Immortality Stolen (The Mortal One Series Book 2) by Shannon Bell Page A

Nico would be in charge when in Paris.
    “I am sending him as my second in command. For all intents and purposes, he is the sovereign. Understood?” Costin asked.
    I looked at Olivier in time to see him rolling his eyes. “Yes, understood.”
    I said good night to Nico with an audience on the line and hung up.
    “That was awkward,” Olivier commented. “You want to tell me who Violante is?”
    “No, not really,” I said. What I really wanted was for him to drop the conversation altogether and leave my hotel room so I could get some sleep. I was so tired and being up day and night these past few days was really not helping.
    “Let me rephrase that, then. Who is Violante?”
    “You’re relentless. She’s a vampire that’s based in Florence and has been after Nico for years. He’s never been interested, but she doesn’t give up. From what I can gather, she’s part of the inner circle. I don’t like her and she doesn’t like me. Now let’s drop it.”
    He let out a sigh. I knew he wanted to ask more questions about her, but he didn’t dare because I would lose it on him.
    “Are you tired?” He asked.
    I yawned on cue. “Yes.”
    “You look wide awake.”
    “I am wide awake and that’s a problem. I’m tired, physically. I need some sleep because I feel like I’ve been up around the clock. I never actually sleep anymore, I nap.”
    “I’ll nap with you,” he grinned.
    There was a part of me that thought about that. I always seemed to fall asleep better against someone. A little cuddling helped to put me at ease and lull me to sleep. Napping in a bed with Olivier seemed like a really bad idea, though. Violante at Nico’s place was bothering me more than it probably should have. I would have loved to find out what the two of them were working on, especially since he tried to dismiss her presence so quickly.
    “You’re thinking about Violante, aren’t you?” Olivier asked.
    I nodded. “I’m trying not to, but I want to know why she was there. I’m not the jealous type, but out of anyone that could be at Nico’s, she’s the one that bothers me the most.”
    Olivier scooted closer to me and put his hand on mine. “Nico would be crazy to cheat. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
    It was sweet of him to comfort me, even though I was pretty sure he would love to have Nico out of the picture entirely. “Thanks,” I said. “Now get out so I can get into my pajamas, lay here and pretend to go to sleep.”
    “I could stay around for a while if you want me to,” he offered.
    “I think we both know that’s a bad idea,” I said.
    He stared at me for a moment without saying anything. His gaze was making me uneasy and a little weak at the knees. Had things been different and had I not been married to Nico, I might have acted on what was between us. And Olivier knew it. That’s what made this so hard.
    “Your heart is racing,” he whispered, coming a little closer to me without touching.
    I didn’t know what to say. If I admitted that it was because of what he did to me, I would be betraying Nico and giving him a green light. If I lied, he would know it. I was screwed either way.
    “I need to get to bed,” I said, quickly getting off of the bed. I walked past him and held the door open. “Good night.”
    He bowed his head and took the hint. “Good night.”
    I shut the door and walked over to my luggage to find some pajamas. Everything was messed up from the flight but I found a satin tank top and capris to change into. I grabbed my toiletries and headed into the bathroom, cleaning up and brushing my teeth. By the time I had done all of that, the idea of sleep was finally reaching the surface.
    I heard the door to my hotel room open and rushed out to find out who had opened it.
    “What are you doing in here?” I asked as Olivier walked in. He didn’t say anything. He kept walking towards me. I bumped against the window behind me, my backside pressing against the glass in an effort to make room