Carmen slipped into the war room, quietly shutting the door behind her.
"Are they here yet?" she whispered, tiptoeing over to the long communal desk where Lyra and Jacob were sitting. The latter had the live feed from the security cameras of the back alley and front entrance up on his screen.
"Not yet," Lyra said. "Where's Rémy?"
"He and Danny are checking something in the tunnels in the basement. They'll be down there a while." The brunette slid in between the pair to check over Jake's shoulder so she could see the laptop screen. "Do you think they'll come together or separately?"
"Given that his majesty still hasn't told Rémy the truth – nor does he seem likely to..." Jacob began, the thought trailing off with a meaningful look. He finished it with a sip of blood from his mug.
"I still don't get why he won't just come out about who he is," Carmen replied. "I mean – most of us already know."
"Not that I condone Dracula's decision, a part of me gets it. I mean, given all the tragedy and bullshit going on, how do you think Rémy would take the news?"
"Point taken."
"And then if you include the fact that he and Frankie were secretly blood-bound last week and have done nothing but bang the shit out of each other since... Rémy would lose his goddamn mind if he knew," Lyra added archly.
The Spaniard sent the redhead a narrowed look.
"Do you think they'll even show tonight?" she asked, looking to Jacob.
"Considering the state they were in when I dropped by earlier this afternoon?" he began with a wry grin.
"My money is still on no," Lyra said, leaning back in her chair, arms folded over her chest confidently.
"And mine is still on yes," he countered. "You and Frankie might share a sire-bond, but you don't know my sister-in-law as well as you think you do."
"Oh please! You didn't spend the last four days using every trick in the book to block wave after wave after wave of pleasure slamming down a sire-bond. Even with my walls up, I could still sense what he was doing to her." Lyra shifted a little in her seat. "Honestly, I'm more worried about having to look his majesty in the face after all that. I thought she and Tristan were hot together..." and she trailed off a bit, blowing a heavy puff of air out between barely parted lips.
"Were you expecting him to be lackluster?" Carmen asked teasingly. "He's Dracula. And you know as well as I do the tension that had been brewing between them over the last year. Honestly, if the two of them finally falling into bed together was anything less than what you said it was – and that's with your mental shields up – I'd have been disappointed."
Lyra almost looked haunted for a moment.
"I'm never going to get a moments peace again, am I?"
Jake snorted back a laugh and the woman's brows furrowed disapprovingly.
"Will that masking spray you cooked up work?" Carmen interjected. "The one you dropped off for them earlier?"
"It will if they can keep their hands off each other long enough for it to do its job," he explained. "Bonding scents are tricky things to hide. Personally, I'm more worried about the two of them eye-fucking and getting caught by Rémy."
"Or just straight-up fucking in a corner," Lyra grumbled.
"Well, it's a quarter after – they're late," Carmen announced and the redhead grinned, holding out her palm in front of the warlock.
"Looks like I win our bet. Time to pay up, Šarić!"
"Not so fast, Kennedy. Look," and he motioned to the screen. The two women followed his gaze toward the live-feed of the back-alley security camera. Vlad and Frankie had just arrived, the two arm in arm as they talked, clearly hesitant to head inside.
"Can we get any audio?" Carmen asked.
A few keystrokes later and the private conversation ceased being private.
"Are you sure you don't want to tell Rémy the truth?" Frankie was saying, her voice intentionally low, though not enough. Vlad's face was mostly neutral, but there was something in his eyes – a flash of guilt maybe.
"If I tell him now, especially with everything that's happened, that is on the cusp of taking place... he'd see it as a betrayal," Vladislaus explained.
"Glad to see we agree on something," Lyra replied. "Sheesh, where's the popcorn when you need it?"
"If you wait, his reaction could be much worse," Frankie countered gently. "Especially if things continue going awry."
And they all knew – even Vlad – that she was right.
