A Dangerous Game: Mutual Understanding

A Dangerous Game
By Misha

Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them for a little while and will return them when I am done.

Author’s Notes- With this chapter, I try something new. Thanks to @call for suggesting that I should try and get into Adam’s head a bit and show what he is feeling. I can’t get into his head in the same way I can Lilith’s, so I went 3^rd person for his section and then back to 1^st person for Lilith’s. This is also where the story veers into adult territory and it’s probably going to stay here. Finally, I am pretty sure this story is going to replace A Twist of Fate in terms of length because there is so much story to tell here.

Summary- Adam and Lilith talk about Jax and the Clanless and then things get a little intense.

Rating- NSFW

Words- 2112

Chapter Five: Mutual Understanding
(Story Timeline can be found here)

~3^rd Person POV~

Adam eyed the glass of scotch in front of him, contemplating the meeting with The Baron that had just concluded. A frustrating, pointless meeting just like most meetings with the Baron, full of half-truths and vague threats and ending in a stalemate.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Adam called out, not bothering to get up from behind his desk. “Ah, James, you’re back, did Lilith collect all her things?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.”

It was good. At least that was going according to plan, even if he’d had to make some compromises. But he’d been prepared for that. It was worth it for what he’d gain. After all, it was always about the long game.

“Just one thing, sir.” James told him, “she met with a vampire, outside the building. A vampire not associated with the Raines Clan.”

“What clan was he from, then?” Adam inquired, though he already knew the answer.

“No known clan, sir.”

Of course not. But then, there had to be a reason why Lilith would sacrifice so much to help the Clanless, more than a compassionate nature. There had to be a personal connection, it fit with what he knew of her. After all, their first meeting had shown him that she would do anything for those she cared about. Even sacrifice herself.

“Thank you, James,” Adam answered, dismissing him.

There was a nod and then the door closed behind James and once more Adam was alone. He picked up the glass of scotch but didn’t take a drink, instead, he merely held it as he appraised the situation.

Lilith meeting with a Clanless vampire was an annoyance, but not an unexpected one. He just had to figure out how to proceed from here. She’d agreed to marry him, yes, but that didn’t mean he’d won her over.

That would be the much more difficult task.
**

~Lilith PoV~

Adam was nowhere to be seen when I got back to the mansion, so I headed straight to my room. I wondered what kind of hours I’d be keeping.

As Adrian’s assistant, I’d worked nights, but Adam needed me as part of his cover in the human world, so did that mean I’d be back to normal hours or was I going to be burning the candle at both ends?

Whatever, the answer, I decided I might as well try and get some sleep since I was pretty exhausted, the events of the last 36 hours finally catching up with me, and I changed into my pajamas. I’d pulled up a book on my tablet and was just starting to settle for the night when there was a knock on my bedroom door.

“Come in,” I called out cautiously, knowing it was either Isabella or Adam, but not sure which one I wanted it to be.

The door opened and Adam entered the room, shutting it behind him. His face was calm, but something in his expression made me bite my lip. “Is everything alright?” I asked as I shifted so I was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Who was the vampire you were with this evening?”

I frowned, wondering if that was really why he’d knocked on my bedroom door. “I saw Adrian and Kamilah and Lily…” I trailed off as I remembered who else I’d seen. “Oh.”

The driver must have seen me go off with Jax and reported back to Adam, I didn’t know why I was surprised. Adam didn’t say anything, he just continued to look at me, obviously expecting an answer.

“He’s a friend,” I said evasively, not wanting to give any more details than that.

“Does this friend have a name?” Adam asked in an even tone, “more importantly, whose clan does he belong to? My men didn’t recognize him.”

His men, plural? Had there been there someone else there besides the driver?

“How many people do you have watching me?” I asked, ignoring his question.

“Just two,” Adam answered as if it was no big deal. My annoyance must have shown on my face because he sighed. “Lilith, I am a very powerful man and I have enemies, human and not, and you are vulnerable, it’s my job to make sure you are safe.”

“By having me followed without my knowledge?” I asked, doing my best to contain my temper. “Is this what the next ten years will be like?”

“There will be bodyguards, yes,” Adam answered with infuriating calm, “Human and vampire. It’s part of the package, Lilith, I assumed you realized that.” He stepped closer to the bed. “It’s for your own safety.”

I made a face, staying silent. “I should have told you,” Adam said after a moment, “I had intended to talk it over with you when we discussed your new responsibilities.”

“Am I going to be a prisoner here?” I asked Adam, “because I didn’t agree to that.”

“Of course not,” He said smoothly. He sat down on the bed next to me. “You are free to come and go as you please, you just will have protection when you do so. I have enlisted a team of both human and vampire guards for you and I’ll introduce you to all of them tomorrow.” He reached out and cupped my face. “The goal is to keep you safe, not to make you a prisoner.”

I nodded, though I still wasn’t sure how I felt about the arrangement. Though it was hard to think about anything when Adam was touching me.

“You never answered my question,” Adam reminded me.

“What question was that?” I asked, trying to stall for as long as possible.

“What clan does your friend belong too?”

I was silent, which was all the answer Adam needed. His face was blank but his displeasure was obvious.

