'm flattered, love," he said with a wink.
"I hate you," I laughed, burying my face against his shoulder.
"So I've heard. But you haven't promised to kill me in a while."
"Things change," I teased.
This was how my conversations with Bade normally went, even if we weren't naked. After our laughter subsided Bade lifted me in his arms and sat on the edge of the tub with me in his lap. When he reached for the towels he had placed close by I felt him brush against my thigh and my heart jumped. Werewolves are normally very comfortable in their own skin, and I'm fine with that. What bothered me was how comfortable I was becoming with his skin.
Once we were dry, Bade carried me out into the bedroom and I shivered. The bathroom had been full of steam and I'd adjusted to the temperature. But the rest of the castle was drafty as usual and I thought I might freeze.
"Can we build a fire?" I asked through chattering teeth.
"You won't need it," he said softly, smiling down at me. "Or don't you think I'm hot enough?"
Bade pulled back the satin sheets and laid me down like I weighed nothing at all. Dracula had fallen asleep facing the door. The left side of his face was turned up and I paused to brush the hair back from his face. I kissed his neck just below the earlobe and breathed in his scent before settling back against Bade as he slid toward me.
"Do I get a goodnight kiss?" he purred.
His deep voice so close to my ear raised the hair on my arms.
"It's morning," I pointed out.
"Smartass."
I was tired and suddenly I felt very much alone despite my two bedfellows.
"Bade?" I said, rolling to face him.
He just looked at me, but his eyes said he would do whatever I asked. I felt so sorry for Elijah. I felt sorry for his whole family. But mostly I felt sorry for Mary. I was upset by what I'd seen and the things we'd all had to do and I tried not to think of the destruction the warm body beside me had wrought the night before. I needed comfort and as I tried to find the words to express my needs my eyes filled with tears.
Bade slid one arm underneath me and pressed the front of his body against mine.
"It's alright, love," he soothed as he held me close. "It's alright," he repeated.
I pressed my face against the curve of his neck and collarbone and tried to stop crying, but it didn't work.
"You won't tell people that Death cries in her sleep, will you?"
Among the werewolf community I was known as Death and Alfred was known as Vengeance. Because in the past, if you were a werewolf and you'd seen either one of us, that's what you could expect.
"Of course not," he said softly. "Besides, you're not asleep yet, so this doesn't count."
I curled my hands underneath my chin and snuggled tighter against Bade's warmth. He was so warm I couldn't believe I'd actually wanted a fire before. As my tears began to dry I rubbed my face absently across his throat, almost like a cat. I let my nose and lips brush over his hair as it spilled around his face.
"What are you doing?" he whispered.
"Remembering you. I want to remember the way your hair smells after a bath and the way your skin feels against my face."
"If I didn't know better I'd say you liked me," he teased.
"Now what would give you that impression?"
"You're getting awfully sentimental for someone who doesn't like me."
He pressed his lips to my forehead and I could feel him smile.
"There may come a time when I'm away from my protector." I yawned as I put one arm around his waist. "I just want to remember what you feel like."
"Whenever you get ready for a more in depth explanation of that, you let me know," he growled.
When my heart finally slowed down, I fell asleep.
* * * *
I was awakened around noon by the sound of my phone vibrating in the pocket of my jeans. I moaned and threw one arm over my face. I had no intention of answering it and spent a few seconds praying it was just a dream.
"Fuckin' hell," Bade growled as he rolled over and fished in the pile of clothes for my pants.
"How did our clothes even get in here?" I mumbled as I rolled against his back and wrapped one leg around him.
"I kicked them across the floor when I put you in the bed," he answered with a yawn.
"Don't answer it. I'm still tired."
I pressed my face between his shoulder blades and hoped he would take my advice. But no sooner had the phone stopped ringing then it started again.
?
Chapter Seventeen
"Hello," Bade said breathlessly after finally wrestling the phone from the tangle of clothes. "This is Bade Garren, who's this?"
Apparently the caller had something to say.
"It is too my fucking business. How'd you like some bloke waking you up after you'd been up all night? I've had very little sleep and my patience has just about worn out with you."
I snatched the phone before he could say anything else. "Hello?"