Yet still, Dracula appeared unmoved in his decision. They watched as Frankie took a step toward him, caressing his cheek with a tenderness that made even Lyra's heart tighten a little. She looked so different from the Francesca of four days ago – she was so serene, so steady. A queen, a pillar of strength standing beside her king.
"You're troubled," she stated knowingly.
"I'm trying to brace myself for the fact that I have to go back to pretending indifference toward you," Vlad confessed, the words so low and so sincere. Lyra reached forward to turn up the volume on the laptop. "I don't want to go back to sharing you..."
"We could always run away," Frankie offered with a mischievous smile. "We could leave Budapest right now."
"Here we go..." Jacob announced with a smirk.
"And where would we go? To France?" and they all watched as the look in Dracula's eyes shifted, his fingers brushing thoughtfully over Francesca's mouth. "Perhaps we could take up residence in that old abandoned château on your family's estate. I'd hate to have such a beautiful structure go to waste any more than it already has."
"I intended to do that anyway when all of this is done," she admitted. "But no – I was thinking something a bit more remote for the time being, someplace secret – somewhere dark and cold and secluded where no one could find us..." and Frankie wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him a little closer to her, her other hand resting over his heart. "Or hear us..."
Vlad murmured something indiscernible in evident approval as Francesca gripped the front of his shirt to pull him down a bit more to her level so she could kiss him.
"Carmen, do you still have those buckets in the kitchen?" Jacob asked.
"The ones for the ice? Yeah, why?"
The man sent Lyra a look and she nodded immediately.
"I'll go fill them up with cold water," the redhead replied, standing.
"Want to help?" Jake asked, looking to the Spaniard, but Carmen just grinned, following their train of thought.
"Nah – I'll stay here to watch, if you don't mind," and she immediately commandeered Lyra's abandoned seat. He handed her his half-drunk mug of blood with a Machiavellian grin.
"Enjoy the show."
Carmen brought her knees up to her chest as she got comfy in the office chair, busily sipping from Jake's mug as she continued to spy on the newly blood-bound Vlad and Frankie as if she were watching a telenovela.
"And what would we do in this cold and secret place of yours, iubito?" Vlad asked between deepening kisses. With both hands gripping the front of his shirt, Frankie led him to the nearest wall until she was pinned between it and him, still connected at the lips.
"Whatever we want," she replied. "Though I'll have to insist we be naked for at least ninety-five percent of it."
"Only ninety-five?" he purred, the dark rumble of laughter getting caught in his throat. "And what about the other five percent?"
"I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I do so enjoy having you undress me."
Frankie's next kiss was mostly tongue and Carmen felt her cheeks grow hot.
"Oh, girl, you're shameless!" she exclaimed at the screen as if her friend could hear her.
Vlad smoothed his hands up from Francesca's waist to her breasts and Frankie arched into his touch. Their tongues met, followed by the soft cling of lips before his mouth moved down to the crook of her neck, palms sweeping over her body. Carmen watched, utterly entranced as her best friend turned to liquid in his hold. She fanned herself once.
"I would give anything to rip these clothes off your body right now," Dracula grumbled darkly.
Carmen's lips twitched in a half-smile as she covered her mouth, noticing Lyra and Jake with large buckets of ice water exiting through the front entrance before heading in the direction of the alley.
"Promise me," Frankie crooned, a deep, lustful sound. "Promise me you'll tear them off of me in the morning before the sun rises."
"I don't know if I can wait that long," the king of vampires ground out through gritted teeth, clearly struggling to rein himself in.
But the couple never had the chance to proceed further and Carmen watched as a wave of water suddenly came into view of the camera before it sloshed directly over Frankie and Vlad. The Spaniard howled with laughter.
Jacob and Lyra stepped into view of the camera, both of their buckets empty.
