When his head flopped to the side, Lexi held her breath while she waited for some sign he was alive, but he didn’t move. Just as she was beginning to think it was already too late, she caught the subtle rise and fall of his chest.
The air rushed out of her burning lungs, and she lifted her gaze to Cole. Anguish burned in his eyes and etched the lines of his face as he clasped his brother’s hand. She wanted to assure him it would be okay, but the words froze in her throat.
She couldn’t bring herself to lie to him by promising something that might not be true. Sahira was a talented witch, but she couldn’t perform miracles.
The clatter of bottles drew her attention to the doorway a second before Sahira rushed into the room with a tray full of supplies. She set the tray on the table Lexi had cleared.
“What was he stabbed with?” she asked.
“A fae sword,” Cole said.
“A fae sword?”
“Yes.”
“Made of fae metal?”
“Yes.”
Sahira’s eyes flew back to Brokk as Lexi’s hand went to her mouth. How is he still alive?
“Was it wielded by a fae?” Sahira asked.
“Yes,” Cole said flatly.
“Shit,” Sahira whispered.
That word summed it up. Fae metal through the heart was the only thing that could kill a fae, besides decapitation, yet as she watched, Brokk’s chest rose and fell once more.
The fae forged metal was the strongest in all the realms and a powerful weapon against their enemies, but they didn’t use it against each other. Apparently, that was no longer the case.
Lexi gulped at this insight into how far the two sides had devolved into their hatred of each other. If a fae had used a fae weapon against one of their kind, then all bets were off.
“So, the only reason he’s still alive is because he’s half vampire,” Sahira said.
“Yes,” Cole agreed.
Lexi’s hand fell from her throat. “I’ll get some blood.”
She turned and ran from the room. She took the stairs two at a time to the entranceway and sprinted past the stairs to the kitchen. Flinging open the doors of the fridge, she shoved aside the meager contents to grab a couple of bags of blood tucked into the back corner.
She closed the doors and ran upstairs. When she returned to the room, she discovered Cole sitting on the side of the bed. His hand rested on Brokk’s back as he propped his brother up so Sahira could pour a vial of green liquid into his mouth.
Lexi caught the scent of apples and pixie dust, but she had no idea what else was in the vial. She set the blood on the table before going to retrieve towels and water.
CHAPTER 29
“You’re injured,” Lexi said.
When Cole looked up from where he sat at Brokk’s side, Lexi gestured to his hand. It had stopped bleeding, but dried blood coated it, and when he turned his hand over, she saw the ragged edges of a raw gash.
Sahira looked up from where she was applying a healing salve onto Brokk’s chest. Her hands stilled as she glanced between the two of them while Cole stared at his hand. Lexi marveled at the size of that hand as he flexed his fingers.
“It’s healing,” he said and lowered it.
“We should still clean it,” Lexi said.
His gaze returned to his brother before shifting to Sahira as she rose away from Brokk. “I’ll take care of it,” she offered.
“It’s fine. Though, I should probably clean up.” Cole glanced around him and rose from the bed. “We got blood all over your things.”
“It’s fine,” Lexi assured him.
“I’ll replace them.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll show you to a bathroom and try to find you some clothes.”
“I can—” Sahira started at the same time Cole said, “Thank you.”
Lexi ignored her aunt’s irritated gaze as she moved toward the door. She felt Sahira’s eyes burning into her with every step, but she didn’t look back as she led Cole from the room and down the hall to one of the guest bathrooms.
She flicked on the light and hurried inside to remove the dust cloths from the vanity and toilet. She shoved them into the closet and pulled out a few towels that she set next to the sink.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
His skin remained paler than normal, and his eyes were dull when they met hers. Then his brow furrowed as his gaze latched onto her, and the silver bled out of his eyes. Lexi marveled over the abrupt change as they resumed their vivid blue color.
There was so much in those eyes, but also something raw and primitive, something far more lycan than fae, and something that wanted her.
That knowledge should terrify her; instead, she thrilled at it.
• • •
Cole started to reach for her when he recalled the blood staining his hands. He dug his nails into his palms as he lowered his hand.
He couldn’t touch her with blood on his hands, but the scent of her and the beauty of her hunter green eyes were difficult to resist. A clatter from Brokk’s room drew his attention, and he stepped away from her.
“I’ll be right out,” he said.
He entered the bathroom and closed the door. When he stepped in front of the mirror, his heart sank when he saw the amount of blood coating him. She never should have seen him like this.
He also realized washing his hands wouldn’t suffice though he scrubbed them before turning on the shower. A knock sounded on the door, and he opened it to discover Lexi standing there with an armful of clothes.
“My dad wasn’t as tall as you, but I found some of his biggest clothes. Hopefully, they’ll fit,” she said.
There was something sad and wistful about her as she held the clothes out to him. She misses him.
The thought struck him hard, as did the impulse to cup her cheek to offer comfort. He wasn’t one for comforting or for noticing others' feelings, but with her, things were different.
She was different. He had no idea why, but she was.
