Page 36 of Guardians for the Vamp
Layla nods.
Vara shifts her golden eyes to me.
“What about Thorne? Do you want him to control you? Give you orders? Or do you want him to get down on his knees before you?”
Layla sucks in a sharp breath, her eyes darkening as lust takes over.
“I want him on his knees.”
My cock jumps at her words.
“Good girl,” Vara whispers, taking Layla’s chin so she can kiss her. It’s a quick, but passionate kiss. “Not here though. My place isn’t far.”
Vara nods to me, and I open the door. She takes Layla’s hand and leads her out of the room while I fall behind, Layla’s other hand in mine.
Layla’s security team escorts us out of the building to a row of SUVs waiting at the curb. The guards split betweenthe first and last vehicle while Layla, Vara, and I pile in the middle one.
The drive lasts ten minutes before we’re pulling into a parking garage underneath a high-rise in Lower Manhattan. The building is sleek and modern despite the surrounding architecture that’s hundreds of years old.
We pass a security booth manned by two men, one human and the other a bear shifter. They nod to Vara, somewhat nervously, which doesn’t surprise me being how intimidating she can appear. I can’t imagine how powerful she must look in her human form. The two smile at Layla next and it’s not a friendly smile. It’s full of dangerous want, predator leering—a reaction she gets a lot from men because Layla is beautiful and voluptuous with thick thighs, a plump and biteable ass, and tits that perfectly fit in my hands.
Mine.
The men's eyes widen when they spot me, realizing their mistake of looking at my woman.
“I’m yours, Thorne,” Layla whispers and squeezes my hand.
Did she know I was seconds from gouging their eyes out?
She brings my hand up to her mouth and kisses my knuckles. My tense body relaxes immediately.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be taken care of by the morning,” Vara says.
She could mean firing them or killing them, but neither of us ask her to clarify.
Vara’s building is almost as secure as Layla’s as we approach a private elevator. Of course Vara would have her own entrance. She taps an access card to the reader and the doors open. She taps the card again and the car rises. It takes about a minute before we arrive at the penthouse, some sixty floors up.
The doors open to a gallery foyer with several large closets, a half bath, and a laundry room.
We walk on, entering an open room with vaulted ceilings that have to be at least twenty feet tall with floor-to-ceiling windows. I don’t doubt they stay open to let the sun stream in during the day. Sphinxes love the sun—which makes me wonder why Vara tends to live a nocturnal lifestyle.
I see she has UV protectors on the windows. Has she always had them, or did she install them recently after meeting two supernaturals who can’t walk in the sun?
She gives us a quick tour. The living space has a gas fireplace, a huge television hangs over it, taking up a good chunk of wall. There’s an open dining area and a kitchen any chef would salivate over. Aside from the stainless-steelappliances, there’s a huge island topped with marble and seating for four.
“These floors are beautiful,” Layla gasps.
“Brazilian walnut,” Vara responds as if expecting Layla to know what that means. When the vampire queen ‘oos,’ I realize Brazilian walnut flooring must be something luxurious.
The penthouse’s main level has two bedrooms and a media room. Vara keeps it full of art, record albums, and musical instruments. I assume she can play all of them: guitar, piano, cello, violin.
As immortals, life can become boring when there’s nothing new left to experience. Many of us learn all the languages and teach ourselves how to play every instrument imaginable. Like myself. I can play several, including the piano and guitar.
Vara points upstairs to a loft, explaining that’s where the main bedroom is located. But instead of taking us up there, we go outside to a private wraparound terrace with lush landscaping, a fire pit, a built-in hot tub, grilling station, and amazing views of the city.
“Vara,” Layla sighs. “This is just magnificent. I love my penthouse in Midtown, but the views in Lower Manhattan are unmatched.”
One World Trade Center towers over us and off in the distance, the Empire State Building shines bright in pink and blue. The air is fresh and clear up this high, and it reminds me how much I miss flying and stretching my wings. I don’t fly nearly as much as I used to. Most of my patrols to protect this city are stationary or on the ground.