"Well, you're going to have to wait, your majesty," the latter announced with a self-satisfied grin. Dracula met her with a look of pure, unadulterated fury. If Frankie hadn't still been holding the front of his shirt, Carmen couldn't help but wonder if the redhead would even still be standing. She didn't seem all that disturbed by his disapproval, however. "Are you two cooled off enough to function like a pair of rational adults, or do you need a little more help?"
Jake, on cue, lifted his bucket back up into the air as it began to magically refill before their very eyes. Carmen cackled as Frankie used Vlad's body as a shield, laughter in her face.
"No! No, no, no! We'll behave, I promise!" she laughed.
"Good," the redhead announced. "Now then... I get that you two are newly mated and all that shit, but we still have a job to do; so if you could both keep your pants on and your hands to yourselves for at least," she paused and looked down at her naked wrist as if she had expected a watch to be there, "oh, I don't know – the next eight hours or so, we'd all appreciate it."
"And try to keep the eye-fucking to a minimum," Jake added, placing the overflowing bucket back on the ground, some of the icy water sloshing over the sides. "That spray I gave you both earlier can mask the mating scent, but nothing more than that. So unless you're planning on telling Rémy and the others why you both reek of sex, your best chance at keeping all this a secret is to go on as if nothing has changed."
"That was the plan," Frankie admitted.
Carmen snorted, bringing the mug to her lips. "Could have fooled me, sister."
"Hey Carmen," Rémy called from the hall, "Do you know where everyone's at? The lycans'll be here any minute and this place is a freaking ghost town..."
Carmen quickly snapped the laptop shut before he could peek his head into the conference room. She did her best to appear as innocent as possible.
"Jake and Lyra went to go take care of something real quick and I think Leinhart is due any minute."
"Good. Have you heard from my sister at all?" he asked, entering the room. Danny was soon following up from behind.
"Not since late last week," she replied as nonchalantly as she could. "Why do you ask?"
"I'm sure it's nothing... it's just a feeling I haven't been able to shake since that phone call I told you about."
"Hmmm."
She took another sip and then deftly changed the subject.
"How did training with Vesper go this weekend, Danny?"
"Really well – that girl has always been a quick study, but lately, it as if she's got a fire lit under that scrawny ass of hers."
"She was hounding me this morning the second she got home," Rémy replied with a laugh. "Someone put the idea into her head that she's ready for fieldwork."
"She wants the Spider's head on a platter as much as the rest of us do – perhaps even more after what happened to Damon and Camilla."
"Doesn't mean she's ready for that kind of action – and I don't like the idea of putting her in danger."
"She's not a child, Rémy."
"She's barely sixteen."
As the two men continued in their rapidly heating discussion, Lyra and Jacob reentered the room, making a point not to draw any attention to themselves. Carmen sent the redhead a questioning glance, and the woman responded with a smirk and a nod before the warlock held out his upturned palm in front of her. A silent conversation of looks later and Lyra begrudgingly handed the man a small wad of cash, which he then slipped into his pocket.
A short time later, Vlad entered in from the hall – dry and alone.
----
Vladislaus scanned the war room with as blank an expression as he could muster, given the circumstances. He could feel every inch of space between himself and Francesca; and that distance – though technically minuscule in the grand scheme of things – was hell. Every fiber in his being, every cell, every ounce of blood still cried out for her nearness – the need to crawl inside of her and never come out again as overwhelming as it was baffling. He had been loathed to admit it, but the unexpected cold shower had been amply timed. A few seconds more, and he would have indeed taken Francesca against that wall – and they both knew she wouldn't have made an effort to stop him.
Thankfully, the warlock had been kind enough to use his magic to dry the two of them off after accosting them with the frigid water. The memory – still oh so fresh in his mind – had him glaring in the redheaded female's direction, though.
Frankie may have pleaded with him to let the harmless little prank go, but he had never been very adept at the whole forgiveness thing. Even if he had appreciated the interference on some level, that did nothing to stave off the humiliation of it. He couldn't recall a time in recent memory where he'd been so undisciplined as he had been these last few days and nights, so unhinged. Francesca and the blood-binding were no doubt the main contributors, but he hadn't expected the residual after-effects continued to linger on as they had.
