Chapter 46

Chapter

Forty-Six

Ana

T he sun has already turned the eastern sky pink as we turn onto the street where we're staying. We're going to make it back to the house before dawn. Barely. I'd suggest running, but as I lean into Phil, I sense his fatigue, his lingering pain. And Crusher went through a hell of a lot too.

Blade and Flame are waiting on the steps of the Paris townhouse, and both rush toward us.

"I knew you could do it!" Flame grins as he walks backward in front of Phil and me.

"Is the demon really gone?" Blade falls in next to Phil on the sidewalk, eyeing him with more than a little skepticism.

"Nice to see you too." Phil shakes his head.

"How can you be sure?" Blade asks.

"It's fucking gone," Phil says gruffly. "You think I wouldn't know?"

Phil stumbles, his weight becoming heavy against me, and Crusher grabs him, from behind us.

"Let me help," he says. "So we can get inside before sunrise."

Phil nods, and I step to the side as Crusher drapes Phil's arm around him. Then he rushes toward the townhouse steps, supporting Phil so fully his feet barely touch the ground.

Blade and Flame drag me into a group hug, stealing my ability to watch Phil and Crusher climb the front steps.

"Guys," Ember says from outside the hug. "Sunrise?"

Flame lifts me into his arms, and we run the final few hundred yards to the townhouse.

Once we're safely in the foyer, Flame kisses me, lighting a massive fire, and then Blade pulls my face away from Flame's toward his. My heart fills with joy. But it's Phil who needs my attention right now.

I break away from the kiss.

Phil is slumped against the large round table in the center of the entry room, looking depleted, exhausted, and I'm not used to seeing his powerful form like this.

Flame sets me down, and I slide my arm around Phil. He rewards me with a smile but stays leaning heavily against the foyer table.

"Can I help?" Tipping my head to the side, I offer my throat.

Crusher, Flame and Blade step up beside us, and then Ryker, Zuben and Axe leap down the stairs to greet Ember, pulling her into their collective arms.

"Hey guys," she smiles at her mates. "How about we do a little daytime exploring in Paris, and leave these five alone for a bit?"

"Paris in daylight." Ryker kisses the top of her head. "A new one for me, little dove, but I'm always up for adventure."

"Paris has wonderful museums and libraries," Zuben says, and Axe grunts.

"We can settle our plans," Ember says. "Once we're out of Ana's hair."

"You don't need to leave," I tell her. "The house is huge."

Ember smiles softly, and she pats Ryker's hand, now low on her belly as he holds her against him. "Actually, I'm super excited about exploring the city."

"Then, I am too," Axe says, his voice low and gravelly.

"Let's go." Ryker steps toward the entrance, and the four of them slip out, taking care not to let in the sun's morning rays.

Standing in front of Phil and me, Blade folds his arms over his chest, shaking his head.

"What is it?" I ask Blade. "Don't you believe the demon's gone? Because, if you had any idea what we've been through…"

Blade holds up his hands in surrender. "No, I believe Phil. But there are things I don't understand. I need more details about what happened on the other side of the portal."

"Lighten up." Flame claps Blade on the back. "Details don't matter right now. Phil is alive. So are Ana and Crusher. They all made it back. Why can't you just be happy?"

"I am happy." Blade swallows, hard. "Very happy. But I need to understand." He turns toward Crusher. "Back in Philadelphia, you're sure that Phil was staked through the heart, correct?"

Crusher nods. He's been standing near the door, ever since Ember and her men left.

Blade looks at Phil. "Listen. I'm thrilled you're alive, and that you're no longer hearing the demon. But…" He rubs his head. "I was keeping this thought to myself, but I was terrified that if you ever got the demon out, you'd die from that wound to your heart."

"I fucking didn't die. Did I?" Phil's annoyed. And weary.

"Phil." I tuck myself under one of his arms and lean into him. "You need to feed. Can you make it upstairs?" My body tingles, thinking about feeding Phil—feeding him properly—not to mention what will come after.

"He needs human blood too," Crusher says from the doorway. "We should have asked Ember to arrange that before they left. Kind of hard for us to find a suitable human in the daylight."

