Page 70 of Of Daggers and Deceit

Our toes reached the final step, and she paused.

“One day, we will discuss the extent of what occurred last night. It seems the war is ramping up, and we must be ready to fight it on all fronts.”

I turned to her as she punched in the last code, my pulse pounding in my ears. I squeezed her arm in reassurance, a sign of solidarity. Then, together, we walked through and out the door to the others, not a sign of anything out of the ordinary marking our faces.

“Finally,” Hayden exclaimed as Bodhi’s head tipped up towards me.

We walked across towards them, the pair of them watching us approach. Bodhi looked down at my arm in Apple’s, his fingers twitching nervously at his side. My heart rate began to increase, anxiety simmering beneath my skin. I was in unfamiliar territory. A determined look settled onto his face as we stopped in front of them and, quicker than I could blink, he had reached out to grip the front of my shirt, yanking me forward to seal his lips to mine.

My eyes flared open in shock, barely able to process it before he released me and smeared his thumb across my lip with a devilish grin.

My cheeks flushed with colour as I quickly looked around at the other two standing there. Apple rolled her eyes and began to walk away as Hayden raised his eyebrows and huffed a laugh, slapping Bodhi on the shoulder before following Apple ahead.

“That was a possessive debut, even for you, Bodhi,” Apple called back as Hayden cackled.

“I guess Klarissa is out of the running now,” Hayden chirped, though I knew he was jesting by the antagonising smirk he threw back.

Bodhi glared at him. “I told you there was only one person ever in the running!”

I laughed up at him, my insides warm. It was hard to comprehend how something so terrible could happen with something so wonderful all in one night. But when I looked at Bodhi and at the two others strutting ahead, I felt lighter and more powerful than ever before. I realised I would do desperate and terrible things to protect them. I swallowed. I’d already planned it.

Bodhi’s hand wrapped around mine, his warm breath dipping close to my cheek as he placed a much softer, less shocking kiss on my cheek.

“I’m not giving you a single chance to ignore or pretend you can resist me,” he stated casually, his lips lifting.

I huffed and mimicked Apple’s earlier roll of the eyes before I tried to sprint away from him.

He laughed and yanked me backward into his arms again, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing at all.

I slapped his back.

“Put me down, you dick.”

“Not a chance.”

“I’ll portal us sky high.”

He laughed and tapped my ass. “And I’ll shift and show you what it’s like to truly fly.”

I groaned. “You’re annoying.”

“You said you wanted this.”

Blood rushed to my head, the sway of his walk jostling me around uncomfortably.

“I regret that.”

He smacked my ass harder this time, dragging his fingers down my centre teasingly. “Hmm. No, you don’t.”

RILEY

Zander’s mouth tasted like ash as his body pressed me hard against the counter this morning, my mind hyperaware of the fact that Sly was standing by the elevator door as he watched us. My fingers slid up his chest, gently beginning to push against him in a desperate attempt to give myself space.

Guilt was chafing me.

From the moment I’d awoken, Zander had been touchier than usual, which concerned me. His fingers had consistently been on my body, despite my many attempts to put space between us, and he kissed my lips more regularly as he passed me.

Every time he did, my eyes sought Sly’s, and my stomach wrenched with what I saw in the depths.

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