A small part of the man wondered if this need, the constant wanting was indeed normal – at least as far as durations went. He suspected not; and while the sex had been and continued to be nothing short of mind-blowing, he'd be lying if a small, lingeringly rational part of him wasn't a little concerned.
"Vlad!" Rémy called out, the greeting only slightly less jarring to Vladislaus than the friendly smack on his arm. It was suddenly so strange being touched by someone who wasn't Francesca. The thought of the woman made his loins tighten and he shifted a bit awkwardly in place, still standing in the doorway. "How was your time off? You sounded like you were in the middle of something when we last spoke... and then your phone was off for days. I take it you enjoyed yourself?"
Dracula tempered his expression as he smiled at his new unsuspecting brother-in-law, struggling to keep the irony out of his countenance.
"You mean to tell me that Carmen actually let you come up for air?" he inquired teasingly, and with an almost masterful degree of deflection.
Carmen herself was all blushes and half-hearted protestations as the two men made their way over to the table.
"There's more to a relationship than sex, Leinhart," Lyra countered with a pointed look. Vlad took his seat with noted grace and the ease with which he moved and commanded the room seemed to make the redhead suddenly uncomfortable – an unusual occurrence. Her reaction left his curiosity piqued.
"That's rich coming from the nymphomaniac," Rémy said with a laugh, just barely dodging her fist as he passed by. "Ah! Tristan!" The eyes in the room turned as the Lycan prince entered the room, flanked by his new first and seconds in command – a towering behemoth of a man who went by Adrial and nothing else; and the deceptively petite Zoe, armed to the teeth and with an expression that matched her counterpart's – purely disinterested. "Welcome, welcome. Come in a have a seat. We're just about to get started."
"You're a little light on attendance this evening, Rémy," the werewolf replied, situating himself a few seats away from Vladislaus. He paused about halfway down before his ass could hit the chair before he sniffed once and stole a glance in Dracula's direction. Their eyes met. Though they said nothing, the lycan slowly lowered himself the rest of the way down as he looked to Lyra and back to Vlad again. His brows narrowed a little in suspicion. "Where is Francesca?"
"Not a clue," Rémy answered candidly. "My sister has been MIA for days now – not a word, nor hair or hide."
"And you have no idea where she's been?" and the werewolf sent another skeptical look in Vlad's direction. Rémy Chase, however, never caught on to his meaning. Dracula, on the other hand, was having to bite his tongue to keep his smirk from being too smug.
"Haven't the foggiest," Chase announced. "She said it was important and that she'd be here. But she didn't give any other details. Just said she had to do something that she had been meaning to for a while but that was all."
Tristan looked directly at Lyra that time, his mien seeming to inquire if the new scent he had picked up on his majesty was what he thought it was, but the woman only shifted uncomfortably in her chair, now struggling to keep her attention away from both men. That was answer enough for the lycan prince. He didn't quite know what to make of this development.
"That's not like her," Zoe commented as she took the chair on Tristan's right. Adrial had decided to situate himself against the nearest wall, preferring to stand. "She's usually a little more forthcoming when she goes underground like that."
"I'm sure she's fine," Jacob interjected casually.
"More than fine, if I had to hazard a guess," Vlad replied, though it was mostly to himself. He couldn't conceal the purely male and self-satisfied smirk that curled his lips though as he said it, and Lyra in particular had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from offering a retort.
"Well, should we begin? I'd hate to waste your time, since you came all this way..."
"It's really no trouble..."
"Hey Rémy!" Vesper called out from the hall before peeking her head in through the door. "There's some guy named Lee talking to Frankie out front. I don't recognize him."
