Chapter 174

George Black spoke into the microphone sewn into the neck of his shirt.

“White Wolf and company have been secured. Has the target been apprehended?”

There was silence as George Black listened to his earpiece.

“Very good,” he said. “White Wolf and company on the move.”

He turned his attention to Jeffrey.

“Get them to a secure location. Alpha will worry about the cars later.”

I felt Jeffrey’s arm lift off of me. I hesitantly stood up, and Lily followed. We still held hands, too scared to release that bit of human contact.

Jeffrey placed a hand on each of our shoulders and led us to a black van as it pulled up.

“Are we really going to get in that?” Lily asked, her voice squeaking slightly. “This is starting to feel like the beginning of a horror movie or an action movie where things are about to go very, very wrong.”

“It’s a bulletproof van,” Jeffrey explained. “It’s the only way to ensure that you get home safely.”

I could hear Lily gulping. I squeezed her hand gently, and she squeezed back.

“Do you want to stay the night at the Alpha King mansion?” I asked.

Lily seemed to turn three shades paler. She shook her head.

“No, thank you. I’d rather get as far away from this mess as possible.”

My heart sank.

We dropped Lily off at her house, and then we immediately drove to the mansion. Andrew was waiting for us outside, pacing in front of the door. When he saw the van pulling up, he raced down the steps and flung the door open.

“Crystal!” he exclaimed as he yanked me out of the van and into his arms. He held me so close that he crushed the air out of my lungs. “Thank Goddess you’re all right.”

He released me as George Black and Jeffrey stepped out of the van.

“Did you catch the sniper?” Andrew asked, his tone turning hard.

George Black nodded.

“Yes. He’s at the police station now.”

“Any casualties?”

“There were three injuries inside the bar, but no deaths.”

Andrew nodded in acknowledgement. His jaw clenched tighter the more that he talked about the incident, and a darkness entered his eyes.

“Thank you for your service. I will be taking Crystal inside now. Resume your usual positions, both of you.”

Jeffrey and George Black nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Jeffrey said.

“Sir, yes, sir!” George Black added.

Andrew wrapped his arm around my shoulders, bringing me in close as we walked up the steps and into the mansion.

Parker bowed to us as we entered the foyer.

“Good evening, Ms. Blanchard,” he said. “I am relieved to see you in one piece.”

Andrew’s hand curled into a fist, but he did not say anything. I merely offered Parker a weak smile and nodded back at him.

Andrew tightened his hold on me and led me back to his private quarters. I wished that I could read his thoughts in that moment, but I could only tell that he was upset…very upset.

He closed the door behind us as I sat down on one of the loveseats. I expected him to sit beside me. Instead, he started pacing, his hands cupped behind his back.

“Damn it!” he yelled, kicking at the loveseat that I was not sitting on.

I cringed. I was afraid that he would be mad about this, and now…

“Why does this keep happening?” he said, running his hand through his hair as he continued to pace. “Why can I not protect you?”

“But…but you did protect me,” I said, my voice weak. “If it hadn’t been for the Special Guard and Jeffrey, I would…I would…”

I trembled as the reality of the situation hit me. I would have been killed if it hadn’t been for Andrew’s resources, not just this time but so many times before. I would not have been alive if it weren’t for Andrew.

I put my face in my shaking hands. Tears ran down my face, and sobs racked my body.

“Oh Goddess,” I whispered, “they were so close. Again.”

I heard Andrew’s footsteps change course and make their way toward me. Then I felt his weight sink into the cushion beside me, and his arms enclosed me.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he whispered as he stroked my hair. “I know that this must be hard for you. You must be so terrified.”

I nodded and nuzzled my head against his shoulder.

“How am I supposed to live a normal life?” I asked. “Lily said that she wanted to be as far away from this as possible…”

“I’m sure that it was just the fear talking. Once she’s had time to calm down, she’ll be calling you up again.”

“What if she doesn’t? I don’t want to lose her as a friend because of this.”

“We’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. Until then, we’re going to focus on protecting you and everyone who happens to be around you.”

Andrew cleared his throat.

“I can’t afford to lose you, Crystal.”

I lifted my head up and looked him in the eyes. He meant that. He truly did.

I reached up and kissed him gently on the lips. Then the kiss grew hungrier, more aggressive. I urged his tongue into my mouth and stroked it with my own.

Andrew’s growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating beneath my hands as I worked to unbutton his collared shirt. He moved his head to my neck, just below the curve in my jaw, and sucked the sensitive skin there. I moaned, my hands haltering halfway down his torso as my groin grew moist.

Andrew reached around my back and unzipped my dress. He assisted me in wiggling out of the tight cocktail number, leaving me in only my bra and underwear. I kicked off my stilettos, not caring where they landed.

He unlatched my bra and tossed it to the side. Then he hooked his fingers in my underwear, dragging them down and off my legs. He held my underwear in his hands, inhaling my scent deeply.

“Delicious,” Andrew said, his voice low and husky. He balled my underwear up and stuffed them into his pocket, winking at me.

He lowered his head between my legs. I gasped as his tongue darted between my folds.

“Yes,” I whispered, barely able to speak. “Yes, there.”

Andrew continued to ravage my sacred spot, slowly adding his fingers to the effort. I threw my head back as he worked and bit my lower lip. Soon, blood dripped into my mouth as I tried not to scream in ecstasy.

I could not hold back any longer as warm ripples rushed through my entire body.

“Andrew!” I cried. “Oh, yes, Andrew!”

I collapsed in exhaustion as my body expended itself with the last of the ripples. Andrew pulled away from my thighs, a self-satisfied smirk dancing across his face. He climbed on top of me, holding his weight up on his elbow.

“Did that feel good?” he asked, teasing my breast.

I grinned and rolled my eyes.

“You know that it did.”

He leaned forward and nuzzled my neck.

“Did it…distract you?”

I giggled.

“A little.”

“Good.”

My grin turned into a smirk. I reached over and grasped his member through his pants.

“Now, it’s time for me to distract you.”