Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
I tear my eyes off of him with effort, finding Saint’s on mine across the table.
I shiver at the way he tilts his head, the predatory hunter shining through. He smirks, just a small crack in the corner of his mouth.
I shake my head and shovel more food in my mouth.
It’s going to be a long vacation.
CHAPTER 5
Dagon
“It’s frustrating as fuck,” I say.
“It’s only been a week,” Talon chides me as we walk along the edge of the beach.
Saint grunts in what I assume is agreement. His eyes flit ahead to where Aurora and Annika are about a half-mile in front of us, drinking in the moonlight.
“I know,” I grumble. I’m irritable. Tonight’s venture over to the island next door wasn’t as replenishing as I would’ve liked. I couldn’t find one volunteer feeder I wanted to drink from, something about each of them smelling off. Maybe the humans were sick and they didn’t know. Saint struggled too, and we both ended up shooting the canned shit just to make ends meet. “Still,” I continue. “She has a wealth of power inside her. I know it. I can sense it. But it’s like there’s this massive block in the way of setting it free.”
“You didn’t immediately understand your power,” Talon says, shaking his head. “It took practice.”
Lots of practice. It doesn’t matter that it was centuries ago. I remember the training period of my existence well. “I’m aware of that,” I say. “But water is the easiest.” I motion an arm toward the midnight ocean churning onto the beach where we walk. “It’s readily available,” I continue.
Even now, without trying, I can feel the ebb and flow of the waves, the subtle, constant movement. It’s like knowing when someone else is in the room with me. The feeling is hard to describe and apparently, even harder to tap into.
Annika’s laughter from ahead of us pricks my ears to attention. The girls glance back at us before quickly looking ahead again.
“What are they talking about?” I ask at the same time Saint says, “Did Aurora just laugh?”
“None of us know,” Talon answers me first. “Because we’re all being gentlemen and not eavesdropping, correct?” He cocks a brow to Saint.
“Correct,” he answers, but I have to wonder if he’s listening in.
The temptation is real. I know the girls need space to breathe, but damn, when Annika laughs like that, I can’t help but want to know what caused it so I can reproduce it in the future.
Fuck. I shouldn’t want to make her laugh. I’m her teacher. A source of information. Nothing more.
It didn’t feel that way last week at the waterfall. Not when I’d gotten close enough to catch her scent—an intoxicating combination of cinnamon and salt and something warmer. It haunts me. That and her laugh. And her eyes. Her lips.
Fucking hell. The female is under my skin. I think it has more to do with her attitude than her looks, but she is the most stunning creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. And after having centuries to look, that’s saying something.
“Aurora has walls up too,” Saint says, pausing on the beach as the girls do the same up ahead.
“Aren’t you responsible for a lot of those walls?” Talon asks. “In a good way?” he hurries to add.
Saint slides his hands in his pockets, tearing his gaze from Aurora to the water stretching out before us. He shrugs. “Some. Some she built on her own, whether intentional or not. It’s a protective instinct. Annika could be doing the same thing.”
“You think Annika is afraid of something?” I ask.
Another shrug. “Our powers are tied to our emotions.”
“I’ve been telling her that,” I say.
“Maybe she’s afraid of one in particular,” he presses. “Whatever it is, and the fear around it, could be what’s holding her back.”
I furrow my brow, nodding. “I know you’re right, but it’s hard to picture her scared of her own power. Especially when she seems desperate to control it, to be an asset to her family.”
“Maybe it’s not the power she’s afraid of,” Talon says. “What happened when she turned her chamber into a frozen wasteland? What triggered that response?”
I swallow hard, the memory of finding her stark naked, ice crystalizing over everything, crashing back into me. “She was bathing.”
Both Saint’s and Talon’s eyebrows raise.
“Seriously?” Talon asks.
I nod.
“There’s likely only two things she could’ve been feeling in that bath,” Talon presses.
My skin grows tighter at the thought.
“Anxiety,” Saint offers. “Baths help regulate emotion, promote relaxation.”
“Or,” Talon says, eying me. “She was—”
“Maybe she was just getting clean,” I cut over him.
Talon laughs.
“What?” I snap. “Maybe she was.”
“And magically the bathing chamber froze over?” Even Saint sounds like he doesn’t buy it. “Does she have panic attacks?”
“Not that I’ve seen,” I answer with a sigh.
“Sometimes when Aurora has one, her power unleashes like an explosion.” A muscle in Saint’s jaw ticks. “I can feel it when it happens.”