CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

S age sat in a room surrounded by vampires. She felt marginally safer when she saw the familiar face across from her.

Oliver had greeted her with a hug—until Ari had physically removed him from her.

The prince had given her a wink.

Brayden may have been royalty, but Sage felt like she was the one with royal protection. Ari had washed every inch of her body, slowly with his tongue, in the shower and then provided her with some back-up clothing which hung off her like a giant tent. Then he’d shown her around part of the mansion and introduced her to a few of the vampires.

Vampires. Holy heck.

Now they were in the logistics room. It was nearly eleven o’clock, and she was wired.

“I wanted to get this done tonight so Sage can get to sleep,” Ari said. “We’re all living human hours right now and it’s taking its toll. I appreciate that.”

A few murmurs began around her, and Sage glanced at them. All the men in the room were huge, tattooed, and dangerous looking. Oliver winked at her.

“Oliver, if you want to keep breathing, I suggest you stop that,” Ari said, and Sage sucked in a breath as a few of the others sniggered.

“He’s joking,” Oliver said, though his smirk had disappeared.

“He’s fucking not.” The really large vampire with green eyes spoke.

Sage turned to Ari and squeezed his leg under the table. His powerful, beautiful face turned to hers and softened. “I think he’s just being friendly because I don’t know anyone,” she said quietly.

Ari took her face and kissed her. Throats cleared around them, and Ari grinned.

“Tomorrow Sage returns to BioZen and she’s going to take a vial of our blood to Callan. She’s been rostered on to do sample work, so this works to our advantage.”

“One vial isn’t going to do jack,” Oliver said, and Sage glanced at the prince. He didn’t react.

“Over time, it will.” Ari nodded. “Each day it will build up his strength. If we can get two vials in safely, we will do that.”

Sage noticed the green-eyed vampire staring at Ari in a strange way and she waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. He glanced at Brayden and then looked away.

Did he know about the blood? Ari had said only the royal family knew.

Wait.

If Brayden was his nephew, then that made Ari a royal member of the vampire race. She turned her head to him.

“What is it?” he asked quietly, but she knew everyone in the room could hear, because yesterday she’d learned about their powerful hearing. Sage shook her head and gave him a little smile.

Ari turned back to the room as he squeezed her hand.

“We need to prepare a van with daylight protection and get into the underground garage. We’ll go every day so we’re there for Callan whenever he recovers.”

“I can get us access into the garage,” one of the vampires said, tapping on his computer to bring up a layout of her building.

“Oh, wow. That’s BioZen,” Sage said, stating the obvious.

“Yup,” the vampire said, and began outlining where they had to go and when.

It was so strange seeing her workplace being looked at like a crime scene. Or a potential one. Sage realized just how important it was to play her part. All of them were relying on her.

“I can put it off until around three o’clock but any later and they’ll get suspicious,” she said.

Ari nodded.

They had drafted a note for her to give to Callan when he woke. Apparently, he would come awake fast when he did, and all she had to do was give him the note and then open the doors so he could get out of the facility.

Easy.

Yeah, right.

“How can I do that without being compromised?” she asked. “There’s security everywhere.”

“We need to make it look like you’re being forced,” Oliver said. “You’ll have a few moments to tell him what the plan is. We can practice it until you feel comfortable.”

Sage frowned.

“He’ll be groggy, and who knows what state he’ll be in,” she replied.

“That’s the unknown.” Brayden nodded in agreement. “He should be fairly clear minded, quickly, and I suspect he will be eager to get out. What we need to ensure is that he protects you while he does so.”

“I don’t like this.” Oliver shook his head. “It’s too risky. Sage isn’t trained for this.”

“I agree,” Jason said.

“You think I don’t fucking know this?” Ari snapped and everyone blanched. “None of us can get in there. No one. Only Sage.”

Sage watched as these huge men all shook their heads. Why they cared about her when they didn’t know her, she really didn’t understand.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, squeezing her hands together as they shook under the table. She gave them all a brave smile and then turned to Ari, who was running a hand over his face. “Truly, it’ll be fine.”

The silence around her did not fill her with confidence. But she was doing this. She had to. Something greater was driving her and Sage couldn’t find the words to explain it.

Callan had to be freed.

What she didn’t know was if there were more vampires kept in other BioZen departments. Tomorrow, while she waited to get into the room where he was kept, she would do as much research as she could.

“I need to get home.” Sage glanced down at her outfit. “I need some sleep and fresh clothes.”