"Lilith? Is that Bade Garren in the bed with you? The Bade Garren as in formerly number two on The Hunter's most wanted list?" It was Alfred and he was irate.
"Yes, Alfred, it is," I sighed.
"Ouch!" Dracula winced as I put my elbow in a most unfortunate place.
"Who the hell was that?" Alfred asked.
"That's Dracula." No point in lying now. If he went ape shit at least we were safely hidden underground.
"You're in the bed with both of them?!"
"Yes," I said, my head bobbing forward as I nearly fell back asleep.
"But, I thought you were dating Marco," he said, sounding bewildered.
"Don't read too much into things, Alfred, and I am seeing Marco. I just happen to have fallen asleep with Bade and Dracula last night."
After a long pause he asked, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I was going to call you later."
It was true. I'd already decided the night before that I needed to let Alfred know I was safe.
"Thank you," he said softly. Then another thought must have crossed his mind. "And what the hell did he mean he'd been up all night?"
I laughed. "Not that I owe you an explanation any more, Alfred, but he helped to take care of the vampires last night. Bade played a major part in making sure all the pieces of my ass were still attached today." I yawned again, unable to stop myself.
Bade snickered and I elbowed him.
"So you're not …"
"Fucking the living dog shit out of him?" I said crudely. "No, I'm not."
"You sound like you're upset about that," he taunted.
"No, Al I'm just upset at being awake right now."
We talked a few more minutes, then I closed the phone and handed it to Bade who was already dozing beside me.
"The fuck do I want with it?" he mumbled.
"Put it on the table," I said. "My charger is beside the bed."
Bade flopped over, and I rolled into his back again. Not because I had intended to this time, but because I was tangled in the covers and they went with him. It was already noon, because Dracula was awake. However Bade and I had only had a few hours sleep. I felt the vampire slip out of bed and I scooted more toward the middle. Bade followed and within a matter of minutes there's no telling who was snoring the loudest.
I awoke to the sound of the phone vibrating against the marble top of the bedside table. One of Bade's arms was thrown across my chest and I couldn't roll him over.
"Bade."
"Hmm?"
"Answer the phone," I said urgently, rocking his large frame back and forth.
"No," he said slowly, "I'm not talking to that asshole again."
"I really don't think Alfred would call back again."
The phone stopped, and then started to ring again.
"Bade, please, I can't sleep through the ringing."
"I'll give you some ringing," he growled as he snatched up the phone. "Hello. Johnny, what the fuck do you want? Well, she's right here, but why do you want her now?" There was a pause before he said, "She's naked and we were just asleep." Bade was beginning to smile and I could barely stop myself from laughing. "As a matter of fact, we've only had about four hours sleep," he said winking at me. "Can't it wait?" Bade held the phone out and put Johnny on speaker.
"Since when do you get up before one o'clock after working the night before?" I asked.
"Since when do you sleep with a fur rug?" he teased.
"It was cold last night," I purred as I snuggled up to Bade and rested my head against his chest.
"I just thought you'd like to know that James Matthew is leaving town today. But he sends his warmest regards," he drawled, imitating James's accent.
"Thanks, Johnny. Now can I go back to sleep?"
"Is that what you guys were doing?"
Bade flipped the phone shut without answering.
We had just settled back down when the phone rang again. Bade rolled over with a roar and said, "Listen you little twat, it's none of your business what Lilith and I are doing together or why we're naked. As a matter of fact, she can be naked with whoever she wants and it's none of your business. And if you don't like that you can lick my ass right up the crack."
Bade took a deep breath before I heard Kat's laughter.
"Oh shit," he said as he put her on speaker.
"Well, I was going to ask how your night had gone, but I guess that's my answer," she said, laughing wickedly. "Actually, I was going to check on you. Elijah's already been by this morning, and he seems better. Well, as good as can be expected, I suppose."
Kat told me that she would be going with him to Mary's funeral and then driving back alone so he could take the road trip he'd mentioned. Kat seemed better considering she and Mary had become friends and Elijah was like family. I had to admit; when it came to a crisis Kat was a good person to have around.
"So, you guys aren't really sleeping together, are you?"