Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91002 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 455(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
She swallowed. “I have a lot to thank you for.”
He closed the closet door before leaning against the corner of the wall, then studied her for a time before saying, “No, you don’t.”
Emotion bubbled up. “You saved my life.”
“That was a pleasure first. A duty second. And an ‘I told you so’ third.” He smirked. “The last negates your need to say thank you.”
She bit her lip as tears came to her eyes. “You and Niamh showed me that I’m not the biggest monster in this outfit. Not by far. I would balk before doing the things you and she did. That Edgar got really into. His…display turned my stomach.”
Tristan grimaced. “Yeah. That vampire.” He released a breath. “Thank God Niamh stopped him before he tried to hollow out the eye sockets and implant the testicles. Like…what?”
His bewilderment made her smile.
“The things I did were always out of necessity,” she said. “I got good at them because I had to. We had to survive. I never felt like I had a choice.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her emotions so damn raw from this morning’s meeting. She felt so vulnerable. It was hard to button it all up.
“I told you—you don’t need to do stuff like that, not anymore. I’ll handle it. Niamh will. Edgar would love to. You can choose the life you want now, Natasha. You’re in danger, so you have to stick with us, but you don’t have to get your hands dirty. You don’t have to do the things that you despise yourself for.”
A tear overflowed and trailed down her cheek. “I know,” she whispered. “It feels like I’ve been cut loose, but not pushed away. It’s like…I no longer have chains tying me down. I no longer have to solely shoulder the burden of Sebastian’s fate.” Another tear fell. “B-but…” She wiped her cheeks. “What if I’m given a choice and decide I don’t want the white picket fence? What if I don’t mind taunting an enemy with a knife to his balls? What sort of person does that make me?”
His grin was wicked. “Magical. As you said, you aren’t the biggest monster on this team.”
She studied him: his loose, easy confidence, his infallible swagger. For once, his eyes didn’t turn guarded. His walls and defenses didn’t come up while she assessed him. It was like he was allowing her to take a good look. Trusting her when usually he didn’t trust anyone.
“I owe you thanks for something else, too.” She licked her lips.
His gaze rooted to her mouth. “I don’t want thanks. I want to make you beg.”
Heat infused her cheeks, her body. She rolled her eyes, hearing the humor in his voice. She didn’t mistake the hunger in his eyes, though. What would it be like to take him up on that? To feel his powerful body pressing her into the mattress?
She cleared her throat. “The energy magic. The books. I’ve been practicing.”
“Good.”
“You directed me toward a magic that could essentially control you.”
“One hopes you’ll eventually be that good, but right now, I think I’m much too hardheaded.”
“But…you know what I mean. You willingly helped me with a magic that could render you vulnerable to me if I so chose.”
It was his turn to study her. “And?”
“And…” She shrugged. “You don’t seem like a guy who allows people to make you feel vulnerable.”
The silence stretched this time as he surveyed her. “You’ve made me feel vulnerable since the first moment I laid eyes on you. The effect you have on me is so strong, I thought you were a sprite. I’m not worried about you trying to control me any more than you’re worried I’ll kill you and turn you inside out.” His eyes sparkled with humor. “You have a good heart, Natasha. When you love, you love completely. You won’t do me wrong with that magic, just like you wouldn’t do Sebastian wrong. Or Jessie. If you want to use it to make me fall to my knees and worship between your thighs…it won’t take much energy. I’ll already do that gladly.”
He winked and pushed away from the wall. “Get some sleep. It’s been a long night and a longer morning. We’re all tired.”
He turned to go, and she had the sudden desire to pull him back to her. To paste him to her side as a shield in case nightmares should come. In case she heard sounds and thought the enemy was closing in on her again. With that gargoyle-monster standing in the way, nothing would get to her, not even her ghosts.
But she didn’t reach out for him and instead took a deep breath. She was just tired. Raw and tired. She was trying to latch on to him like a security blanket, and she needed to put on her big-girl pants.