Ari stood and pulled out her chair, helping her stand. “Come. We’ll let my team continue with the plans while we organize what you need.”

She gave everyone a wave as they left.

“Bye, Sage,” a few of them called out.

“Nice to meet you all.” She then smiled at Brayden. “And um, Your Highness.”

Brayden winked at her.

“Wish they’d all stop fucking doing that,” Ari said as he pushed open the door.

Sage smiled. Being cared for by Ari felt really nice.

ARI STOOD IN THE MIDDLE of his room, holding Sage’s hips.

“So, you’re ready? He stared down into her wide eyes.

“It won’t hurt?” she asked.

“No.” His little scientist had asked a lot more questions than the average person. Not that he’d teleported with many humans over his life. Usually, unless they were one’s mate or you were in a pickle, you just didn’t expose this much of a vampire’s life to a human being. “Like I said, you might feel some nausea, but that’s all.”

“Let’s go,” Sage said, and he smiled at her.

“Close your eyes.”

“No way. I want to watch.”

Ari laughed and teleported them into her bedroom.

“Holy. Fucking. Moley,” Sage cried, then wobbled in his arms. Then retched. Ari vamp-sped into her bathroom where she leaned over and dry-retched some more.

Sage pulled on some toilet paper and wiped her mouth.

“So worth it. Oh, my God, that is awesome!” she said, standing. “Imagine the impact on climate change something like this could have.”

Ari leaned against the door and crossed his arms. Sure, he was aware of the reduction in carbon emissions if people no longer needed cars to get around, but it wasn’t that simple. Seven billion people suddenly appearing anywhere they wanted, plus the lack of control by governments over borders...

“And security,” he said cynically.

“Well yeah, but still.” Sage waved her hand around in circles.

Ari watched as she rinsed out her mouth and began to pack her things. He’d convinced her to stay at his place a few days, so he knew she was safe. He could stay with her here, but it was easier to be close to his team.

“Sage,” a voice called out.

“Shit.” Sage froze on the spot. “Oh, hi!”

“We didn’t think you were home.” Tony, her roommate, popped his head around the corner of the door.

“Yes. We were taking a nap,” Sage said, then pointed to Ari. “This is Ari. I think you met the other night.”

“Hey man.” Tony reached out his hand.

“Hello,” Ari said, then held the man’s eyes. “ You never saw us; you can’t hear us, and you should go back to what you were doing.”

Tony turned around and walked back into the living room.

“What did you do?” Sage asked, her lips parted.

“Adjusted his memories, so we don’t have to deal with them,” Ari said. “He’ll be fine. He won’t remember anything.”

And in three, two, one...

“Have you ever done that to me?” Sage asked.

Every single human. Every single time.

“Yes.” He answered honestly. “A couple of times. Once when you asked me to bite you while we were having sex. It was a vampire fetish thing from your sexy books. I lost control; my fangs came out.”

Sage’s eyes flew open.

“I didn’t bite you.” He held up his hand. “But it was close. It was then I realized who you worked for.”

Sage clutched her toilet bag to her chest.

“That’s why you didn’t message me on Sunday.”

He nodded and watched her eyes drift away. Ari took her in his arms and tilted her chin. “I was confused, Sage. I knew you were important to me, but learning you worked for the people taking vampires and torturing them freaked me out.”

“But you came back, anyway.”

He smiled and nodded. “Yes. Always.”

Ari had checked his eyes a few minutes ago. He was checking every hour.

Wishing.

Hoping.

Nearly praying.

Even if they never changed, he wasn’t leaving Sage. She was his. His feelings for her were off the charts. Who was to say he would get the ring around his iris? Perhaps that was Gio’s trait which he’d passed down the bloodline. Perhaps it would be different for him.

Selfishly, he had decided Sage was his, and he was keeping her, no fucking matter what.

Sage ran her fingers across his lips, and he snapped them into his mouth. She made him playful—something he hadn’t been for a very long time. A smile spread across her face, and he released her fingers.

“I didn’t like being here without you last night,” Sage said, her smile disappearing. “When you left—”

Ari kissed her gently. “I hated leaving you. I needed to know how you felt about live experimentation. It was the worst few hours of my life, Sage. And I’ve lived a really fucking long time.”

“Are you really fifteen hundred and twenty-two years old?”

He nodded.

“Holy hell. This is a lot.” Sage shook her head. “Like, you should be a shriveled mess, you know that, right?”

Ari threw back his head and laughed.