"My apologies, I forgot to mention," Vlad interjected, straightening in his seat. "I extended an invitation to Feng to attend this evening. While the rest of us have been lying low the last few evenings, I had asked him to do some reconnaissance on the Spider. I had meant to tell you after I met with him that he had discovered something of interest, but I'm afraid I got rather... sidetracked."
Carmen snorted back a laugh.
"If he has something that will give us an edge against Basilio, I'm all ears..." Rémy admitted.
"Carmen, Rémy..." Vesper interrupted, suddenly appearing a little anxious. Vlad watched as the girl looked to Danny and then Tristan, the two men nodding subtly. Zoe even offered a reassuring smile. That seemed to help the girl steady her nerves. "I want to help take down the Spider."
"We already talked about this, V. You're too young and he's too dangerous," Carmen said without missing a beat. She didn't even look up from the pile of documents Jacob had placed in front of her. He was now passing out copies for each of the seats.
"But I..."
"We're not having this discussion in front of everyone, Vesper. Besides, the answer is still no."
"That's not fair, Carmen!"
"I'll go check on Feng and Miss Chase and see what's holding them," Vlad volunteered quietly, though most everyone had taken to observing the developing squabble between the teenage dhampir and the Spaniard.
Before he could reach the door, however, Lyra whispered so only he could hear, "If you're not back in five minutes, I'm coming after you with another ice bath... Leinhart."
There was an exchange of narrowed looks but Vlad opted not to deign her threat with a response. The continued physical distance between himself and Francesca had only grown more agonizing since that last kiss in the alley and already his tongue craved another taste of her.
She and Lee were finishing up a low-spoken conversation in the front, the spymaster's voice a barely registered rumble as he delivered his report. Feng noticed his master's approach shortly after Francesca had, just as he turned the corner from the hall. Feng immediately bowed to his king.
"Master."
"None of that here," Vlad quickly replied, motioning for him to stop. "There are those under this roof who still do not know who I am and we must keep it that way a little longer."
The spymaster sent Dracula's blood-bound mate a quizzical look.
"You were serious."
Frankie shrugged with a bit of a smile.
"I'm afraid so."
"But won't they be able to sense it? The bond between you?"
"We're taking precautions, but not everyone in that room is as observant as you are," Vladislaus replied, standing beside Francesca now. His hand came to rest at the small of her back and even with the thin fabric of her blouse keeping him from her skin, the contact was enough to temporarily placate him.
"While I've always prided myself in discretion, your majesty, I'm not sure I'm prepared to go along with your ruse."
"I understand, and I don't hold it against you." Vlad gently pulled Frankie a little closer to him. She wrapped her arm around his lower back. It took everything to keep his expression neutral. "Shall we deliver your report for you?"
"I was just filling her grace in on what I had shared with you last week. And there's been some... unforeseen development since then."
Grace? Vlad heard Frankie's voice wondering in his head.
Technically you're not officially queen until your coronation. He must know about your previous status as Duchess, Vlad replied down that mental bridge between them.
He never fully crossed into her territory without invitation first, and even then, he had been disappointed to discover she still had one or two doors closed to him. He made sure not to pry, fully comprehending her need for autonomy, even with the change in their relationship. But there lingered a small part of Dracula that couldn't help but wonder – she claimed to trust him utterly and completely, so what was she still keeping secret?
He chose to exercise patience and understanding.
But without sex to distract him, he was now finding it a bit of a struggle.
"What development?" he asked at last in reply to Feng's remark.
"There's a group from your old court that plans to use the Oradea tunnel to escape the city," Francesca explained.
"Evidently, some of your lesser known allies," and Feng sent Frankie a meaningful look, "had been in contact with them and Augustine learned the truth of it. Even though they broke off all communication, the threats have only intensified."
Feng retrieved a small tablet from inside his coat and brought up a map.
"There's an old, ill-used tunnel network that begins at the Ervin Szabó Library and it intersects with the Oradea here. My shadows tell me that this group plans to use the Szabó to escape the city and off Marcus' radar."