“Thank you,” he said as he took the clothes from her. “Your father was my friend and a good man. I miss him too.”
Her luscious mouth parted, and his gaze fell to those ripe lips as Sahira called to her.
“I hope they fit,” she whispered before rushing off to see the witch.
Cole closed the door, stripped out of his ruined clothes, and stepped beneath the hot spray of water. He watched the blood swirl down the drain until the water ran clear. He turned off the shower, dried himself, and dressed.
The jeans were too short on him and rose above his ankles. They were also a little too tight around the waist, but they fit well enough. The shirt pulled taut across his shoulders, and he might tear it if he moved his arms too fast.
When he opened the door, he discovered Lexi with her hand raised to knock.
“Oh,” she said, and her hand fell back to her side. “I thought you might need this.”
She held up a bottle of Sahira’s salve, and as he reached for the bottle with his good hand, her strawberry scent engulfed him. It was a scent he would never forget.
“I’ll do it for you if you’d like,” she offered.
The idea of her touching him was too enticing to resist. “Yes,” he said.
When he stepped aside, she pushed past him with far more authority than her slender frame and height would have conveyed. He almost smiled but stopped when he spotted Sahira studying him from Brokk’s doorway with blatant disapproval.
“How is he?” Cole inquired.
“He’ll survive,” Sahira said.
Some of Cole’s tension eased. “Thank you.”
Sahira’s eyes went past him, but before she could say anything more, he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. He understood Sahira’s disapproval; she didn’t think he was good for her niece, and she was probably right, but he didn’t give a shit.
He’d never denied himself something he wanted before, and he wasn’t about to start now.
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When he turned, he discovered Lexi standing by the sink with her head bent as she uncapped the bottle of salve. The aroma of herbs and spices filled the air, but they were so varied he couldn’t name any of them.
She turned toward him. “Come here,” she said.
With pleasure. But he kept that to himself as he walked over to stand across from her.
“Let me see your hand,” she said.
He liked this bossy side of her and smiled as he extended his hand. She grasped it tenderly and drew it toward her. When she poured some salve onto his palm and gently massaged it into the wound, all his amusement vanished.
Her touch caused his cock to harden as he imagined those slender fingers working their magic over his shaft. Her long lashes curled upward as she worked with a tenderness he’d never experienced from another before.
“What happened out there?” she asked.
“We ran into a group of rebels who weren’t happy to see us,” he said gruffly. “The dark fae left but returned to ambush Brokk.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
The lycan part of him, a part so close to the edge all night, surged to the forefront. Unable to resist touching her anymore, he cupped her cheek and savored the warmth of her silken skin against his palm.
Her fingers stilled, and her breath caught. For a minute, she didn’t move, and then her face tilted up, and her eyes met his. The freckles dotting the bridge of her nose were more visible in the light shining down on her.
She was so beautiful it was like a punch to the gut when those hunter green eyes, with their flecks of emerald, met his. Men would kill to possess her, and he would kill them to make sure she stayed safe.
His need to keep her safe increased as her breath warmed his thumb. His gaze fell to her mouth, and he ran his thumb over her pouty bottom lip.
She was a temptation more alluring than any siren, and he’d encountered a few sirens before. He’d resisted them; he couldn’t resist her.
Her warm breath tickled his thumb before he bent his head and replaced his thumb with his mouth. He braced himself for her to push him away, but she remained unmoving with her back against the sink as her fingers clenched his palm.
When she didn’t push him away, he ran his tongue across her lips and nearly groaned at the honey and strawberries taste of her. He could spend hours, days, years, kissing her, and he would never grow tired of the taste or the sensation of her lips yielding to his.
The lycan part of him broke free completely, and he completely forgot he was half dark fae as the wolf inside took control. His fangs extended, his claws lengthened, and a tingle raced up his spine as the transformation threatened to take over.
No! Not in front of her. Not like this.
He couldn’t recall a time when he’d lost such complete control of himself, because it had never happened. In all of his six hundred and seventy-two years, he’d never been on the verge of transforming without willing it to happen.
Then her mouth parted and her tongue met his. At first, it was hesitant and uncertain, but the longer they kissed, the bolder she became until she met each of his thrusts. He slid his hand into her hair and cupped the back of her head as he deepened the kiss.
He lost himself to the wonder of her as her fingers encircled his wrists. Cole had kissed more women than he could count over his lifetime, and he couldn’t recall a single one of them, but he would never forget her.
His hand fell to her waist and slid beneath her robe. The thin material of her shirt pressed against his palm as he gripped her hip. He drew her flush against him, letting her feel his rigid dick.
He released her hip to grip her ass and lifted her so she sat on the counter. Her shirt bunched in his hand, and he growled as he stroked her hip before squeezing it.
CHAPTER 30
Lexi’s head spun as Cole’s scent and the feel of his body bombarded all her senses. She stopped feeling the cool counter beneath her ass and stopped hearing the rapid beat of her heart as everything in her became focused on him.
