CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

L ance stood in the operations room, fury rolling off him.

“That fucker!” Brayden said, punching his fist into the wall.

Wasn’t the first hole in the wall of this room. Vampires were constantly in here doing repairs, fist and boots regularly redecorating. They should really consider replacing the plaster walls with some kind of spongy substance to save money, but it wouldn’t be quite as rewarding; besides, the Morettis were trillionaires or something close to it, so who cared.

Mirroring each other’s pose, the four SLCs, the prince, and the commander all stood with arms crossed and clenched jaws, watching the video footage of Stefano breaking his brothers out of the prison cell and teleporting away.

“How the hell did he get through all our security?” Craig growled. “Even with his bullshit new face.”

“Pretty much that, but he had to have help. Someone has to be helping him. Has to be,” Kurt repeated.

Then they heard Russo’s departing message about Sofia, and all eyes slowly moved to him. Lance felt a growl rise from deep in his throat and his body began to swell. It was his turn to punch a hole.

“Like fucking fuck she’s his!” Lance yelled and shook his hand from the white plaster.

He hadn’t yet come to grips with Sofia being his mate. Nothing was confirmed; not until he got the all-telling ring around the pupil which all mated vampire males got. Sofia would also get them once he did.

But she wasn’t fucking Stefano Russo’s.

“She’s not leaving here!” he demanded. “Not. Fucking. Leaving. Here.”

Brayden ran a hand over his face and let out a loud growl. It wasn’t directed at him; he knew that. Both the Moretti royals were powerful vampires in every way possible, but they weren’t assholes. He could see the prince was struggling with putting a female in a dangerous position.

“She still goes,” Craig ordered, determination lining his face. “The one thing Russo has over us every single time is action. No fucking around. He jumps in and acts. We’ve been playing by the rules too long.”

Brayden stared at Craig for a long moment and then nodded. “You’re right. No more pussyfooting around.”

“He’s not fucking right!” Lance yelled. “You want action? Bomb the fucker!” He pointed at the screen with Stefano’s mug frozen. “We’re not sending him a female he’s raped. That’s just fucking cruel. You heard the lunatic.”

Craig and Brayden shared a glance.

He knew what they were thinking. It was yet to be determined if she was telling the truth. They had all placed a lot of trust in her at this point, and now it was up to her to prove her allegiance.

While they all had a lot riding on her getting information as their spy, the greater risk was hers. If she had been raped by Russo—and in his heart, Lance believed she had—they were sending her back into the lion’s den.

Still, there was a small possibility she was playing them, and as one of the king’s senior members, it was Lance’s job to stay mindful of this.

“Stop thinking with your dick,” Craig said. “I trained you better than that.”

Ouch.

Lance threw his head back and screamed. “Fuck!”

He hated that Craig was right. Sofia was being tested. He hoped with all that he was Sofia was being honest with them all. But if his head were on the chopping board, would he not tell a handful of lies to save his life? You bet your ass he would.

“This is so fucked up,” someone said.

“Nothing about this is sunshine and rainbows. Let’s stay focused,” Brayden indicated.

Craig crossed his arms and stared at them all sternly. “Every single one of you in this room is a Moretti elite. The best we have. There are lives at stake here. Many lives.” He pointed at Lance. “I need you to keep a clear head and your dick in your pants. Or do I need to reassign you?”

“No,” Lance ground out.

“Good.” Craig glared at him. “I know exactly how difficult this is for you, De Luca, but until we know we can trust her, you need to do your job first.”

Lance ran his hand through his hair. “I need to tell her.”

Craig raised an eyebrow at him. “No. You need to tell her she leaves tomorrow,” he ordered, before looking at the others. “Set the wheels in motion. Get your teams ready. Go!”

LANCE HEADED DOWN THE hallway toward Sofia’s room. She still had a guard on her door, but inside, things looked a little different. Willow and Bri had brought her civilian clothing, toiletries, and a whole raft of other feminine things he hadn’t taken too much notice of.

He knocked then waited a minute before just entering. While it felt like an invasion of her privacy, he still had to act as if she was a prisoner.

Sofia stood up from the bed as he stepped into the room and closed the door.

When he saw her, he froze. She was wearing a pair of jeans that showed all her gorgeous curves. On top, she wore a simple white T-shirt with some kind of brand logo. It wasn’t snug, but it was fitted enough to accentuate her gorgeous breasts and tanned skin. Her hair was up in a ponytail, and for the first time since he’d met her, she looked young and fresh.

Relaxed.

