bag for now? No one on this planet has access to the arcane but me, so you’ll be safe.”
“Okay.” That made sense. She definitely didn’t want anyone else to get their hands on it. She headed over to the armchair and tucked both things into the bottom of her bag. While she was there, she grabbed some clothes and dumped them on the end of the bed. As much fun as it would be, she suspected they wouldn’t be able to walk around naked all night.
“I really should’ve arranged for someone to bring a fruit platter up to your room. I just got so distracted by everything.” His eyes were on her breasts. “One look at your body can really stun a man and make him forget about everything else.”
“Are you trying to distract me?”
His eyes glowed, and he nodded. “I think I am.”
Alex crawled onto the bed and knelt in front of him. She grabbed both of his hands and pressed them against her breasts. He had big hands, but they weren’t big enough to cup her entirely.
“Do we have to leave the room, tonight?” She traced her lips with the tip of her tongue, watching his groin for a reaction. “Maybe you should get some fruit brought up here…”
A groan escaped between his gritted teeth as he made a move toward her.
The door opened, and someone rushed inside. Levi slammed the door behind him and pressed his back against it. His blonde hair was wet and stuck to his forehead. His eyes were wide when he glanced their way. When he noticed they were naked, he lowered his gaze.
“I am so very sorry to barge in like this.”
“Do you ever knock?” she asked, still naked and kneeling in front of Damon.
Levi’s cheeks colored, but he didn’t look up.
Damon stood. “You can go and get dressed if you like. I need to speak to Levi.”
“I’ll get dressed, but I’m not going anywhere. Something’s obviously spooked him.” Alex couldn’t care less if she didn’t have a stitch of clothing on, and there was another man in the room. Moreover, Levi was more embarrassed than trying to catch a glimpse of what she had to offer. “Besides, he’s already seen me naked.”
Alex backed off the bed and grabbed the skin-tight pants she’d dumped on the end. As she stepped into them, she couldn’t keep her eyes off Levi.
“What’s going on?” Damon asked him.
She slipped her bra on next and covered it with a black tank top stopping just above the low- ride waistband of her pants.
“Another person has been killed,” Levi said.
“Okay, but that doesn’t explain why you’re so worked up.”
“Elroy found the person and claims the victim wasn’t mauled this time but shot.” His chest rose and fell a little too fast. Was he hyperventilating?
Damon shook his head. “We don’t have access to guns. Aleena makes sure of it. Not even security has access to weapons.”
“Why’s that?” Alex asked.
“Because we don’t actually have any,” Damon answered without turning to face her.
She stared at his broad shoulders and watched the muscles twitch as he tensed.
Levi pointed a finger at Alex. “She does.”
“Yeah, but it’s always with me.” As she crawled back onto the bed to reach for the bedside table where she’d place her holster and blaster, she found only the holster. She grabbed it. “What the hell? I left it here. Where did it go?”
How many times had her father told her to
Her heart sped up. She’d never lost her blaster before.
“He says he has the weapon,” Levi added.
“That’s not possible. I always make sure it’s with me. No one’s been in this room but us.” Ulric had, but he’d been totally naked, so he hadn’t taken it. She headed for the armchair and quickly rummaged through her bag. Nope, it wasn’t in there.
Alex dumped the bag and made her way to stand beside Damon. He was watching Levi with narrowed eyes.
She stared at the empty holster in her hand for a long moment, before strapping it around her thigh.
“What are you leaving out?” he asked.
The teenager swallowed but met Damon’s eye. “When you left me to watch over Alex, someone else
“Who was it?” Damon’s voice sounded deeper.
For a moment, Alex swallowed the lump in her throat. She held her breath, wondering if Levi knew about Ulric’s bizarre visit.
“Milo hung out with me, but we were outside the whole time.”
“I don’t understand what the problem is, then.”
Sweat ran down Levi’s face. “Well, he and I are…we’re sort of in a…um…in a… relationship.”
“I don’t understand what any of this has to do with Alex-”
“I swear. I didn’t leave the building. I only ducked around the corner with him. We just wanted a little privacy and found it down the corridor.”
“Did you see anyone get in or out?”
Levi shook his head.
Alex couldn’t stop a shiver from running through her. If Levi had been with his lover around the corner to get some privacy, there was no way he would have heard someone sneaking into her room. For all they knew, two people could have sneaked in while she slept and was dreaming about her father’s last visit.
“Afterward, Milo told me that Elroy knew about us. He sent Milo to distract me, so he could sneak into the room. If Milo didn’t agree to do it, Elroy told him I’d be the next person to die-”
“So what you’re telling me is that Elroy sneaked into this room and took Alex’s weapon to kill someone, and then planned to frame her?” Damon looked furious.
Levi nodded, and he looked so much younger. It didn’t stop Damon from closing the distance between them and slapping him in the face.
“You lied to me! I thought I could trust you.”
“You can.” Tears streamed down Levi’s face, and his cheek had turned red.
“Where’s Elroy, now?”
“I don’t know.”
A knock sounded on the door, and Levi jumped, as if it suddenly burned his skin.
Damon held a finger over his lips.
“Damon, I know you’re in there, so you might as well open the door before I tear it down.”
He headed for the door, but Alex called his name. When he turned to look at her, she tossed him his pants. It took him seconds to slip them on, and tie up the cord. Damon opened the door, slowly.
The security guy stood in the doorway. “Well, it’s about time you opened up. You know I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
“What do you want, Elroy?”
“I want you to stop protecting a criminal.”
“I don’t know of any criminal.”
