Rebellion

Chapter 29 ~ The Grateful Dead

My eyes fluttered shut, every inhale carrying the heady scent of his arousal to me, "You are my King, Atanas."

He pulled back, smirking smugly. His hand slid from my waist to grip my rear, his other hand staying tangled in short blonde locks.

"We have some time to ourselves now. We could make sure everyone is certain of your position by my side?" Atanas suggested, shifting his hips so the bulge of his erection was pressing against me.

I snorted and he raised an eyebrow.

"Not quite the reaction I was hoping for," he admitted in amusement.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Kincaid told me he didn't understand why you had chosen me as your mate. I told him it was because I was up for sex games."

Atanas laughed, a booming sound that bounced off the walls, his grip loosening.

"I bet that got a reaction," he teased, "Kincaid is a little more conservative than the rest of us."

"He was definitely less grumpy when we found a Fallen and had to stop talking," I agreed before frowning, "He doesn't seem to hold much value on human life."

I pulled away slightly, running over the odd ending to our hunt. He'd called someone else to clean up our mess. . . my mess.

"Do you?"

I baulked, my whole body almost jerking at such a question. Atanas watched me carefully, his eyes scanning my face. Did he care about human life? I knew the more the centuries passed, the less human we felt, the more we fell into the dark. We weren't human. There were many times I had to remind myself of this fact. Humans were what we fed on, our prey, but did that mean their lives were worth any less than ours?

Frowning, I removed myself from his touch completely. "Of course I do. The only reason I joined your gang of rebels was to make sure no more humans had to suffer like so many did because of my maker. Like I did. We may need their blood but that doesn't mean they're just food."

Atanas raised his hands in surrendee, watching me work myself up until my final words had almost been a growl. I sucked in a breath.

"He does care, Shylah. We all do, that's why we've done this. Some of us are just better at hiding our feelings. It's a dangerous world and vampires sniff out weakness easily. There are many who don't place any value on their lives, but that doesn't mean they're happy with them being treated like cattle," Atanas soothed, "I'm sorry. My question wasn't me insinuating that you didn't care."

I sighed, relaxing and slumping against the bed. "Sorry. I think the evening just has me a little on edge. Everything's still so uncertain."

Atanas sat next to me, taking my hand in his and I let my body rest against his. Blood still stained my fingers and arms, rubbing off onto Atanas' shirt.

"You might find you enjoy the next few evenings if that's of any comfort," he said, smiling down at me.

I lifted my head, propping my chin on his shoulder with a disbelieving look. His thumb brushed over my bottom lip and I nipped at it gently, waiting for him to explain. 

"Vampire leaders from around the world will be here, those that wish to kneel before me at least, those that want to keep the world safe. Which is the majority," he told me, making me roll my eyes.