"Apparently he's had them under house arrest," Frankie filled in.
"So where does Basilio come into all of this?" Vlad asked.
"It would seem that there are some who didn't take kindly to me dispatching my sister," Feng replied blandly. "I'm still in the process of weeding out the leaks, but the Spider got wind of the planned escape. One of my contacts on the inside of his web says he plans to massacre the lot to send a message to the rest of the nobles in the North district."
"What can we do to help?"
"If we can get them to the intersection in the Oradea shaft, I have shadows that can protect them – but it's the library tunnels I'm concerned about. No one has been down there in decades and there's no telling what the conditions are like or where Basilio could hide his men. Every time I send someone down there to scout the place out, they don't come back."
"Can't we get a message to these people and tell them to find another way? Or at least to wait?" Vlad asked, but Feng shook his head solemnly.
"They'd rather risk it than spend another week under Marcus' thumb."
"I can appreciate that," Francesca replied with a sigh and she rested her head against Vlad's shoulder for a bit. "We have to do something."
"Agreed," the spymaster said, "but what and when need to be carefully considered. Especially if this turns out to be a trap."
"You think it could be?"
"These people already betrayed your... allies," Feng said – again, sending a look to Frankie that Vlad could not account for. "I would not be surprised if this was just an elaborate front by Marcus to draw you out."
"But if there are people truly at risk..." Dracula began.
"If you do this, you'll need to take every precaution," Feng insisted with sudden fervor. "That tunnel network is a proverbial deathtrap. I must speak plainly – your majesty, I've lost good men and women down there already. If you want my personal opinion, I say leave the fools to their fate and keep your own people safe. Let Basilio take the win and live to fight another day."
Vladislaus could sense in the way Frankie tensed up indiscernibly at his side that she did not care for the spymaster's advice. Not that he could blame her – he didn't particularly like it either, even if part of him agreed with it. But this felt very reminiscent of the blood-factory situation, stuck between a rock and a hard place. And with the death of so many innocents at Váci still fresh in everyone's minds, he knew his Francesca well enough to guess that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if another soul was lost on her watch.
"Thank you for sharing your findings, Feng. We'll take your counsel under advisement," Dracula replied. Feng bowed deeply and then quietly made his exit, leaving Frankie and Vlad alone in the front room.
They could hear Vesper and Carmen still arguing in the war room and he watched as his beloved's shoulders slumped a little as if she were now bearing some invisible weight.
"Tell me what to do," Frankie said quietly, still staring in the direction Feng had left. "I don't know what to do, Vlad."
A knot of guilt twisted in his stomach as he moved to stand in front of her. He took her face in his hands and very gently guided her eyes up to his. It pained him to put her in this position, but some stubborn part of him still felt that she needed this experience, needed to learn, to know for herself the difficulties of this kind of leadership, of what it would be like to rule.
Or perhaps, a small voice whispered in the back of his mind, maybe you're the one that needs her to understand. Maybe this is less for her and more for you...
The suggestion didn't sit well with him and he promptly smothered it.
"What is your gut telling you?" he asked.
"I'm hesitant to trust my instincts," she admitted. "Especially after Váci Street."
"I know – but what are they telling you?"
"That it's a trap," she answered after a few moments of silent deliberation. "Marcus would know how much I blame myself for Váci, how hard I've worked to ensure that the people – our people – have a chance to escape the line of fire as things continue to escalate."
"What of these allies Feng spoke of?" Vlad asked. "I seemed to get the impression that you knew of whom he spoke."
Frankie blanched, resting her hands over his for a moment before finally removing them from her face.
With the stealth of centuries, he made his way across that mental bridge between them, hoping he could at least catch wind of the secret she was so clearly keeping, but her walls were already up as if she had anticipated him. Thick, glacial sheets of obsidian rock, stretched out in every direction for miles.
