hope he’s not the kind to stray.”
“Yes, Mom.” She picked up the bowl of peanuts, aware of a strong desire to burst out laughing. How had her redemption turned out to be all about Vadim? “Let’s hope.”
She walked through into the family room and found Vadim in conversation with Scott and Julie. He looked up and she grinned at him. Within a second he was by her side.
“What’s so funny?”
“This.”
“Your family?”
“My mom just told me you would probably stray. Should I arrange to have you neutered?”
His smile was breathtaking. “You know you’d regret that.”
“Will you stray?”
He held her gaze. “Never.”
She swallowed hard as the echo of his spoken word reverberated through her mind. “That’s kind of scary and reassuring at the same time.”
“Will you?”
“Will I what?”
“Stray.”
“Hell, no.”
He bent his head and kissed her hard on the mouth. “Then what do we have to worry about?”
“Apart from crazy Otherworld sects, our dangerous jobs and your family? Nothing much.” She shook her head. “In fact, when you think about it, my family is easy.”
“Exactly, so let’s just relax and enjoy the rest of the day.”
Much later, she closed the door of the guest bedroom and stared at Vadim. It came complete with pink roses on the wallpaper and Austrian swag drapes. For the first time in years she’d actually enjoyed an evening with her family, and it was all due to Vadim. His attitude toward her and his excellent manners had almost made them behave like a regular family celebrating a normal family occasion.
“They still drive me nuts.”
He appeared to follow her thoughts even as he stripped off his T-shirt, displaying his flat stomach and perfect abs. “Of course they do. They’re your family.”
“Is it true that both your siblings are dead?”
“Yes.”
“That must’ve been horrible for you.”
“Yes.”
She raised her eyebrows. “That’s all you’re going to say?”
“What would you like me to say?”
“Do you miss them?”
“Our relationship was...difficult. They were allied with my father. My sister worshipped my brother and hated me.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Because I was the eldest?”
“That’s stupid.”
“Families often are. Your mother doesn’t appreciate you at all.”
“Because I disrupted her life.”
“But that was hardly your fault, was it?”
He held her gaze and she hurriedly looked down at the buttons on her dress. “I can’t believe how she fawns over you, though.”
“I am rather spectacular.” His smile was wicked as he unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans to reveal his already erect cock.
“You sure are. Spectacularly arrogant.” Ella shrugged out of her jacket and dress. “Do you want to shower?”
“Let’s do that later. I have to fulfill your fantasy first.”
She paused. “Which one?”
“Having sex under your parents’ roof.”
“I was kidding.”
“No you weren’t.” His gaze fastened on her bra and the tight buds of her nipples. “Maybe I’ll make you scream when you come, so they’ll hear you.”
“And make my dad all awkward over his breakfast cereal?”
He advanced toward her. “Then you’ll have to keep quiet, won’t you? And I know how difficult that is for you.”
He moved even closer until he was right in front of her. One gentle push on her chest and she was flat on her back, with him covering her. She couldn’t help grinning up at him as he lowered his head. Who would ever have imagined sex could be so much fun?
“Now, lie back and enjoy, Ms. Walsh, and for God’s sake, keep it down.”
Ella sat up in bed and scrabbled to find her weapon. It wasn’t under her pink fluffy pillow. As it was still dark, she assumed something had woken her up, but what was it? Where the hell had she left her gun last night? Even as she thought about nudging Vadim, she froze, her attention on the end of the bed, where her naked mate was confronting something that gave off the strongest Otherworld vibe she’d ever encountered.
“Morosov?”
He didn’t reply, and she crawled to the end of the bed. His attention was fixed on the shimmering image of the man she knew as Adam. Up close, the resemblance to Vadim was so startling, it was like seeing double.
“
She tried using her mind instead of her voice, but her thought bounced back from the strength of his shields.
“Tell her.”
Adam’s voice shuddered through her, breaking the silence and her fear. Her purse was on the floor and she lunged for it, bringing it up onto the bed, where she could finally retrieve her weapon. She fumbled to open the clasp.
“Hold on, Morosov. I’ve got it.”
“
She found her weapon and pointed it at Adam. Vadim slowly turned to face her. His smile was cold, his expression pitiless.
“I’m leaving, Ms. Walsh.”
“What?”
“I’m going back to Otherworld with Adam. He has convinced me that the only way we can meet and battle as equals is in my homeland.”
“But you don’t need to battle him anywhere.”
“I do. I can’t stand to be defeated.”
“That’s just stupid! If you go back, they’ll kill you!”
He shrugged. “It’s my destiny. I cannot escape it.”
“Fine, but I’m going with you.”
A muscle twitched in his cheek. “I don’t need you, Soul Sucker.”
“We’re partners.”
“You’re human. In Otherworld you’re also a liability. You’d slow me down and make me more
