Free Once Burned: A Night Prince Novel by Jeaniene Frost

Vlad said without hesitation.
    Relief filled me. He must’ve confirmed that Marty had arrived in one piece for him to sound so sure.
    Vlad turned and began to walk away, but my second “Wait!” stopped him.
    “I, um, can’t shower until I release all my excess electricity,” I said with a shrug. “Don’t suppose you have any lightning rods?”
    “I’ll get some,” he replied, coming closer. “Until then, use me.”
    “I can find something else,” I hedged.
    A brow arched. “I insist.”
    He grasped my hand with those words. His coppery eyes stared into mine, silencing my next protest before I voiced it. He was so close that I imagined I could feel his unusual heat in the scant space between us. The warmth from his hand was certainly real. It seemed to slip inside my skin, teasing me with memories of what it felt like to be enveloped in his embrace, that hot, hard body pressed along every inch of me.
    I cleared my throat to distract myself from the unexpected tightening of certain parts down below. It didn’t help that he stroked my skin as he waited for my response, even that small touch sending more pleasant tingles through me.
    “Are you sure?” I had to drain myself in order for this to be effective, and though he was fireproof, it might still hurt.
    He leaned down, his long hair brushing my face. Those dark strands shouldn’t have felt like teasing caresses, but they did, and again, I cursed my strange reaction to him.
    “I never do anything unless I’m sure.”
    His voice was lower, and his fingers tightened on my hand. A bolt slid into him that I hadn’t meant to send, but he didn’t appear to mind. A slow smile spread across his lips.
    “More.”
    The soft word was filled with challenge, as if he were daring me to hold anything back. Still bewildered over how he affected me, I took in a breath and then released the hold I kept over myself. Those inner currents unleashed in a burst of power that would’ve made the ground shudder from its intensity, but Vlad absorbed it without flinching, emerald sparks in his gaze the only visible indication that he felt anything. I was the one who swayed, feeling slightly dizzy at the expulsion of so much energy, so fast.
    “I—I think that’s enough,” I said, the words uneven from the sudden weakening in my knees. I didn’t usually feel like this after releasing my excess voltage. Maybe it was just because I hadn’t eaten in almost two days.
    Vlad stared down at me, not moving. “Are you able to manage the steps, or do you need assistance?”
    My knees still felt wobbly, and though the idea of being in his hot embrace was dangerously appealing, I was not going to be carried to my room like some sort of war spoils. “I’m fine.”
    He let go of my hand and stepped back, nodding to Maximus. “Prepare her food immediately after you show her to her room.” Then to me he said, “I’ll see you at dinner.”
    I used the banister for balance as I followed Maximus up the curving staircase. Thirty hard-fought steps later we came to a landing. I was relieved that Maximus exited there instead of continuing up the staircase. Maybe I was suffering from jet lag combined with an emotional crash from all the stress of the past couple days.
    Off the landing was a wood-paneled sitting room with views of the forest and mountains from windows that took up most of one wall. A long hallway was at the end of the lovely space, and I fought the urge to touch the walls to see if the material covering them really was velvet.
    Maximus opened the third door in the hallway, standing aside to let me enter. I tried to act nonchalant when I saw that it was just as opulent as the rest of the house. I’d originally hoped it wouldn’t take long to help Vlad find the person who directed Jackal and the others to kidnap me—if he was right and there was a mastermind behind the plot. But now, the idea of the hunt stretching out a few weeks didn’t bother me. I couldn’t get used to