He’d also taken Barb home. She was packing and moving into the other room in the suite in order for him to keep her safe as well. However, right then, she was with her witch sisters and a detail of vampire guards, taking the implements to a safe place and casting protection spells around them so no one could find them, and in the unlikely event they did, they couldn’t get to them.

Gregor did not agree with this plan. He’d wanted Yuri to be in possession of the implements so that he could hand them off to a member of The Vampire Council Gregor sent in order that The Council could secure them.

It took some doing, but Yuri impressed on his father that it would not be diplomatically prudent to take witch implements from witches the day after a vampire had massacred an entire longstanding, powerful coven.

So Barb and her colleagues were sorting that, something she’d explained would take some time in order to find the right hiding place and make the protections strong.

She didn’t expect to be back at the hotel until the next day.

Which gave Yuri plenty of time.

He tipped his head back to keep Aurora’s gaze as she approached and stopped in front of him. Only then did he lean forward and wrap his hand around hers.

“If you need thirty-six hours, my sweet,” he started quietly, “this means we have thirty-six hours to kill.”

He took in her excitement mingled with nerves with all his senses. His favorites: seeing the pulse quicken in her neck, hearing her heart beating strong but fast, and smelling the scent that was uniquely hers gather between her legs.

The last told him all he needed to know.

“You have much to be punished for,” he whispered, and her hand convulsed in his as her eyes grew alarmed. But the scent between her legs grew stronger, muskier, so he carried on, “You’ve played me.”

“I haven’t,” she whispered back, and he tilted his head.

“No?”

Her teeth came out to bite her lower lip and his hardening cock went stiff.

“You have,” he said softly. “And last night, you went against your mother’s orders, my orders, and put yourself in danger.”

“You were in danger too,” she replied, her voice breathy.

“That’s not the point,” he returned, holding her eyes and tightening his fingers around hers. “You obey a vampire.”

“Yuri,” she whispered.

“Perhaps others don’t expect that, but you must know I do.”

“I…” She trailed off and he listened to her heartbeat escalate as she finished, “Okay.”

“And if you don’t, there are consequences,” he continued.

She swallowed and the thrum of her pulse quickened.