Page 48 of Petals for Vicious Secrets

“Son of a bitch,” Hope couldn’t see the embarrassment in Nina’s eyes now looking at the floor of the cellholt. “You are not a low being, Nina. Don’t believe that for a minute.”

Nina looked at her, her blue eyes as honest as the first time Hope had seen them. “I know. It’s just how panoms usually see the rest of people who aren’t powered by magic,” she hesitated, and then added, “Ironically, it was another panom, the one who saved me from death. The one who convinced the Organ’s heir to discard me instead.”

“Why did this panom care about you?” Hope asked. She knew that if she ever ended up becoming a full panom, she would not treat the rest of the world like inferior beings.

“He is from the West House. You know, the one we lived in and my parents worked at before they were…” Nina closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. “He must have done some sort of bargain with the Organ’s heir. Because that panom being would accept nothing unless he gains something from it.”

Hope looked at Nina, stroked her arm gently. She could imagine how scared she must have been while they were bargaining with her life. And how desperate she had been to even take the chance at trying to get discarded to find her brother.

“Who is the panom who saved you life?” Hope asked.

“Ciaran Castel, the heir of the West House,” Nina said with a half-smile.

Hope nodded, silently registering that name, and she added, “And I guess the son of a bitch that called you low being and threatened to kill you… If he’s the Organ House’s heir, Rhei Coralt is also his father and therefore he’s my half-brother.”

Nina’s eyes widened, then narrowed, scanning Hope. “I never realized you have the same black hair and full lips as Jake Coralt.”

29

Lenna

Lenna grinned at the golden feline cub rolling happily on the floor of the Coronary Atrium. There were some of her spare golden sparks floating around it, still trying to find somewhere to go in this new being she just created.

“I shouldn’t be surprised about your soul animal being a big cat,” Jake said next to her, a hint of a smile in his voice.

“She’s not a big cat, you idiot. She’s a tiny, cute lynx cub.” She kneeled down and extended her hand to stroke its glowering golden fur.

The cub happily leaped towards her and moved her head to adjust the stroke from her master in a more comfortable way. The golden animal twisted her mouth to Lenna’s stroking hand and bit it sharply before running to the other side of the room, making Lenna do a high-pitched scream. “Tiny cute bastard, is what she is!” she shouted, her jaw dropping.

Jake laughed, tilting his head back. “That is literally the best representation an animal could have done of your soul,” he said. “All nice and cute on the outside, probably also cute on the inside, but ready to rip your head off should you attempt to approach her.”

Lenna Took the blood drops from her finger and Gave a tissue to her other hand so she could press the wound. She lifted her gaze to Jake. “Nice and cute on the outside? Is that your best description of my outside?”

Jake’s eyes glowed. He started walking towards her as he said, “What about attractive and sexy as fuck, with these ridiculous golden eyes that rip souls apart, and this fire hair of yours that can burn a man down?”

Lenna put her now scarred-but-not-bleeding finger on her lips, thinking. “Better,” the corner of her lips curled upward.

Jake continued walking until he was standing right behind her, but she didn’t move. He lowered his head until he was speaking straight into the spot underneath her ear. “If you thought the show you put on at the House two weeks ago with your “trainer” will make me want you more, you were Cardinals-damned right, sweet fire.” His breath on her neck was warm, and she might have arched her back a little at the sound of his grave voice. He seemed to notice, because he leaned closer, smelling her hair as if he couldn’t resist it.

“Don’t think I have forgotten what you looked like during your Fifth Ceremony.” He smiled and Lenna felt the muscles of his cheek moving against her skin as he did so. “You and your gold, sweet fire, have been chasing my dreams.”

“Pity that I am sharing my rooms with another man,” she said. Because she would not talk about how he had been appearing in her own dreams. Too fucking often.

“Pity that you haven’t fucked that man yet, so I can hear your moans through the walls,” Jake whispered.

She had had no interchange with Theon after his very pleasant but short welcome. Not in any way that didn’t involve their usual banter, actual training or going out with Ciaran and the others. Mainly because she had spent so many hours in the Coronary Atrium with this busybody.

“You had that pleasure when you were staying in the North House, didn’t you? You have always been a creepy stalker.” Lenna spun around over her feet, ending up extremely close to his gorgeous face and full lips.

“I wasn’t the one moaning through the gardens,” he said. He did not take a step back even though they were so close that Lenna could see dark blue dots on his silver irises. “I need to show you something useful about your mark,” he said, the corners of his lips curling upwards. Lenna nodded, giving him permission, trying to stay calm at the fact of where her four petal mark was in her body.

“Don’t kick my balls, okay? They are very precious,” he added, making Lenna snort.

He closed his hand in front of her chest, leaving the skin and the bottom part of her lacy white bra exposed as he Took a chunk of her shirt away.

“Golden skin, golden sparks, golden ink, golden mark,” he said, placing his index finger on the top petal of her panom mark between her breasts, tracing its shape. It tickled her skin.

“Golden heart too,” Lenna winked, trying not to shiver at his gentle touch. At imagining precisely where she wanted that finger to be.

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