Page 121 of Lock Up the Darkness

Hold on a moment. Was she upset that I’d kept away? The thought had me loosening my grip, my thumb stroking over her cheek.

The relaxation of my touch had her eyes fluttering closed for a moment, before she then offered up the answer to my question freely. “We’ve just been hanging out. Studying with Killian, stunting on our bikes, him trying to get me to eat ice-cream, and Jonah’s been showing me around his workshop and the massive comic book collection lining the shelves in his room.”

I released her jaw and she took one last drag of my smoke, then butted it out in the ashtray on the table behind her.

“I see.”

“Playing, as you so eloquently put it, wasn’t really an option.”

“Sore, are you?”

“A little.”

“Hmm, just a little?” I tucked some of her hair behind her ear, smiling when she turned into my touch. “Impossible.”

“Fine, yes, impossible.”

“You can still feel me.” I tracked all the skin visible in her current outfit. “I mean, I do love seeing our marks on you. But that, knowing you can still feel me deep inside, that’s something else entirely.”

“Your possessiveness is showing.”

“I suppose it is. Does that bother you?”

“I guess it depends where you take it.”

“And where do you worry that might be?”

“I don’t know, maybe trying to pull me from this mission of ours.”

“You mean, the whole reason you’re here in our home? The whole reason the other night was able to happen? The whole reason you’ve been drawn closer to us? And the whole reason you’re standing in front of me right now showing me the real you beneath the bad bitch façade because you now feel comfortable to let your guard down with us—at least to an extent?”

She smiled. “Well, when you put it like that…”

I took her hand in mine. “You’re indispensable, essential, key… how many more synonyms do you need?”

“Maybe one more,” she answered coyly.

I grinned. “Irreplaceable.” I gave her hand a squeeze. “Happy? Convinced?”

“It’ll do. For now.”

“Always challenging me, little beast.”

She stroked my fingers. “I might have to start challenging you on Killian’s behalf if you don’t ease up.”

“Is that so?” I said, an edge in my voice that I was only able to hide slightly. It had me tightening my grip on her hand.

“Asher,” she grunted.

“Please. After the other night and our fight in the ring, I know it takes a lot more to hurt you. You’re far from fragile, Aurora.”

With two swift, definitive movements, she broke my grip on her hand, then shoved me back against the balcony wall. “Then don’t test me. I’m being serious about Killian. He’s hurting. You kept me from seeing the whole deal, what your punishment fully entailed, and you used Jonah to make sure I couldn’t take it in. But I know you hurt him and there were some things he let slip that enabled me to put more together too.”

“He got off easy.”

“You’re a bastard to them. To Killian especially”

I pushed off the wall and got up in her space. “I’m the only reason they’re still doing so well.”

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