Justus planted a lingering kiss against her slender neck. Never had such a simple act felt so intimate. He tasted her with his tongue and his heated breath bounced back against his face. The quietness of the room stilled him, and everything about her filled his senses. The round shape of her breasts showing off two hard tips that pressed against the fabric of her cotton shirt. How silky her hair felt when it brushed against his cheek. The sweet smell of her skin filled his nose like a bouquet. She was like nectar, and he couldn’t pull away.
Page was an orchid standing before him, full of grace.
Fragile.
Mortal.
His strong hand leisurely traced down her neck, the curve of her shoulders, and then fell to his side.
A pulse in her gaze caught his attention—one of inexperience. “Page, tell me you have at least been kissed.”
“Um, yes, I’ve been kissed. Just not quite like that,” she said, a secretive smile curving up one side of her mouth. “Not so… gently like that.”
Justus knew that he wanted to please this woman in every way.
Every. Conceivable. Way.
He cupped the sides of her neck and took a step forward, resting his cheek against hers. “Will you let me kiss you on the mouth?” he whispered against her ear.
His thumb traced along her jaw, feeling the motion of her head as she nodded. Had he sensed one flicker of reluctance, he would have backed away.
Page watched his mouth instead of his eyes and it didn’t look like she had taken a breath. Her eyes were so rich and dark that they ensnared him, drawing him into their mysterious depths. He noticed a tiny mark near the corner of her eye, and her upper lip had a pronounced Cupid’s bow.
She trembled against him.
“Cold?” he asked, immediately adjusting his body temperature to warm her.
Justus didn’t like to be touched. He tolerated sexual advances, but affectionate gestures were out. Page kept her hands to herself, and something about that bothered him… because he wanted her to touch him.
The moment their lips joined, a surge of power rushed through so many nerve endings that he stiffened. So much softer than he remembered and Justus broke contact, afraid that his power wasn’t quite in check.
Page began to babble nervously. “Oh, I forgot to mention that the blood that I—”
Justus cut her off with a passion-filled kiss. Wet. Soft. Tender.
He placed the flat of his hands against the wall, stroking his tongue against hers—coaxing her to do the same. And she did. Desire ached at the base of his spine when the kiss deepened.
The entire kitchen could have been set on fire from the heat licking off him, but Page didn’t back away as many women did at the sudden increase in his body temperature. In fact, she leaned in closer. His energy was under control, but his hands never floated south. Page was a woman of virtue, and only the scum of the earth would wipe his hands on her like a dirty dishrag.
“Justus, wait. Stop.”
He stumbled back and tipped over a chair. Panic seared him like a third-degree burn; he should have never pushed her. “Apologies. I should leave.”
“No, wait. It’s not you. I’m just not used to feeling so…”
Adored?
“I don’t know how to act with you, Justus. I can’t figure out why you keep coming around, especially after seeing me so sick. I’m not…” She struggled with a thought before shaking her head. “I’m a Relic. You’re a Mage.”
He stepped forward until they were inches apart. “I’m a man. You’re a woman.”
“But I’m not like those women,” she said, pointing to the side as if one might appear in the room. “This is me; this is all that I am.”
Justus wasn’t about to have this woman spend another second thinking that she was anything less than the luster of a diamond.
“You have a brilliant light that is unparalleled by any Mage. You shine. If men have not treated you well, it’s because they were blind. You are… radiant,” he said in a voice that fell to a breath. Justus dipped his head low so that he spoke against her temple. “We’re different, but we’re not so different. I feel a connection with you, Page. One I’ve never felt with a woman before. You intrigue me, and it has nothing to do with the immunity you possess. I had a dream you were standing on the edge of the earth, and I have this feeling even now that you might step off and I’ll lose you. If a kiss is all I’m allowed, then it is all that I deserve. Oh, mon ange,” he whispered in a rough voice. “I want to show you how beautiful you are.”
She looked up at him contemplatively.
Had he really just spoken to her like some kind of poetic fool?
“I need time to think about it.”
He bowed his head respectfully. “As you wish.”
Chapter 20
The horn on the L train blared in the distance. Darkness filled every crevice of the street corner, from the cracks in the sidewalks to the sides of the buildings where trash piled up. There was a bakery a few beats up the street, but I needed privacy and chose to meet Logan in front of the old apartments on Thirteenth that caught fire several years back. They never sold the property, nor had they demolished it. The windows were boarded up and the fire escape had been dismantled to deter the squatters.
Despite the chill, my hands were toasty warm inside my coat pockets.
Footsteps behind me crunched on freshly fallen snow—only enough to sheet the sidewalks, but the wind blew it around like dandelions caught in the summer breeze. By the long stride, I knew it was Logan.
“I’m glad you came,” I said, keeping my back to him.
“Do you want to tell me why I’m here?”
I didn’t have to look to know Logan was mad, and it oozed off his words like venom.
“To talk it over privately. We haven’t officially ended this; we keep racing to our corners, waiting for the bell. But I don’t want to swing anymore, Logan. I want you to know that I’ve chosen Tarek and I’m not going to change my mind.”