"I'm okay." Phil pushes himself off the table to stand straight, his heavy arm falling around me. "I do need more blood." His fingers grip my waist. "But first I need sleep. When I feed, I want to be ready to enjoy it." He looks deep into my eyes, and warmth spreads inside me.

"Let's get you upstairs." Crusher walks toward us.

He and Flame support Phil as they climb the stairs to the bedroom. At the top of the stairs, Phil turns toward me, and the longing and love in his eyes fills me with a massive amount of hope for the future. Not just the near future of feeding and fucking him later today, but the rest of our lives.

I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but the idea of it plays out like a fairy tale in my mind.

Flame and Crusher lead Phil into a bedroom, while Blade and I wait in the foyer.

"I think I've figured it out," Blade says.

Blade was the first of these men I fell for, but his need to understand every little thing is getting on my last nerve today. " What do you understand?"

"Why Phil survived."

"Spill it, then." Crusher jumps down from the balcony, quickly followed by Flame, and the three of us face Blade, waiting.

"Granted." Blade shakes his head. "This is all just a theory?—"

"Get on with it," Crusher says gruffly.

Blade frowns at him. "I will, if you give me a chance to speak."

Crusher folds his arms over his chest.

"First, it's reasonable to assume that Rasputin only lived so long, only survived multiple assassination attempts, because of the demon."

"Tell us something we don't know," Crusher says.

"Let him finish," I say, now curious myself. Blade's expression tells me that he's still working this out, but he's not one to throw around half-baked theories. He wouldn't be sharing anything, if he wasn't mostly sure.

Blade glances to the side, as if thinking, and then turns back toward us. "We know that Rasputin made bargains with the demon. Deals in exchange for his life." He looks into my eyes. "And at least one of those trades involved promising you as his mate."

A shiver runs through me, followed by gratitude that Rasputin is dead, that the demon is gone, and it's all in the past.

Blade turns toward Crusher. "Did Phil make a deal with the demon?"

"No fucking way," Crusher answers.

"Are you sure?" Blade asks.

"Have you met Phil?" Flame's voice drips with sarcasm. "No chance would Phil make a deal with that demon. Not even in exchange for his life."

"I agree." Blade nods, his eyes widening with obvious delight, as if he's just placed the last piece in a puzzle. "The demon kept Rasputin alive because of their bargain, but Phil never made any bargain. To use Phil's body, the demon had to truly repair Phil's heart."

He pauses, clearly thinking through his theory again. "Rasputin's life was dependent on the demonic possession." A wide grin spreads on Blade's face, full of pride and satisfaction. "Phil's wasn't."

"So, you think he'll fully recover?" I ask.

"Have you met Phil?" Blade winks at Flame, who punches him in the shoulder.

"Well, that's fucking good news," Crusher says, and happiness floats like a million butterflies in the room around us. Phil seems fine, but it's amazing to hear a solid theory supporting why.

"So darlin'," Flame pulls me against him. "Got any ideas on how we should pass the time while Phil sleeps?" His erection slides against me.

"Is sex the only thing on your mind?" Crusher shakes his head.

Flame looks offended for a split second, then rakes back his blond hair. "Around Ana, I am always up for fucking." He winks at me. "But believe it or not, that wasn't what I meant."

"What did you mean?" I look up into his eyes.

"Now all this is done, what are your plans?" He cups my face. "I need to know where you're headed, because I don't plan to let you out of my sight. Not ever again."

My heart flutters, and my desire ratchets up. But Flame's question lets uncertainty sneak back in. Because now that my actual future lies ahead, now that this ordeal has passed, I have absolutely no idea what comes next.

"Do we need to talk about that right now?" I slide my hands over Flame's and Blade's chests. "I can think of far better ways to spend the next few hours."

Crusher clears his throat, and I feel bad that my not-so-subtle invitation to have sex didn't include him. I open my mouth to let him know he's invited too, but he holds up his hand to silence me.

"Ana," he says. "Before you go off with Flame and Blade, can we talk?"

"Of course." This is perfect. I couldn't possibly make love to Crusher, with so much unsaid between us, and neither could I leave him out and go off with Blade and Flame.

I need to apologize for how I've treated him. I need to tell him that I love him. And I need to find out if he still loves me too.