"I did."
"Are you ignoring me?"
"I am."
I groaned and tried to find the least offensive article of clothing I could. It was practically all lingerie—sheer lingerie. Bon Jovi and Pink were going to make a statement.
"I am going to scout Xanthia. You two will study the maps of the park. Pay special attention to The Grand Fun Palace and The Magic Mystery Castle. Do not leave the safe house under any circumstance. I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He grinned and disappeared in a blast of silver and pink glitter.
"That doesn't leave much," I muttered as I carefully spread the map out on the huge oak table. All of these little safe houses were lovely. Did I have a lovely home too? I wanted to ask Ethan, but I'd resigned myself to following the rules. I would get my memory back when I was supposed to.
"Astrid," Ethan said as he came up behind me. His breath on my neck and his desire went straight through me. It was so palpable it hurt. My reaction to him must mean something, but for the life of me I couldn't place it. My weakness where he was concerned was infuriating. It had to be a test of some kind. A test I could not fail.
"Ethan, move," I said stiffly. "We have to study the map. I can't play these games with you. Your son's life is at stake along with the violent yet sexy Martha and Jane. Just let me work with the map. I'm very sure your wife wouldn't appreciate your roving eyes and hands."
"Fine," he said tightly as he moved away. I felt the loss of his body heat acutely. "Close your eyes and run your hands over the map. It will become ingrained in your mind."
"I can do that?" I asked. What the Hell? That was freakin' awesome.
"Yes, you can."
"Have I done this before?"
"No, you haven't had the need. New day—new trick."
This was a dream come true. I had prayed for a skill like this in high school and college. I would have aced American History and World Religions if I'd had this kind of voodoo when I was human. Human…When was I human?
"I haven't been a Vampyre for very long," I said slowly.
"No, you haven't." He crossed the room, took a seat and watched me.
"Was I dying and someone had to save me so they turned me into a bloodsucker?"
"Um…no. You were trying to quit smoking and ended up undead," he said.
"What the fuck kind of redonkulous story is that?" I yelled. "I didn't smoke. That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard…Oh my God," I screeched. "Did I just say fuck?"
"Twice." He grinned and dropped his beautiful head into his beautiful hands.
"Ethan, please excuse my vulgar language. I'm a little stressed at the moment. You know, with half of my mind missing and wanting to attack you so badly I could burst. You've been a total gentleman for the most part. It's not your fault that you're hotter than Satan's underpants…wait. Satan is my uncle?" I asked.
"Yep."
"Okay, comparing you to my uncle's underpants is just gross, but you get my drift. Right?"
"Yep."
My mind was swirling in directions that I knew were wrong. I didn't have any memory of my recent past, so if I jumped the sexy Vampyre would that really be cheating on my husband or wife? Justification was starting to make sense and my inner hooker was completely on the same page. If I just did it once I could get rid of the overwhelming sexual tension I was feeling. That was smart for the mission. How could I be expected to focus on saving the prisoners if my mind was in Ethan's pants? Maybe Vampyres weren't monogamous. This was a responsible and mature thing to do. I could sit on his face for a bit and then ride him like a steed. If he promised not to tell no one would be the wiser. Plus, when I got my memory back, I might not remember any of this stuff. Brilliant. Maybe not my finest moment of morality, but there was much more at stake here—like the lives of people who I didn't know. Was I kidding myself? Probably, but there was only one way to release the debilitating need south of my belly button.
"So Ethan, I was thinking…"
"Nope," he said. "Not happening."
"How do you even know what I was going to say?" I demanded.
"Because I…because I just do. The answer is no. Your mate would be furious if you had sex with another who you thought wasn't your mate."
I didn't quite follow that. I was sure he just said way more than what I heard, but I was mostly shocked. "You don't want me?" Why did that feel so awful?
"Astrid," he ground out through clenched teeth as he roughly ran his hands through his hair. He sat forward in his chair and I was very sure it was because of a painful, and from the looks of it, humongous erection. "It's quite clear what I want, but I only want it a certain way and you are incapable of giving it to me that way at the moment."
"Are you into really kinky sex?"
His groan of frustration made me want to laugh, but his agony was real. Forget about mine. I was more turned on than before due to his chivalry and dedication to his mate. He was a flirt. Maybe she was okay with that. I wouldn't be, but he wasn't my problem. Thankfully, he was good enough to stop me from acting on my baser instincts.
"Ethan, thank you. You're right. I would never forgive myself for cheating. I have no clue what came over me. I can easily solve this with my hand and a shower nozzle. If you'll excuse me for about a half hour, I need to go masturbate. I'd suggest you do the same while I'm in the bathroom. Blue balls won't make a rescue mission any easier." I was tempted to ask him if I could touch his butt for a minute or so, but he was clearly on the edge. His eyes glittered a brilliant green and his fangs had dropped. His entire edible body was coiled tight and I could tell it took all he had to stay seated. It was awesome to feel desired so intensely. I certainly hoped my mate was as hot as Ethan and made me feel the same way.