Page 89 of Dance With Death

“You never have. But you’re more than you were before Thornwood. You’ve let go of what you suppressed.”

I move closer still, and tiptoe, lips close to his, hearing his quicker pulse. “Why are you shocked? You know who I am better than anybody.”

His eyes search my face as he runs a hand down my hair. “Yes. And I also know what trouble yielding to the dark can cause.”

“I must embrace what I am, including what we are. Fully.”

Grayson’s breath snags. “If you’re offering your blood in return for my help, I don’t do emotional blackmail.”

“Grayson. That would be manipulative and unfair of me. And, although I desire everything we’re resisting, I’m still unsure whether my blood will kill you.”

“Everything?” he asks.

I place his phone into my blazer pocket. “Yes.”

He sighs and touches my lips. “Do you understand how confused I am after the night you found Holly? How hard it is not knowing what happened between us meant to you?”

The night that never leaves me in the same way that Grayson is never far from my thoughts when he isn’t around. His blood may be in my veins, but his touch also remains on my skin and lips since that night in his room, as if he’s always beside me. And if Grayson is around, I fight the urge to lose myself to seizing the darker desires in his kiss. I fight losing myself to the us I glimpsed when my blood touched his mouth.

“I denied what I am, and by doing so denied how I strongly I want you. As I said, I will not do so any longer.” Grayson’s mouth parts but no words come out. “Don’t be confused; the idea of losing you is inconceivable to me, and that night confirmed the strength of my emotions. I love you and will protect you, always.”

He stares at me. “I never expected that.”

“Oh. Well, it’s true.”

Grayson strokes my hair, and although he moves his face tentatively closer, his mouth hits as hard as the first kiss that sealed more than a moment between potential lovers. Each time we kiss, his blood fires in my veins, pushing me to understand that there’s nothing potential about us and that we’re more than lovers.

I tasted Grayson’s blood the night Rory died and triggered the inevitable path of events. Did I attack Grayson in more than self-defense at the warehouse? Because the hybrid wanted his blood?

Grayson’s energy surrounds me, his taste and scent drawing me in. I wasn’t joking the day I told Grayson I worried I might bite him if we kissed, and if we yield to each other now, more than that will occur. I’m out of control following Holly’s outburst, ready to claw at anything that offers me solace, and Grayson’s darkness could give me that.

I could lose sight of where I am and of myself, as I always do with Grayson. My own blood rushes to the surface, and my grip on Grayson’s hair is as firm as his on my heart and body.

But not now. Not here. I pull away before blood spills. “This isn’t sensible. I’ve other things to do before we revisit our issues.”

“Where are you going?” he says, as I begin to stride away, then swears beneath his breath. “Violet, don’t kill anybody.”

I sigh and keep walking. “Pay attention. I don’t intend to yet; I’m looking for something that recently died in order to practice necromancy. Join me if you wish.”

Grayson catches me in a heartbeat and his hand slips into mine. “You’re the most frustrating, confusing person I have ever met. How can you say all those things, tell me how you feel, and walk away?”

“Because they’re true but I am also busy.”

He stops me and places a kiss on my forehead then his mesmeric green eyes meet mine. “I will love and protect you too, Violet. Whatever it costs me. Always.”

His Petrescu eyes. “Whatever it costs,” I repeat. “Yes.”

Grayson’s brow knits for a moment as he struggles to decipher my response. My words are not confirming Grayson should do whatever it costs to keep me safe. No. Due to that desire to love and protect, I will undeniably find myself in a position that costs me.

31

ROWAN

I sit on the steps outside Darwin House with Leif, ignoring the looks from humans who walk inside wearing uniform, then out, changed, and ready for time in town. Helen and Isabella walk by arm in arm, chatting, but the moment the pair spot me they look away.

Has their illegal and lucrative business closed? A lot of girls still wear the brooches, which means the truth wasn’t told or refunds given.

Violet lost her shit at the hospital even more than the time Holly disappeared, and I gave her the space she wanted, understanding Violet’s worry that I might make things worse through our bond.

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