“Do you know how dangerous the Clanless are, Lilith?” He asked me in an even voice, dropping his hand. “How quickly they can turn?”

I shook my head. I knew Clanless vampires were at a much higher risk of turning feral, but no one really talked about it, so I didn’t really know the details.

“It can happen in an instant,” Adam told me in a controlled voice, “the urge to feed comes and suddenly, this time they can’t control it. They aren’t them any longer.”

There was a tightness to his tone and I was sure he was speaking from personal experience, but I didn’t know how to ask him about it. Adam didn’t strike me as the type who opened up easily and he was already in a tense mood and yet… He was going to be my husband, shouldn’t I have the right to ask personal questions?

“You sound like you speak from experience,” I broached, shifting towards him.

“I do,” Adam told me in a clipped voice, but he did elaborate. “The Clanless are dangerous, Lilith, because they can go from sympathetic figure to monster in an instant, leaving destruction and violence in their wake.”

My eyes widened at the image he painted, trying to connect it with the vampires I had met. “Is that why you hate them?” I asked after a moment. “Because you think they are dangerous?”

“Because I know they are dangerous,” Adam corrected. “I know you disagree with me and I am open to working towards another solution, but yes, I believe they pose a danger to this city, one they may not even realize.”

He looked deep into my eyes, the controlled anger gone and replaced my genuine concern. “I would never forgive myself if something happened to you, Lilith. Once you agreed to be my wife, your protection fell to me, and that includes protecting you from dangers you might not even recognize.”

I wanted to protest, to tell him that Jax would never harm me, but the words wouldn’t come out. I resented being followed, disagreed with Adam’s opinion on the Clanless and yet it was hard to argue with his words and part of me was glad that he wanted to protect me since his world was so dangerous and I no longer had Adrian’s protection.

I didn’t trust Adam’s motivations the way I did Adrian’s, but I knew I could trust him to keep me safe. Even if I wasn’t convinced that Jax was really a danger to me. So instead of protesting, I just nodded. “I know.”

Adam smiled then, his arms wrapping around me, “good.”

I leaned into his embrace, marveling at how good it felt. Suddenly I wanted more and before I really knew what I was doing, I found myself leaning towards Adam, pressing my lips against his gently.

Like before, he responded instantly, immediately taking control of the situation once I’d initiated it. I wasn’t complaining though, his hands and lips felt so good against my skin.

Before I knew it, I was on my back on the bed and he was leaning over me, his lips trailing over my neck. Ohhh… It was just his lips though, no hint of fangs. I sighed into his touch, while impatiently reaching for the buttons of his shirt, though his touch made it harder to focus and my hands trembled. Still I managed to undo them all and Adam pulled away from me long enough to shrug his shirt off and throw it on the floor.

I took a moment to admire how he looked without a shirt and then he was kissing me again. This time it was his hands undoing the buttons of my pajama top, though they didn’t shake. Instead, he undid the buttons with expert precision and then pushed the top aside.

“You are beautiful,” Adam told me, his lips trailing across my collarbone and then lower. He paused. “May I?”

“Yes,” I moaned, barely aware of what he was asking, I just wanted him to touch me.

He lowered his mouth to my left breast while caressing my right in his hand, his movement slow and steady and very skilled. It felt so good and I wrapped myself around him, pulling him closer to me, trying to get as much of the feel of him as I could. Adam continued to worship my breasts with his mouth but his hands moved lower, easing my sleep shorts and underwear off and leaving me completely bare. His hands slipped between my thighs, teasing me.

“Adam…” I sighed and that seemed to be all the encouragement he needed. He eased two fingers inside of me, working them with expert precision, somehow knowing exactly what I needed. I tugged his head up, kissing him desperately as he continued to work his magic.

“That’s it,” Adam encouraged as I was close, “let me see you, Lilith, let me see you come apart for me.”

I was already so close and his words just acted as an added incentive, pushing me over the edge.

“Ohhhh,” I cried as I came, clinging to him. He kissed me again, gentler this time as the waves of pleasure receded. It suddenly occurred to me that he was still mostly dressed and I reached for his belt, but he stopped me, his hand resting on top of mine, stilling it.

“Not tonight. I want this to be about what you want Lilith and not just because I made you feel good.”

He’d made me feel very good and I was not at all opposed to making that a mutual thing, but at the same time, things had happened fast. Really fast. Was I ready for this? Suddenly I didn’t know the answer.

And that was apparently enough of an answer for Adam because he got up from the bed. “I can be very patient,” he assured me as he reached for his shirt and began to button it, “especially when it’s something worth waiting for.”

I blushed at the compliment and then started searching for my clothes. I dressed quickly, trying to figure out what I should say, but before I had a chance, Adam spoke.

“You should get some rest,” he told me, “tomorrow we’ll go over more of what’s expected of you, including introducing you to your security team.” I nodded, though I still wasn’t thrilled about the security team.

Adam turned towards the door and then paused, his hand resting on the doorknob. “Oh and Lilith?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve set up your account, so you should go shopping tomorrow, buy yourself some new pajamas or whatever else strikes your fancy. You’d look lovely in silk.”

With that he was gone, leaving me to contemplate both my cheap pajamas, my incredible orgasm and exactly what I’d just gotten myself into.
**