“How do you know that?” he interrupted. Even a few feet apart, I could feel the raw emotion as he towered over me. “People change. I’ve changed.”
“Maybe I should have accepted you the way you were. I want you to know that you deserve to find someone who can give you all the things you need; I’m just not that person.”
“Clearly,” he said in a cutting voice. “Turn around and face me.”
I kept a cool head, but I’d also strategically chosen the side of the street where the wind would be in my favor. When I turned around, I stared into a hunter’s eyes. Logan wore a stylish black jacket, unzipped, with a dark green T-shirt. A leather belt caught my eye because of the silver buckle that looked like a paw, but then I realized it was a common style with men and was supposed to be brass knuckles. He looked so handsome that I wanted to run into his arms one last time.
He lowered his head, his arms hanging at his sides. “I’ve taken another female.”
“Does this mean you’ll leave me alone?”
He bit his lower lip.
My hands made tight fists in my pockets. “Say what you need to say; this is your chance.”
Logan stepped forward with the power and confidence that he always exuded. He sucked in a deep breath that sounded like a hiss. “I don’t think I will ever understand why you chose him. I have turned my life around to be a better man—a worthy man—and while I could forgive you for Christian…” He lowered his head and shook it adamantly. “I cannot forgive you for Tarek.”
His eyes were those of a prosecuting attorney and I was the defendant.
“Tarek knows what’s important to me, and he’s promised me things. As a Lord’s mate, I’ll have everything I could possibly want. Tarek can offer me absolute protection, and I wouldn’t have to constantly be on the run or hiding from Nero.”
Which was true. Tarek might not have any feelings for me, but he was possessive enough that he wouldn’t let another man have me.
“So then it’s
money? I would have never thought you for a gold digger. You wouldn’t even let me buy you an expensive dinner!”
That burned.
“Buying me an expensive dinner was nothing but an attempt to impress me with money, so don’t be a hypocrite. You know that wealth and power mean something to an immortal, and Tarek has more than you do.”
Logan stepped close enough that I got nervous he might pick up my scent, but the wind blew from behind him. I feared that I would somehow be transparent and he’d see through all this and take me into his arms, swearing to protect me. Deep down, a part of me wanted that and was saddened it would never be.
Logan brooded. “If I had power, would that be enough for you to choose me? If I challenged to be Lord—”
“Where is that even coming from? You can’t be Lord; you aren’t the eldest.”
“There are other ways if the eldest refuses to challenge.”
“Don’t start this, Logan, because you’ll end up being a lonely Lord. I will never choose you and I’m so fucking exhausted from having this argument.” I stepped forward until we were in arms reach. “Never. Ever.”
Logan reached out and lightly touched my shoulder. Faster than a heartbeat, my hand unsheathed a dagger from inside my jacket. I gripped his long hair and held the sharp blade to his throat, just below his right ear. Logan might have been taller, but I had the upper hand.
He tilted his neck and offered himself, eyes glittering with ferocity, but still gold.
I angled the dagger and swiped my arm in a quick motion. Logan jumped back in shock, eyes wide as I stood with my blade in one hand.
In the other was the long length of his blond ponytail, sliced from his head.
With that one action, I cut his chances with me. He reached around, stroking his fingers through the ends of his short hair. I couldn’t read his expression, and I didn’t want to. This was the only way to extinguish the torch he carried for me—the only way to keep him from harm.
His beautiful blond bundle of hair fell to the wet cement. A symbol of his love placed at my feet to tread on.
I didn’t think that a word could possibly move past my lips that wouldn’t be followed by tears.
The length of my walk up the street never felt so arduous. I glanced once over my shoulder and in the distance, Logan stood with his back to me, staring down at a pile of hair that rested at his feet like a forgotten dream. A quiet snow began to fall within my soul as I watched him motionless on the corner of Thirteenth Street.
The man who had once wrapped his generous arms around me and called me his Little Raven would finally close his heart to me.
Now and forever.
***
The following day, a package arrived from Tarek filled with the contents of what I would be wearing to my engagement party that evening. As my neck was already adorned with a silver necklace, he sent no jewelry. This chain would likely be hooked around my neck for the rest of my life. I lifted the champagne-colored gown from the box and tiny sparkles caught the light. Unlike the harlot dress, this strapless gown would fall to my ankles and float with elegance. A smaller black box sat inside the larger one, and when I opened it up, I lifted a golden hairclip and turned it between my fingers. Shaped like a flower, tiny diamonds were meticulously placed within each petal.
After applying my lipstick, a panic attack took over and I raced into my bedroom and slammed the door. I’d never hyperventilated before—there wasn’t enough air and my hands were shaking. Justus had left thirty minutes prior upon my request because Tarek would be sending a car to pick me up. He was still upset with me, so it would have made the wait unbearable. I held a convincing argument, but I could tell Justus was embarrassed by my decision and no longer respected me the way he once had.