God, he wished he could lift her into his arms and kiss her. Forget who they were, where they were, and take her on a date. Something. Anything except what he was about to do.

He wanted to trust her so fucking much.

“ Ciao , Lance,” she greeted him, smiling.

He gave her a small smile, took her hand, and led her toward the sofa.

“You’re freaking me out. What is it?”

Lance stretched his arm behind her, along the back of the furniture, and turned to face her. “Sofia.” He closed his eyes. “Russo broke his brothers out.”

Her hand flew to her mouth. “He...he was looking for me, wasn’t he?” Lance nodded. She began to shake. “I knew it. I told you he would. He’s crazy.”

He reached for her uncertainly, but she fell into his arms.

Thank fuck.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her while she trembled. God, he hated this for her. It was easy to forget he couldn’t yet trust her when they were together like this. He hated she had to step back into her old life and face the male who had abused her and that he was unable to stop it from happening.

While he saw a strength inside her which spoke of her strong desire to be independent after a life of pleasing her family, he wondered how much resilience she would have in the days and weeks ahead.

Assuming this wasn’t just a ploy.

Lance hated the doubt which nagged in the back of his mind, but knew it was his training. He was a warrior, and you always had to keep your eyes open for the enemy to stay alive.

He would do all he could, as would all the vampires he served with, to protect her. As a spy, when they couldn’t be together, she would be on her own, and it was then Lance knew his own limits would be tested.

“I won’t let him hurt you again. I promise.” An empty promise, they both knew, because there was only so much control either of them would have. “If you want to change your mind...”

Sofia leaned back and looked up at him. “Is that even an option?”

When she saw his expression, she dropped her head to his chest again.

“I’m sorry. Fuck, I shouldn’t have said that.” He mentally punched himself in the face as he rubbed Sofia’s back. “Craig has pushed the go button. We leave tomorrow.”

She pulled back, aghast. “Tomorrow? I thought we had three more days?”

Lance shook his head and pursed his lips. He released her as she stood up and began to pace. Right now, he’d give anything to change the situation, but he was powerless, and it wasn’t a feeling he was familiar with or happy about. What he could do was remind her of the protection set in place for her and try to comfort her.

“I’ll be with you, staying in your apartment, whenever I’m on shift. Outside, there will be at least a dozen of our best vampires who will have full visibility of the activity around your premises. Plus, there will be a mobile team ready if we need to move for any reason.”

Sofia watched him, chewing the side of her lip.

“So I just need to find out where these missing vampires are, what he’s working on and who with, then your team will move in?” Sofia asked.

Her question gave him pause. That she thought it would be that simple made him concerned. Did she think the male who had raped her and knew she had been imprisoned by the Morettis would casually meet her for lunch and tell her his plans?

If he did, it told them Sofia was a far more trusted insider than they all had been led to believe. And if she was, what did that mean when it came to trusting her?

A shiver ran through him.

Masking his reaction, Lance nodded and stepped toward her, taking her shoulders in his hands. “Yes.”

“Okay,” she said quietly, looking up at him. Lance’s hand cupped her cheek, and his thumb rubbed across her skin.

“I won’t let you out of my sight.”

For more than one reason.

“That’s what I’m hoping,” Sofia replied, stepping up against his body.

Lance closed his eyes. It was totally inappropriate for him to be doing this, but his cock hardened, and even with all the doubts and concerns he had running through his mind, he had an all-encompassing need to wrap his body around hers. To sink into her and protect her.

“Please.” He heard her whisper, and when he opened his eyes, hers were full of need.

“Sof—”

“Please, Lance.”

Sofia yanked his face down. Lance closed his eyes, and when they touched, he moved his lips over hers. Softly at first, and then when he felt her mouth open for him, plunging inside. Heat flared to life inside him as weeks of passion found an outlet. Lance yanked her up against his body, lifting her, his cock pressing into her.

Sofia groaned, and he felt her nails dig into his biceps. God, yes!

Lance carried her to the bed, both panting as their lips separated. When their eyes connected, he tried to clear his head, to think about what he was doing, but his body had taken over. His lips descended once more. With her legs wrapped around him, he lapped at her soft lips desperately. She moaned as his cock jammed into her core.

Damn clothing.

They pressed against each other eagerly. Lance reached his hand between them and felt her raging heat. Sofia reacted, arching into him greedily. Her moans had him unzipping her jeans and tugging them down. When he pulled them off, Lance threw them across the room and pushed her thighs apart.

His fingers found soft, silky panties. Wet panties.

Groan.

