“She saw something,” I murmured as Slate cursed.
“And didn't see a need to share it with the rest of us.”
“She's Inlonka.” I shrugged. “She shared it with her people and ran. That's what they do. The question is; what was so horrible that she felt it warranted a full-scale evacuation?”
Slate glanced at me, silver eyes darkening as if taking on a patina. “Jago!”
“Boss!”
“Shut the gates. No one in and no one out.”
Silence.
I gaped at Slate.
“Jago!” Slate shouted. “Do it now! And raise the wards; no one slips through!”
“Yes, Sir!”
Sir, not Boss. Jago didn't approve.
“Slate, you can't trap people here. Especially not if there's something bad coming,” I said gently. “Why would you want to?”
“Because I don't want to lose my zone, Elaria!” Slate growled at me. “If it gets out that the Inlonka have fled, more Beneathers will leave. Once a zone is abandoned, it's dead. There will be no reviving it. And we just got back on our feet.”
“These people helped you with that.” I waved a hand out the window. “All of the zone residents helped you rebuild. They trust you but that trust will disappear if you hold them hostage.”
“My decision is final.” He stared straight ahead.
“And what do you think they'll do when you finally open the gates? Don't you think they'll leave as soon as they're able?”
“No, because I'm going to tell them this is a matter of law,” Slate said grimly. “There have been two attacks on the Felinae, and I cannot allow the perpetrators to escape justice. The residents will understand and support me.”
“Slate, this isn't the way to keep your zone.” I stared at him in horror.
“That's rich, coming from you,” he snarled.
“Excuse me?” I gaped at him.
“You murdered the entire Demos family to protect what belongs to you.” He glanced at me and a shiver went down my spine. “Don't lecture me on how to protect what's mine.”
I went still.
Slate's shoulders drooped and he hung his head briefly. “Forgive me; I'm scared, sweetheart. I didn't mean to say that.”
“It's okay.” I laid a hand on his thigh; his muscles were strung tight enough to snap. “We'll figure this out.”
He nodded but didn't look at me.
“Slate, it will be okay; I promise you.”
“I can't lose my zone, El,” Slate said brokenly. “It's all I have. It took me centuries to get it to where it is.”
“It's not all you have,” I said firmly. “And you won't lose it. Maybe you're right about the lockdown. If a person is doing this—a living person—then we can't let them leave or we'll never know what happened here.”
Slate let out a long breath and squared his shoulders. “I won't let anyone hurt what's mine. I'm going to find whoever is behind this and kill them. Slowly.”
He parked before the palace, got out, and stood there, staring back at the zone. I climbed out and went to stand beside him.
“Come on, baby.” I took Slate's hand and pulled him toward the palace. “I think we could both use a pick-me-up.”
Slate frowned at me in confusion as I led him inside then locked the doors behind us. I didn't want any interruptions. As I climbed the stairs ahead of him, he began to lose his scowl and even drew abreast of me. Then, just before we reached the landing, he scooped me up and carried me the rest of the way.
“I see that you've figured out my plans,” I teased.
“If you had shaken your ass any harder while you were climbing those stairs, it would have slapped me in the face,” he shot back.
“Which you would have loved.”
A grin was his answer.
Slate set me down beside the bed, and I kicked off my heels as he rapidly undressed. He was naked before I got to my panties. I reached for them but my Gargoyle snarled and spun me around to face the bed. I inhaled sharply as he shoved me forward; my forearms landing hard on the mattress and my ass going up. I felt Slate yank my panties away then his legs wedged between mine and his hands drew me apart more intimately. I cried out as he shoved into me without preamble. Luckily, I was ready for him and the movement was eased by my desire.
Slate groaned. “Eager, sweetheart?”
I pushed back onto him instead of answering.
“So fucking wet...” He groaned again. “You were right; I needed this.”
Slate's hands went to my breasts and squeezed roughly as his hips pounded violently against my ass.
“So fucking hot.” His hands moved from my breasts to my hair. He wrapped the mass of it around one fist and used it to yank my head up. His free hand reached around and started rubbing me. “I love watching your ass move, but I want to see your face, sweetheart.”
Slate pulled out, leaving me bereft, and climbed onto the mattress beside me. He leaned back against the spray of crystals and held a hand out to me. I crawled over to him and straddled his lap, sinking onto his shaft to start a slow grind. Slate made a low rumble in his throat as he watched me. His hands stroked the sides of my face then slid down to my breasts reverently. Slate rubbed circles over my nipples with his thumbs before he drew me forward and sucked one into his mouth. I cried out, my head arching back, and undulated wildly against him.
“That's it,” he murmured against my skin. “Take your pleasure, Spellsinger. Sing for me.”
Slate went back to sucking me—hard—and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and clutched