I’d had little sleep the night before. I tossed and turned in the bed as my mind raced and continually replayed the devastating scene of slicing Logan’s hair. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamed about it. I saw images of myself falling into an abyss until I landed in a pile of blond hair. Sorrow consumed me, and anger. A figure emerged from the darkness and I looked up, expecting to see Tarek. But instead, it was Nero. He merely watched, shaking his head as the soft hair below my feet transformed into baby’s breath. Something happened after that, but I couldn’t remember it. I woke up from the dream feeling strangely calm and safe, and I was able to sleep for a few hours after that.
“Silver, open the door,” Christian said impatiently.
I staggered, dizzy as the room began to spin. The dress itched and the necklace felt like it was strangling me. The pounding on the door grew louder.
Right before he kicked it in.
Christian walked in like a breeze, gripped my shoulders firmly, and swallowed me up with his serious black eyes. I was distracted by the fact he was wearing a formfitting black suit, skinny tie, and had neatly combed his dark hair. Now he just looked like a Vampire going to a ball.
“You can’t afford to panic yourself. Tarek will scent your emotions,” he warned in a steady, calm voice. “Shut ’em off for the night, you hear? Let’s play this game out. Once he sees that Logan has settled on another woman, he’ll reconsider spending the rest of his days with a Mage whom he reaps no personal gain from.”
“This necklace,” I said, tugging at it. “It makes me feel mortal. I don’t like not feeling my gifts, Christian. I’m too vulnerable this way. Something could happen.”
“Calm yourself, lass. You forget that I can keep a paper doll safe in a raging inferno,” he promised with a crooked smile.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
***
We had arrived at Tarek’s home for the party. It was atrociously large, filled with expensive paintings, furniture, and décor. Everything about it reeked of the braggart who stood at my side, clasping my arm in his. Most of the women present were Chitahs, and every single one of them speared me with her gaze as I took the place where a female Chitah should be.
The men were skeptical of the pairing until Tarek assured them that he would be taking at least one female Chitah to mate with and bear his young.
“It was such an unfortunate accident with your eldest, Torin, but some things happen for a reason. It is a great honor to see you as the Lord of our Pride,” a man said, bowing meekly. Tarek ate up the groveling, although he tried to look bored by it as he floated his attention elsewhere.
A beautiful woman in a long black gown approached. She wore no perfume, but her skin shimmered with some kind of fairy dusting. As she walked by the men, their noses lifted in the air, as if a heavenly scent trailed behind her. She had glossy hair that was almost white, and her attention was all over Tarek.
“Good evening, Sire,” she purred. “It’s been a long time. I see you’ve been doing well?”
“Not as well as you, Jasmine. You look good enough to eat,” he growled. After a moment of familiar silence between them, he absently jerked me to his side. “This is Silver; she is to be my mate.”
Jasmine barely flicked an eye at me as she ran her long red nail across Tarek’s hand. Female Chitahs always had their eye on the prize.
“So nice to see you again, Tarek. Do call.” I felt a tremor go through him as she turned away, and his greedy eyes watched as her hand stroked down her shapely hip.
“That’s the kind of female you should be,” Tarek mumbled.
“Desperate?”
An hour into the party, a few business associates pulled Tarek away. I dragged Christian into an empty hallway by his tie. “Where the hell is Justus?” I said through clenched teeth.
“Something came up. He won’t be making it. Nor Simon.”
Disappointment flared. Sunny couldn’t attend because they had taken a short trip out of town for the night to close out some storage space Knox was renting. “So that’s how it is?”
“It’s an emergency; that’s all I know.”
“What happened?” I glanced over my shoulder to confirm we had privacy. “Please tell me no one is
hurt or in trouble.”
“Remember what I said about bottling up those emotions, lass? I don’t know a fecking thing. I only got the text.”
“Why don’t you get your lucky charms and see if you can find out what happened?”
“You know, the Irish jokes are getting a wee bit old,” he grumbled. “That mouth of yours will get you into more trouble than you know.”
I folded my arms. “I have a black belt in sarcasm, Christian. Deal.”
Not a moment too soon, Tarek briskly walked up on us. His Mohawk had been trimmed shorter and the buzz on both sides of his head looked like his hair was finally meeting up at the same length. He tightened his fingers around my upper arm and pulled me down the hall.
“We have an important guest, so try not to wander off.”
I nearly tumbled over my stupid heels as he hurried me into the next room.
Tarek’s arm slid down my back like cream, but that’s not what made me shake. Across the room, my eyes fell upon a tall man with a penetrating gaze. His short blond hair had been shaped into a choppy cut, but it was still longish on top. Logan looked devastatingly handsome. The short hair brought out the strength of character in his face; the hard, cut jaw; and the deep-set eyes that absorbed the light and glimmered. He usually kept his face shaved, but stubble had grown in. He had managed to steal Tarek’s thunder by drawing the attention of every woman in the room.
Logan’s presence radiated power.
Without the distraction of his long hair, his shoulders were remarkably broad and assertive. Logan didn’t go all out with his attire but dressed in a casual white button-up and grey slacks. I glanced down and noticed his trademark black sneakers. A hint of anger sparked on Tarek’s face when he caught sight of him. Maybe he was trying to process the new hairstyle and meaning behind it, but he most certainly did not appreciate that Logan Cross was the center of attention at Tarek’s own engagement party.
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