Page 49 of Night Fury
Then he whispered to her, “Together.”
She whispered the word back, meaning it with every ounce of her heart, and a little more of her anguish slipped away.
* * *
She was pissed.
Johanna had finished putting together all the coordinates and was overjoyed at the prospect of Zachariah finally being dealt with, but he wasn’t at any of the locations. Johanna checked her work again and again, thinking maybe she’d messed up a set of numbers and had thrown everything else off, but that wasn’t the case. He truly had up and abandoned every place she knew of, which confirmed several things for her.
Zachariah knew where she was. He knew who she was with and what she had done, but the most terrifying of all the conclusions was that his army was growing. If he had retreated, it meant that he was either kidnapping more people or turning more vampires against their will.
She knew how it happened. The trauma broke their minds and Zachariah used that to imprint on them the same way a mother did to her ducklings. He offered them food and a home if they did his bidding, and they almost always agreed. She’d seen it more than enough times to count, and it wasn’t fucking fair!
And this anger, this fucking wrath, settled into her bones. She couldn’t get it out no matter what she tried.
Estelle suggested adding physical activity to her routine, and Luke took her to the gym Mya used to train vampires and teach the women they’d rescued self-defense. The moment Johanna saw Mya fight, she knew this was where she needed to be. Mya agreed to train her, and she was brutal. She didn’t hold back punches, she went for the jugular. She was more like a wild tiger than a vampire as she fought, but it was good for Johanna. It fulfilled her need to be useful, to feel strong and capable, while also giving her a place to direct her anger. Over time, Johanna realized that was what Mya used it for as well.
But the anger was still there. It may not have been as loud or as prevalent, but it was there, under everything, in her sinews and bones. It sat in wait until she could use it, and Johanna knew the moment she did she would never be the same.
* * *
“Show me what Mya’s been teaching you,” Luke said as he stepped out of their house and into the backyard.
Johanna rotated her elbows and took in his appearance, letting her gaze roam over him. It had been two months since the last time they had been intimate with one another, and even though she knew it was out of consideration for what she’d been through, her desire for him was driving her crazy.
She missed him, and seeing him like this—shirtless, glistening in sweat, his hair pushed back from his forehead from the amount of times he’d raked his gloved hands through it—didn’t help. In fact, she wanted to follow the droplets of sweat over his body until—
Johanna ducked as his hand shot out to hit her. She blocked his next strike, then parried with a kick toward his abdomen. He jumped away from her and she planted her hands on her hips.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Training … or trying to. You were too busy staring.” He smirked.
“Fine, have it your way.”
Johanna launched herself at him. She punched at his chest, and he spun away from her. Luke kicked at her feet, so she jumped away from him. On and on they moved, blocking and countering each other’s attacks. As she ducked under another punch, she realized that she was smiling. For the first time in what felt like several grueling weeks, she was having fun.
But then something ran across her body, like a featherlight touch had caressed every inch of her skin all at once, stimulating all of her. She froze, her back arched as a gasp left her, and then Luke swept her feet out from under her and she toppled to the ground.
Johanna tried to get her feet around him in a defensive maneuver, but he seemed to know what she was thinking. He pinned her leg beneath him while pulling the other one over his shoulder. Then he pinned her hands to the sides of her head.
She was breathless, panting from the exertion and from the effect he had on her.
Luke’s gaze traveled down her body, then back up. He leaned close to her lips, holding her gaze as he whispered, “I win.”
She tried to pull her arms out from his grasp, but he only tightened his grip and held her still. “That was a dirty trick,” she said.
“Dirty or not, it got me exactly what I wanted.” Luke leaned down to her neck and breathed in. The sigh he released was euphoric as it flitted over her skin, raising goosebumps over her flesh.
“And what is it that you want?”
“Just a kiss,” Luke said as he lowered her thigh, fitting himself between her legs.
“Just one?” Johanna whimpered.
Luke smiled. “Unless you’re feeling generous.”
Johanna licked her lips as she focused on his mouth. She could nearly taste him as she whispered, “Yes.Always.”
