Quench by J. Hali Steele Page A

her hair. “I’m so sorry.”
    The anguish in his voice cut through Viv like a knife.
Everything in the room stopped. No noise, no voices, just his heavy breathing.
Turning her head to look for the others, she found they were alone.
    “It’s too late. I won’t let you go.”
     
    He rolled off her and lay on his back, his arm across his
eyes. “You don’t understand.”
    She lay on her side and glared at him. “Understand what?
That you desire a man? I don’t give a shit, Alek. You wanted me, you got me and
I’m not letting you go.”
    He turned to make eye contact. How could he explain it? “You
don’t know what you’re saying. You’ve been in my mind, you know I can’t stay
away from him.”
    “We’ll deal with that when and if the time comes.”
    “This thing with Nikol, I don’t understand it so I don’t
know how to make you.” Looking away from her, he mumbled, “I can’t live without
his blood.”
    After a short while he rose from the bed and dressed. “Come
on, I’ll take you home.”
    Viv threw her legs over the side and, standing, she dressed
in leather. Her hair slid into a neat braid down her back. Disappointment
settled over him seeing her lovely thick mane pulled severely behind her in a
plait. Gone was the pretty dress that showed her delicious thighs.
    She stared at him and said, “I’m ready.”
    Pulling her against him, he dematerialized, taking her back
to the basement of the mansion.
    Leaving her by the bed, he strode to the door and she
stopped him.
    “Don’t go, Alek.” Her blue eyes shimmered with tears.
    Goddamn it. Those were the words she’d said when he laid
with her while she healed. It was him she thought about.
    He loped back across the room, took her in his arms and held
her tight. Moving his hands over her shoulders, stroking her back, her ass,
Alek engraved the feel of her, the scent of her, in his memory. Stepping back,
he ran his fingertips down her face and, using his thumbs, he wiped her tears
away and brought them to his lips. He sucked each one, savored her flavor.
    “Honey, there’s only one person in this world I’d change for
if I could. You.” Leaving her hurt him to the bone but that’s how it had to be.
“I can’t change what I feel, Viv.”
    He envisioned a vise wrapped around his heart and he closed
it.
    Alek turned and walked away.
    Why lead her on when nothing could come of it? His steps
were heavy as he climbed to the second floor. Snatching the door open, he went
into the office. He ended up on the balcony staring across the arena into the
desert. The moon was slipping over the horizon. Sunrise wasn’t far off.
    Both cats clawed mercilessly at his insides. At least they
weren’t battling each other and that was worth something.
    His nails dug into the railing, leaving fresh gouges. How
would he feel when she left? With her gone his life would go back to the hell
it had been, or be even worse.
    His heart would go with her.
    “You know, you’re more of a jackass than your prince is,
chasing around the countryside like a maniac looking for his mate.”
    Alek jumped so high he damn near tipped headfirst over the
rail.
    “What the fuck are you doing back here?”
    Phoenix sat behind the desk. “Waiting for you.”
    “You are one sick fuck. You stripped her of the ability to
vanish and leave her here for me to deal with. Why?”
    “With both of you polluting the air with mating scent I
couldn’t breathe. I thought it’d be good to leave you alone for a while.”
    “What did you say?”
    “Boy, she’s your mate.” Phoenix rose from the chair and came
out on the balcony. He leaned on the wall in the far corner. “What is it with
you?”
    “You ever stop to think maybe you’re the jackass? I can not have a mate.” Alek faced back to the desert and hills beyond.
    “How you like having your cats all buddy-buddy?”
    Alek whipped around. “Christ, it was you in my head?”
    “Shit, I had to nudge you along. You would have been