Beneath her palms, the corded muscles of his biceps bunched and flexed as the vast amount of power thrumming through him vibrated against her. That power prickled her skin and made her pulse race. The scruff of his beard tickled her face, but she welcomed the delicious sensation.
She’d been around many powerful beings in her lifetime, but she’d never touched one like this before. And she’d never been kissed like this before. His kiss demanded more, and she willingly gave it.
Every thrust of his tongue, every touch of his hand, was designed to make her crave more, and it worked. She hadn’t known it was possible to feel so destroyed yet so found by a kiss.
It felt as if he was breaking every part of her down to the most basic element and recrafting it into something else, something made entirely for him. Was this what it meant to be shadow kissed?
But no, despite the name, she knew someone had to offer up a lot more than a kiss for that kind of complete possession to occur. Still, he was changing her on a fundamental level that left her shaken and alive in a way she’d never been before.
She couldn’t get enough of him.
Her hands slid under his arms and pressed against his back. She tried to draw him closer even as his arms crushed her against him. His hand entwined in her hair and pulled her head back to give him better access to her mouth.
This was going too fast. She’d never been touched in such intimate, knowing ways before, and she had to slow down. He was a dark fae, if she didn’t get control of this, she might never regain control, but her body completely disagreed with the rationale of her brain.
She jumped when a booming knock on the door reverberated throughout the bathroom. When she tore her mouth away, his forehead fell to rest against her temple as his hands possessively gripped her ass.
“Lexi!” Sahira called. “Is everything okay in there?”
Lexi’s chest heaved as she labored to catch her breath. She tried to wiggle away from Cole, but his arms remained locked around her, and the sound he emitted froze her. When he lifted his head and their gazes met, she blinked at the sight of the pure silver eyes staring back at her.
She’d never seen a lycan on the verge of losing control. However, those silver eyes were a clear indication the beast was close to the surface. It should terrify her, as an out-of-control lycan was one of the deadliest creatures in all the realms, but she couldn’t feel any trepidation with his arms locked securely around her.
For the first time, she felt his claws against her ass and saw the faint hint of a cipher at his temple. The outline of his fangs was visible against his closed lips.
If she wasn’t mistaken, he was on the verge of transforming. But as she stared at him, the cipher vanished, and his claws retracted.
She wondered how many ciphers he truly possessed. Immortals whispered that the dark fae hid some of their ciphers from the outside world. The more ciphers a fae had, the stronger they were, but many claimed they only revealed a small percentage of those ciphers to the world so they could conceal the true depth of their power from their enemies.
It made sense to her, but this was the first time she’d seen evidence of it. The emergence of that cipher was as much a sign of his loss of control as his silver eyes.
When his erection pressed between her thighs, she resisted rubbing against him. For a minute, they simply stared at each other. Then her gaze fell to his mouth, and yearning tore through her.
“Lexi!” Sahira called, and a note of panic tinged her voice.
Struggling to breathe, she stammered out a reply. “I’m fi-fine! I’ll be right out.”
His arms squeezed her, and she sensed his irritation as Sahira sighed. Then her aunt’s footsteps sounded against the rug as she strode away
She waited for him to release her, but he remained towering over her with his body locked possessively around hers.
“I should….” Lexi swallowed the lump in her throat. “I should go.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw, but finally, and with a reluctance evident in his slow movements, he released her and stepped away. Lexi tugged her robe close around her as she wiggled off the countertop.
She resisted the blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks, but it was a losing battle. With her cheeks burning, she finished tugging her clothes into place.
“I must admit, you are a bit irresistible in this,” he murmured.
When he gripped the lapel of her robe and his fingers played with the material, Lexi frowned. She didn’t own anything she would consider irresistible. She glanced down at the pink fabric, and her eyes widened when she spotted the tiny bunnies on it.
With her face burning hotter, she closed her eyes. In her rush to grab clothes from the closet, she hadn’t snagged her new, white, fluffy robe. Instead, she’d taken the robe she’d practically worn threadbare as a kid.
Unwilling to part with it, she stashed it in her closet when she outgrew it at twelve. And now she was wearing it in front of him.
“I was in a rush,” she muttered. “Someone woke me in the middle of the night.”
His burst of laughter caused her eyes to blink in surprise. The sound rumbling from him made her toes curl as much as his passionate kiss. It was such a vibrant, warm sound, so much like the man who issued it.
He was still laughing when his head lowered. His eyes were that piercing blue again when they met hers.
Lexi bit her lip as she gazed at him. He was gorgeous, and she longed to run her fingers over the angles of his face before entwining them in his hair and kissing him again. But if she kissed him again, she wouldn’t stop, and she was not prepared for where it would all lead.
“It’s adorable,” he said before releasing the robe. “I should return to Brokk.”
“Yes, of course.”
She started to edge away from him, but his hand on her face stopped her. He wiped something from her cheek. When his hand moved away from her, she realized it was some of the salve she’d put on his palm.
“Your hand—” she started.
“It’s fine,” he assured her as he held it up between them.
Shadows of Fire (The Shadow Realms, Book 1) Page 13