He led her down the hallway. Apollo and Athena were already in their rooms. A guard stood in front of their doors.
Jack stopped by a blue door. "This is a guest room." He opened it and ushered her inside. He turned to lock and bar the door.
She glanced around the room. Big canopy bed. Blue sheets and blue gauzy curtains hanging from the canopy. When Jack turned toward her, she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh, thank you, thank you, you wonderful man. You glorious, incredible man."
He chuckled as he held her tight. "I guess you're glad to see me."
She covered his face with kisses. "I'm thrilled. I'm ecstatic. I knew you would find me."
He took hold of her shoulders and moved her back so he could look her over. "Are you all right? I swear, if they have harmed you in any way, I will—"
"I'm fine." She jumped at him again, circling her arms around his neck and squeezing against him tightly. "I missed you so much. Don't ever let me go."
"I was so worried about you." He pressed a kiss against her brow, then glanced over his shoulder. "We should move away from the door," he whispered.
She hung on to him as he maneuvered them to the center of the room and accidentally trampled on his foot. "Sorry. I'm so glad you found me. I tried to escape, but there were wolves in the woods. And I didn't know where to go, 'cause I don't know where we are."
"Northern Maine."
"Oh. Well, thank God you found us. I think one of the girls is dead."
"Shh." He put a finger on her lips and glanced at the door. "Not so loud. There are guards in the hall."
"They're probably waiting for their turn with Athena," Lara muttered.
Jack glanced at the bed, which filled half the room. "These rooms do seem designed for one purpose."
Lara looked at the bed, then at Jack, and a surge of longing swept through her. She wanted him to know that she'd made up her mind. "Jack." She cradled his face in her hands.
A tint of red shaded his eyes, then he closed them.
"We need to talk." He opened his eyes, and they were back to their usual golden brown color. "I need all the information you can give me, so I can return to the guys and formulate our attack."
Her hands dropped to his chest. "You're not taking me with you?"
He squeezed her shoulders. "Cara mia, I can't. It would look too suspicious. But we plan to attack tomorrow at dusk. You'll only have to stay one more day. Can you do that? Will you be all right?"
"Yes. We're fairly safe during the day. We just cook and clean and do laundry." She glanced down at her red robe. "I was really tempted to wash one of these with the guards' white togas, so they'd end up wearing pink."
Jack chuckled. "I'm so glad you're still you, that they didn't manage to brainwash you."
"Oh, there's some serious brainwashing going on around here." Lara pulled the red robe off and tossed it on the floor. "These poor girls actually believe it's a great honor to be a Chosen One." Her eyes filled with tears. "Thank God you found me before it happened—"
"Shhh." Jack pulled her into his arms. "You're all right now. Cara mia." He kissed the top of her head.
She wanted to tell him that he was her Chosen One. She stepped back. "Jack, I need to tell you—"
"Yes, I need to know everything. We have to come up with an attack plan that will eliminate the vampires here without causing any harm to the mortals."
She groaned inwardly. Hadn't they discussed business long enough? He was here, her knight in shining armor who had charged to the rescue. And she was madly in love with him. Shouldn't they be celebrating? She glanced at the bed. Shouldn't he be ravishing her right now? "You need a plan?"
"An attack plan, yes."
"Okay. I'll tell you how to attack." She wrenched the bronze brooch from her white gown and tossed it on the bed. "First, you should start with the breasts." Her gown tumbled down to the ties around her midriff.
His gaze dropped to her bare breasts. "I'm… trying to do business."
"I mean business." She cupped her breasts. "I believe you've met these before."
The gold flecks in his eyes started to gleam. "La—" He halted when a noise sounded outside their door.
Lara figured one of the guards was hoping for a cheap thrill.
"Down on your knees, woman!" Jack thundered. "Bow before me."
"Yes, My Lord Hades," she called out as she dropped to her knees and prostrated herself.
Jack winced and whispered, "You don't have to really do that."
She sat up, grinning. "Oh, My Lord Hades! Please don't hurt me. I'll do anything to please you. Anything!"
He gave her an annoyed look.
"Why, My Lord Hades! Look at you! You're so well endowed! Careful with that. You'll put someone's eye out. Oh, what a mouthful!" She made a loud strangling noise.
Jack's eyes widened as he watched her.
"Oh, yes, yes! Take me, Hades!" She let out a long squeal, lifting her arms in the air like she was riding a roller coaster. "Oh, that was good. Let's take a nap now."
Footsteps moved away from the door.
Jack arched a brow. "Are you done now?"
"Yes, but I feel strangely… unsatisfied."
He chuckled. "So do I. You made me last about two seconds."
"Well." She glanced at the bed. "I'm sure you could do better."
"We still need to talk."
Her Casanova was being terribly unromantic, but she'd fix that. She stalked toward him on all fours. "What kind of attack plan did you have in mind? Full frontal?" She rose up on her knees, rubbing her breasts against his toga.
He closed his eyes with a moan.
She slipped her hands underneath his toga and skimmed up the back of his bare calves. Higher, to his bare thighs.
"Lara." He opened his eyes. They were red. He gritted his teeth. "This is not a good time—"
"Oh!" Her hands had reached his buttocks, and he wasn't wearing any underwear. "Oh my." Tingles spread out over her skin. Her nipples tightened, her back arched, and she succumbed to an urge to press her breasts against him.
She splayed her hands over his rump. Her fingers stroked the skin, so smooth and soft. Suddenly, his muscles flexed, tightening beneath her hands, creating a delicious concave curve. Her knees felt weak. She struggled to breathe. Heat sizzled between her thighs. "Oh my God."
"Talking to me?" He knelt in front of her.
She leaned toward him, but he held her back by the shoulders.
"Lara, I realize you're grateful that I'm here."
"Does this look like gratitude to you?" She fumbled with the linen strips tied at her waist.
"Then it's adrenalin and excitement. But those feelings will pass once you're back home."
"Don't tell me what I'm feeling. And don't you dare say my feelings are temporary." She loosened the strips, and her gown pooled around her knees.
He sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes gleamed red hot. "Then tell me exactly what you're feeling. Because I can't take you just for the hell of it. If I make love to you, I will never give you up. Never."
She gazed into his glowing eyes. "I know that. I'm counting on that."
"Forever is a long time for a vampire."
"I know that, too." Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm in love with you, Jack. Forever. You're all I want. All I need. No matter what happens, I'll never give you up."
His grip on her shoulders tightened, and his red eyes glimmered with moisture. "Are you sure?"
"Yes! Now stop being so dense and make love to me."
With vampire speed, he tossed her on the bed, ripped off her underwear and his own toga, then jumped into bed beside her. He covered her face with kisses. "Cara mia, Lara mia. I love you."
She planted kisses all over his face, too, till their mouths finally met in a hot, urgent kiss. Their tongues stroked, their hands groped, their bodies rolled.