Page 45 of Touched By Death

I don’t know what I expected.

Maybe I thought she’d look different.

“Are you okay?” she asks, her brows pulling down as she takes a step toward me.

Forcing my tense shoulders to relax, I return her smile and rub at my neck. “Sorry, I’m just tired.”

Her frown smooths out, and she trails the tips of her fingers across the navy, silk bedsheets on her way over. I count each step, watching her short skirt dance against her toned thighs.

“I was thinking about that kiss you denied me.”

Fuck me.

I clear my throat, cursing the jolt of pleasure that shoots straight to my dick when she looks at me with those hungry, brown eyes that somehow glitter with a deceptive innocence I can’t place. It does wicked things to my body.

“It’s all I’ve been thinking about,” she admits, coming to a slow stop in front of me. Her wings flex behind her as she reaches out to trace one of the short sleeves with her finger. Her touch grazes my skin and sends electric jolts everywhere she touches.

I grit my jaw, willing myself to stay strong. To not succumb. Not until I know for a fucking fact that it’s not Aurelia. Besides, she doesn’t return my feelings, and fuck if I’m gonna get lost in her while she thinks of my cousin.

No fucking way.

“You have feelings for me,” she purrs seductively, her eyes flicking up to mine and holding me entrapped in that silent siren song of hers that pulls me closer.

“Yes…” There’s no point in lying.

“What would Daemon say?”

The truth is there, in the slight curve of her lips. My father was right. Aurelia wouldn’t want to hurt Daemon.

Stay away from him, sure, but mindlessly toy with fire like this? No… Ever since she found out about the engagement, she’s hidden away, using me as a shield.

As she plasters on a more demure look, I look past her to the open door. I need to get out of here somehow. There’s no question as to her intentions when she looks at me with that heated gaze. Since she feeds on fear and chaos, I also have a sneaking suspicion that she feeds on emotional chaos, too. She’s certainly stirring it now as she steps even closer, her tits pressing up against my chest.

“Why don’t you touch me, Dmitriy?” That small hand of hers encircles my wrist and guides my hand to her soft breast. Fingers twitching, I bite back a groan as I look down to see my hand engulfing her bust. Aurelia’s tits aren’t big; they’re a perfect handful. The urge to pull down her dress is messing with my head.

I’m saved from further torment when the sound of heavy footsteps echoes through the hallway, closer and closer. Daemon comes to a stop in the doorway, bouncing his gaze between us with suspicion written all over his face. That’s when I realize my hand is still on her breast.

Fuck.

I drop it like I’ve been burned, but it’s too late. Fury burning in his gaze, he strides up to me and clocks me in the fucking jaw. Pain explodes, and I stumble back, only just managing to catch myself on the bedside table. He’s on me then, and we go tumbling to the floor, fists flying in a flurry of growls and flapping wings.

“You get your filthy fucking hands off her.” Another blow to my face stuns me temporarily before I get the upper hand and roll us over. With my knees on either side of his hips, I flare my wings behind me and ram my fists into his furious face. Blood explodes from a cut on his brow, and he shoves me off. Spitting a wad on the floor, he swipes the back of his hand over his forehead, wiping away the excess of blood, but it keeps pouring.

I barely duck out of the way when he shoots a fireball at me, the flame singeing my cheek. With a curse, I roll to the side, sit back up, and erect a firewall between us. One he must cross if he wants to get to me.

We glare at each other over the dancing, crackling flames.

“You fucking touched her!” he snarls, teeth reflecting the orange glow. “You had your damn hands on her.”

A cursory glance in Genesis’s direction confirms my suspicion. She’s feeding on the conflict in the room—a true vampire in her own right.

I hold out a hand, palm facing up. “It wasn’t like that.”

He snarls, lips peeling back further over his sharp teeth. Alaric and Ronan shadow him, pacing in the background with their eyes pinned on me, awaiting the command to rip me to shreds for laying a hand on their woman.

Fuck everything to Hell. It’s not like I can tell them about Genesis now. How she tried to seduce me and fed on the emotions warring inside me, as well as the sexual energy in the room. I can’t tell him any of that. Not when he’s defending his territory. There’s no getting through to him now. Not when the alpha in him flexes its metaphorical wings in a bid to chase off competition.

“Look…” I say, keeping my voice low so as not to aggravate him further. He’s already snarling like a provoked wolf, and I don’t blame him. If that were me, walking in on a scene like that, I’d do the same. “I am not after your angel, alright? I won’t steal her from you.”

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