He found her eyes. They were glossy with need. “Are you sure?”

She nodded.

“God, yes,” Sofia responded, tugging at his shirt.

Lance reached behind him, pulling it off, and when her hands landed on his skin, he thought he might come right then and there.

SOFIA GAZED HUNGRILY at Lance’s golden skin. He was absolutely gorgeous, with layers of muscle. Her fingers ran over his hard biceps and wide shoulders, and down his large, powerful arms.

As their eyes stayed connected, he slid his fingers under her panties. Her mouth fell open and she arched.

“That’s it,” Lance said. “You tell me if you want me to stop, but my God, your pussy is beautiful.”

Despite his enormous size and strength, Sofia felt safe and protected. More, she felt desired and cherished. She knew he would protect her in every way. His eyes and his body touched her in such delicious ways.

Sofia quivered under his touch, the reminder of the last man who had touched her forcing its way to the front of her mind. Angrily, she nudged it back. She wanted to enjoy this, enjoy Lance.

“Talk to me,” he instructed as his fingers ran through her flesh.

“Keep going.” When he slowed, she grabbed his wrist. “Please. Keep going.”

That monster would not win, and she strongly sensed she could trust Lance. His concern and need to pleasure her was a complete contrast to what she’d experienced when she was raped. Sofia had been an actively sexual female throughout her life and would not stop enjoying it because of that one experience. Yes, every inch of her wanted to push Lance across the room and run away screaming, but she also wanted this. So very much.

Desire flared on Lance’s face as he licked his fingers after removing them. The emptiness left behind was like a black hole. Then he placed them back and slid them inside her.

“OhGoddd,” she cried, fighting the internal turmoil but needing this.

Everything about this male felt right. For sure, she’d wondered if he might be her mate, but the circumstances were confusing. First, she had been their prisoner, and now she was a spy for the king. Sofia knew only one thing; Lance was protecting her and until—if—she had her freedom, neither of them would see anything about their relationship clearly.

However, she trusted him and very much desired him.

For now, it was enough.

“Take off your top,” he instructed in what could only be described as a sex voice.

Sofia gripped her top and pulled it off, lying back, revealing her white lacy bra courtesy of Brianna, who’d said they had a whole lot of lingerie on hand right now.

“Jesus,” Lance groaned. “Play with your nipples for me.”

She obeyed as he dragged her panties further to the side and leaned down to lick her.

“Lance, God,” she cried, pinching her nipples.

“That’s it, oh, shit.” His finger slipped inside her again. “Fuck, these need to go.”

Her panties were ripped off and vanished—for eternity, she suspected. And then her mind went blank as his mouth and fingers worked in tandem like some kind of sexual magic.

“Mmmphh fuckkk.” Sofia arched into his face, crying out as his tongue went deeper, and clutched the bed covers as if her life depended on it.

Lance lapped and sucked and licked over and over, now with three fingers getting her in all the right places, until she screamed his name. Kissing the inside of her thighs, he made his way up her body and pulled her into his arms.

Sofia’s eyes flickered as she came out of the postorgasmic blur. His mouth landed on hers passively as she tasted herself. Wriggling against his hard cock, she was surprised when he gripped her hips.

“No, baby, we need to wait.”

He isn’t sure?

“Why? Lance, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he replied, kissing her. “I want to sink into you right now. We just need to take this one step at a time. You’ve been through a lot.”

Sofia realized he was right; penetration may be too much right now, but she couldn’t help feeling like there was more to it. Ignoring her instincts, she made to move down his body, and he stopped her again. “Lance, let me.”

“I don’t expect...” She stopped his words by kissing him and pushing at his arms.

Relenting with a grin that sent butterflies through her, Lance lay on his back, and she climbed between his legs. God, he was large. Thick, long, and gorgeous. Sofia lifted his cock and licked the tip, delighting in the way he groaned. She ran her tongue along the length and then took him in her mouth. His hand landed on her head and grabbed her hair. She worked him up and down, circling him in her mouth, cupping his balls as the grip tightened.

Finally, when she felt him swell—about the time he began cursing—he pressed in deeper. Down her throat he went as he ejaculated in long spurts.

She gasped as she pulled him out.

“Jesus. Fuck, Sofia.” He sat up, then flopped back down. “Are you alright?” he gasped out.

She licked her lips and moved back up his body. Lying on his chest, she stared down at his sated face. “Yes.”

An arm wrapped around her and held her firmly. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest, feeling safe and maybe even a bit loved.

But she knew their future together was far from secure.