Once more, he struggled to school himself in patience and understanding. It was a muscle he was still very unaccustomed to exercising.
"A part of me wants to leave these fools to their fate as Feng suggested, especially after what they did," she continued with a simmering fury he didn't understand. But as quickly as it came, her anger softened. "But I also know what it's like to feel torn between duty and an obligation to your family. They may not have felt they had a choice, and given Marcus' history, they probably didn't."
Vladislaus watched as her mind worked, expression pensive, considering...
"I don't think I can bear any more blood on my hands, another soul on my conscience," she whispered, returning her gaze to his. "It's a trap, I'm certain it is, but..."
"We will find a way," he assured her. "Perhaps we can cut them off before they even enter the tunnel?"
"Or we can keep an eye out for Basilio's men and just take care of the problem directly," she offered and he nodded.
"That works for me as well."
"I still don't feel good about this," she sighed, burying her face momentarily in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.
"If we can avoid going into the tunnels beneath the Szabó, we should be fine," he offered reassuringly. He then kissed the top of her head and noted the way the tension in her body immediately loosen the instant his lips brushed her hair.
"I don't know how you always manage to do that," she said when she finally tilted her head back to look up at him.
"Do what?"
"Make me feel so safe."
Safe.
That word sent a surge of warmth through his entire body and though she was already flush against him, he tightened his hold, bringing her just a little closer. He offered no reply – there was no need. A smile sufficed and at the sight of it, she suddenly raised up onto the balls of her feet to close the distance between them.
The caress of her lips against his turned that pleasurable warmth that had blanketed him earlier into a sudden inferno as the chaste kiss quickly graduated into something deeper, his tongue slipping into her waiting mouth. He could almost feel the way that velvet thrust undid her from the inside, how her whole body and soul opened to him without thought or inclination. It was instinct for her – just as it was for him to dive in further.
Lips bracketed shared breath and Vlad felt that telltale pressure building at the base of his spine, a heaviness growing between his hips. The press of Francesca's body against his as she wrapped her arms around his neck created the most delicious friction and the sweetness of their passion deviated into the familiar territory of desire.
But before he could grab a handful of her ass, someone cleared their throat from the hall and the pair pulled away just long enough to turn and see Lyra leaning against the wall, watching them.
"Your five minutes are up," she announced, not even bothering to hide the smug grin curling her lips.
Dracula's glare could have cut through stone, but to the redhead's credit, she never flinched.
"Actually, I'm pretty sure I still have thirty seconds left," Vlad countered, returning her smirk with one of his own.
"We'll save the thirty seconds for later," Frankie announced. "We should head back in anyway. Feng didn't exactly have good news to deliver."
"Let me guess. Another pile of shit for us to wade through?" Lyra asked.
"If by shit you mean trap, then yes."
"Fabulous. Well, you better think of something for Vesper to do, because she just broke Carmen down."
"And I missed it?" Vlad replied, actually sounding a little disappointed.
"Maybe next time you should stick around instead of playing tonsil hockey."
"As entertaining as it would be to watch the girl out-argue the whole lot of you, I have zero regrets about coming out here instead," and he lightly nibbled the lobe of Francesca's ear. The woman groaned in protest before lightly pushing him away.
"No one likes a tease!"
He snatched her hand before she could get too far and quickly pulled her back to him, intending to steal another kiss.
"Hey Rémy!" Lyra suddenly shouted, knowing full well that the man's name was just as effective as a bucket of ice-cold water. Dracula recoiled abruptly and sent a look of promised death in the redhead's direction, snarling territorially with fangs out and an animalistic snap of his teeth. Even Frankie appeared disapproving.
But Lyra's smile never faltered.
"What?!" came the male voice from the conference room just down the hall.
"Behave," Lyra whispered, pointing at the couple still in the front room. "Or else." She then cleared her throat and looked in the direction of the hall. "Frankie has some news about Basilio that I think the rest of us need to hear."