“You can take a closer look when we get home.” He wrapped her in his arms more tightly. “You need your rest. Once Callan is free, we can talk more about our future.”

Sage blinked up at him. “I like you a lot, Ari. Lots and lots and lots.”

“The feeling is mutual, mia stellina .”

He more than liked her.

He would kill for her.

One day soon, she would understand that.

ARI RETURNED TO HIS room a few hours before the sun came up and lay with Sage, dozing and enjoying the feel of her body on his while she slept deeply. There wasn’t a thing in this world that could now convince him she wasn’t his mate.

He knew.

And he didn’t give a fuck about the mate ring on his eyes.

Sage was his mate.

End of fucking story.

Sage was a priority. Over everything. Hour by hour, the feeling grew stronger, and Ari suspected it was the bonding taking place.

Was he happy to let her go back to BioZen today? No. No, he fucking wasn’t.

Did they have a choice?

Not so far.

He’d spent hours, while she slept, strategizing with Brayden, Craig, Oliver, Jason, and Alex. None of them had been able to sleep, despite knowing they needed to rest. Unfortunately, none of them could see a different way of getting Callan out, so the plan remained.

The sun was now rising, and Sage began to wriggle.

“ Buongiorno ,” Ari said, smiling as he realized he’d waited a hundred lifetimes to say good morning to the woman he loved.

Love.

Yeah, he was in love with Sage.

The fact he wanted to handcuff her to his bed and wrap her in bubble wrap, both for protection and sexy times, gave it away.

“ Arrivederci .” Sage grinned weakly. Ari didn’t correct her misuse of the Italian term for goodbye because she was so damn gorgeous for making the effort.

“Your bed is so comfortable. And huge,” she said, stretching.

“Alright principessa , we can spend all the time we want in my big bed once we finish this mission.” He kissed her lips as he pulled her against him. “Right now, you need to get up before my ability to let you out wanes.”

She pressed against him and ran her fingers through his hair. “I’m okay with that.”

Ari moaned.

Their kisses heated and Sage ended up being the one to break away first. Thirty minutes later, they stood in the doorway of his quarters, and he handed her the vial of his blood.

Moretti blood.

Never in the history of their race had any of them given away the power of their blood—or the knowledge of it—to another. Yet here he was, giving some of it to Sage.

“Guard this with your life. Put it wherever you need to ensure it is safe and cannot be found,” he said. “If... fuck... if someone finds it on you, I want you to drink it.”

“What? No. Gross,” Sage said. “I can’t drink blood. It might be normal for you, but I can’t. I’d throw up.”

Ari gripped her face.

“Sage, you won’t. Trust me. It’s not like human blood. I need you to trust me. If you’re caught with it, you must drink it. Or swallow the entire vial. No one can get their hands on this. Especially not fucking scientists.”

She nodded. “Okay, okay. I understand.”

Her face paled, but it was important. Ari doubted they could replicate the red liquid in the small vial, but he couldn’t risk it.

“Sorry, but you’ll have to walk down to the gates again.” He walked her to the front door. “An Uber will be waiting for you.”

“Its good exercise,” Sage replied, leaning into him and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Be safe today. If you think you could get caught, then wait. We can try again another day,” Ari replied.

“I’ll message you afterwards,” Sage said.

“No, I want you to get the fuck out of the building. Jump in a cab and get straight back here,” Ari said firmly. “No waiting. Nothing.”

“Got it. Man, it’s not like we can skip the country and go lie on a beach in the Caribbean for six months like fugitives afterwards, either.”

Ari snorted.

“Not unless you want to cremate me before our relationship has begun.” He ran his hand over her sexy ass.

“Is this a relationship?” Sage asked. “Is that even a thing between a human and a vampire?”

Shit.

That was a huge conversation and one he knew she wasn’t ready to hear.

“You are mine, Sage Roberts. I’m not letting you go.” He didn’t expand on the details. “Now go, and come back to me so we can do more of those relationship things.”

She sighed.

“I know there is more to that, Ari Moretti, but I will let it go.” She frowned at him, then kissed him on the lips. “Tonight you are doing some more talking.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded and winked at her. Hopefully, by tonight, there would be no more need for words.

He led Sage out onto the steps, as far as he could go, and watched her walk down the drive. Eventually, the daylight began to affect him, and he stepped back inside.

Letting her walk away into danger like this went against every instinct in his body.

Sage was his future. His love. His mate.

If anyone laid a hand on her, so help him, he would rip every limb from their body.