LITMIR.BIZ

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she is, she was chased there, coerced there, hurt there. The Cartesians are waiting for her to come out of hiding in order to pounce on her again. They’re counting on her doing just that.”

      “Viv’s too smart to let that happen,” Gavril said. “If she knows they’re waiting for her to come out of hiding, she’ll nest herself right where she is until we can get to her.”

      “I know,” Gilly said. “But how long will that be? How hurt is she? She’s a prisoner for all intents and purposes. That’s no way to live—or die.”

      “We’ll find her,” Gavril said. “It may be a good idea to start from the beginning. Nikoli, since feeding is over and all the Loups are missing, anyway, go to the north compound and see if Viv’s there. Evee and Lucien, you take the Bon Appétit Café first, and then the two of you head back to your house in case Viv doubled back and wound up being there. I’ll take Gilly and head for the St. Louis I Cemetery, just in case she decided to go there to help check on Gilly’s Chenilles. After that, if we don’t find her at the cemetery, then we’ll head to the Elders in case she went there, looking for help.”

      “Not the Elders,” Gilly said adamantly. “I’m certain she wouldn’t be there, and telling them she’s missing will only freak them out even more.”

      Gavril laid a hand on the small of Gilly’s back. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go. Take her away from this place, from its dangers and heartaches. “We can’t leave any stone unturned. From what you’ve told me, news travels fast among the Circle of Sisters. With all of those witches in your group focused on this, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Elders already know she’s missing. They might even have a clue as to where she might be.”

      “You’re giving them too much credit.”

      “They’re Elders. We have to allow for all possibilities.”

      Reluctantly, Gilly gave him a half-hearted nod. “Yeah, no stone unturned.”

      With everyone assigned a location, they paired together, save for Nikoli, and parted ways, each seemingly carrying the weight of the world on his or her shoulders. They agreed to meet back at the hotel in an hour.

      When Gavril and Gilly finally made it to the cemetery, Gavril stayed behind the locked gates, as instructed by Gilly, while she went inside. He hoped against hope she’d find some sign that Viv had been there. He’d never seen Gilly so distraught before, even after all they’d been through so far. He imagined, however, with the Triad being triplets, when one got lost and alone, all of them felt it. He’d heard twins and triplets often felt what their other siblings felt, and he assumed this was no different. Even during their occasional squabbles, it was easy to see how much the sisters adored one another.

      By the time Gilly made it back to the cemetery gates, her cheeks were streaked with tears. As soon as she closed and locked the gates, she began to sob. “She’s not there. Hasn’t been anywhere near here, according to Patrick, her head Chenille. He came up to the gates to find out what I wanted. I hated to tell him because I didn’t want him worrying, but I had no choice.”

      Then, out of nowhere, Gilly’s sobs grew louder, and she suddenly pressed a hand to Gavril’s chest. He stood fast, placing a hand over hers. Simply by touch he could feel the anger roiling through her. Not anger toward him, but the situation, for the loss of her sister.

      Gavril didn’t budge when Gilly released her hand from his chest, turned and punched a light post. He knew all too well how she was feeling, since he’d just recently lost his Ronan, who’d been as close to him as a brother.

      As Gilly sobbed, Gavril all but carried her to a side alley off Rampart Street so she could have the privacy he knew she needed to let go completely.

      Once there, he pulled Gilly close, attempting to comfort her. She struggled against the gesture, evidently not wanting to give in to the over-the-top emotions she felt.

      It didn’t take long for her to lose that battle, however. Before Gavril knew it, Gilly finally pressed herself against him and laid her head on his chest. He gently rubbed her back with a hand, whispering comforting words in her ear. “We’ll find her, I promise.”

      Gavril had no idea who moved first, but suddenly his lips were locked with Gilly’s, and she was kissing him with the same fierceness she felt regarding Viv’s disappearance.

      Gavril struggled to maintain control over the kiss, not wanting their intimacy to go further than it already had. He didn’t want her to hold regrets for something she did out of sheer emotional upheaval. But her kiss kept his head spinning, his body humming with a hunger he’d never felt before.

      Obviously frustrated, and still in tears, Gilly took Gavril’s hands and brought them to her breasts. In that moment, it seemed she could have cared less whether the alley was dark or brightly lit. He felt she needed the pain inside of her to go somewhere else, and without question, he knew that the somewhere else was having Gavril deep inside her. He carried the same need for her.

      As Gavril tried to hold her back, soothe her with his words, Gilly all but threw him down on a grass mound in the alley. She ripped his shirt open, and then her own. She pressed her breasts against his chest and Gavril groaned, quickly losing resolve.

      He felt himself hard against her. She’d obviously felt it, too, because it seemed to make something in her mind click into overdrive. Gilly pressed a hand to his chest, yanked open his belt and unzipped his pants. Gavril opened his mouth to protest, but his body defied all he meant to say. He needed her as desperately as she needed him.

      Meanwhile, Gilly worked her slacks and panties off with one hand and, without preamble, settled her wet, swollen self over his hardness.

      With a groan, Gavril pulled her toward him, yet Gilly kept her hand on his chest and rode him like her life depended on it.

      Gavril felt pain in his groin as he fought to maintain control, but the second Gilly flooded him with her hot, soaking juices, he exploded inside of her like a non-stop geyser that dared defy the laws of physics.

      With both of them satiated for now, Gilly lay her head on his chest, and he cupped her head and pressed her closer. The fact that they were out in a public place crept into the edges of his mind, but for now he shoved the thought back. He needed to feel her this way. Needing him, satiated.

      Finally, Gilly lifted her head and whispered, “We have to find her, Gavril. She’s part of me. If something happens to Viv, part of me will die, too. We have to find her.”

      Aside from an ultra-explosive orgasm, there was nothing that could make a man go as flaccid as the words she’d just spoken.

      Gilly rolled off Gavril, her cheeks suddenly red with embarrassment. She quickly pulled her shirt over her breasts and scurried back into her pants. “I—I’m sorry.”

      “For what?” Gavril asked, although he suspected the reason.

      “For...for acting like this. My sister’s missing, we have dead Originals with two sectors completely missing, and all I can think about is having sex with you.” She scrambled to her feet, her cheeks still bright pink.

      Gavril zipped up his pants and closed his shirt over his chest. He couldn’t button it because Gilly had ripped every button from its hole when she’d wanted to get to his bare chest. This brought a gentle smile to his face. He got to his feet and reached for her. She took a step back from him, and the movement pierced his heart.

      “Listen to me,” Gavril said. “You’re a wounded woman who needed something real and alive to keep your world in balance. Sex does that and quite well. Believe me, if I’d have thought there was any other intention, you wouldn’t have reached first base. I may be a guy, but I do have control over my senses and anything below my belt.”

      “Oh, that you do,” Gilly said shyly.

      “I wanted you, Gilly, from the first moment I saw you. Not just to have sex with you, but the whole of you. Your spitfire attitude, your willingness to say what’s on your mind, even

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