Page 27 of Light Magic

Breathing hard, I pushed to my elbows as Levi crouched beside me. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

The candles at the shelves’ ends came back to life, but kept their lights dim. It was enough for me to see something deep and dangerous in his blue eyes.

“I’m …” I pushed to my feet and scoffed. “This is ridiculous. I’m a monster magnet.”

“Sweetheart, are you hurt?”

Why did this keep happening to me? I was always the damsel in distress. At least this time, I had been able to deal with the monsters myself. The result: one freaking irritated and tired angel.

“Light, how I miss my magic.”

Levi stepped right to me, his giant figure looming over me. “Sweetheart, talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say? Why was I the only one attacked? It’s like these creatures know I’m vulnerable. They wait for me in the shadows, literally.”

Levi grabbed my shoulders. “Ariella, are you hurt?” He looked me up and down, as if expecting I was broken.

“See, even you know I’m breakable now.”

“Do you need me to take you to the infirmary?” he pressed, ignoring my comments. “Or maybe to Lacey?”

I slapped his hands away and took a large step back. “What the hell do you care?”

With a growl, Levi pushed into me and turned me around, caging me in against the bookshelf. With one hand, he cupped my jaw and neck, almost too tight, and the other he closed around my waist. He pushed his leg between mine, his thick thigh rubbing at a sensitive place.

He leaned his head toward mine. “I care, sweetheart,” he whispered, his mouth right at my ear. His breath washed over my neck, making me shiver. “I care more than I want to. I can't get you off my mind, and every time I close my eyes, I see you spread out on that table, writhing in pleasure and moaning for me.” His hand slid down from my waist to my ass, pushing me harder against him.

A half moan escaped my lips and it was all I could do not to grind my hips against his legs. I bet he could get me off just by whispering obscene stuff and rubbing me like this.

“I want you more than I have ever wanted anything in my life, and it has been torture to stay away from you.” He dragged his lips across my jaw and I shivered. “But I try, because I don’t know if this is really us, or if it’s the bond. And?—”

It was like a bucket of icy water.

I shoved my hands hard against his chest and he took a step back. Without his leg holding me, I almost fell forward, but was able to gracefully steady myself.

That didn’t stop me from glaring at him with all my might. “What the hell did you say?”

“Well, I thought I was about to make you come?—”

“About the bond!” I almost shouted. “What do you mean the bond? We broke it. Your sister helped me. The bond is gone.” Levi averted his eyes. Oh, no. “Tell me the bond is gone.”

His gaze found mine again, hard and intense. “The bond didn’t break, it changed.”

7

I marched away from him and back to the long tables, checking the shelf numbers to make sure I was going the right way. I could hear his footsteps behind me, but I was sure that if I turned to tell him to stop following him, I would punch him.

I knew where punching him had led before.

Abbie was hunched over several books and Lacey had come out of the shelves, carrying more books. Thankfully, Maggie, Gwen, and Britt were nowhere to be seen.

I stopped across the table from them, my head barely above the tall pile of books, crossed my arms, and asked, “Is there a bond connecting us? Levi and me, I mean?”

Lacey almost dropped the books and stared at Levi with huge eyes.

Abbie frowned. “Yes. Why?”

“But we broke it.” I stared at Lacey. “You and I broke the bond three weeks ago.”

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