Page 45 of The Demon Mark

Her intent had been to run him off with that, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Instead, he burst into laughter and dragged a chair over to sit beside her. “Is that so? I hadn’t guessed that I made you so angry, oracle.”

“You make me ridiculously angry.”

“The last time we saw each other, I didn’t think you were... irritable.”

The suggestion in his words was nearly enough to make her bite him. He was eluding to the moment where she had kissed him. Where he had kissed her. Where they had kissed each other in a very horrible choice that neither of them should have made. It was a silly moment and one she should not repeat, no matter how much he begged her to do so.

“I’m not interested in this conversation. If you are only here to talk to me about that moment of weakness between the two of us, then you can leave.”

“I have no intention of leaving. I’m more interested in looking at your work.”

She refused to even look at him. With her back to him now, she moved her easel and acted as though she was about to start another drawing. She carefully removed this one off the easel, and then laid it on a bench behind her.

But he was still here. He didn’t even move as far as she could tell by listening. And the weight of his stare was grinding upon her senses.

“You know,” he intoned some time later. “This one kind of looks like breasts if you unfocus your eyes.”

That was it.

Spinning around, angry words caught on the tip of her tongue, she glared at him where he was holding one of her drawings. She marched over to him and snatched it out of his grip with a harsh huff of breath. “It does not.”

“Oh good, you’ve decided to acknowledge that I exist.” He stood, and she was crowded by his size.

It was so much easier to deal with him when he was sitting down. He was unnaturally large and a man like him shouldn’t be so overwhelming with the sheer size of his body. He didn’t deserve to have all that stolen power from other people and to be physically intimidating. She didn’t like it.

So she stood toe to toe with him, refusing to move as he loomed over her like some hulking beast. “I know you exist. It would be impossible to ignore someone like you.”

“Good, I don’t like it when you ignore me.”

“Do you have a reason for being here, or did you just decide that you were also bored?”

“Bored, are you?” He arched a dark brow and those emerald eyes sparked. “I can think of plenty of ways for you to entertain yourself.”

She knew what he meant. How could she not when she could feel the heat wafting off of him? Rather than play into this game he seemed so intent to play, she sniffed loudly and then took a step back.

She took her time looking him up and down, letting her eyes linger on all the parts of him that he likely wanted her to see. The broad expanse of his shoulders. The thickness of his thighs in those tight pants. She even let her eyes trail over the bulge between his legs that seemed to steadily grow underneath her attention until she moved on. All that and more before she met his gaze one more time and then shrugged.

“I think I’d rather find ways to entertain myself alone.”

She turned away from him and ignored the laughter that again burst from his lips. She didn’t enjoy that she made him laugh. The sound was altogether too happy for how she had intended for him to react.

And yet, here he was. Far too happy with himself that he had gotten some kind of reaction from her.

“Oh, Lilith.” A strong arm snaked around her waist, tugging her into his body until she was wrapped in warm, firm flesh. She could feel his body flexing against hers. The way his wide rib cage expanded with each breath and the hardness of him pressed against her bottom. “You entertain me.”

“I don’t want to do anything with you,” she hissed, but she didn’t struggle to get out of his grip.

After all, she was a woman. And he was a particularly strong, handsome man who had wrapped himself around her. Not with any intent, but simply because he wanted to touch her. She might be angry, but she wasn’t dead.

“Envy,” she said. “You need to let me go.”

“Why?” He leaned down, dragging his nose up the side of her neck and breathing her in. “You smell like lilacs.”

“That is the soap you left me.”

“It smells better on your skin than it ever did in that bottle.” Again, he lingered on her scent, his arms tightening around her waist just a bit more. “Why do you want me to let you go?”

“I just want to know why you are here.”

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