Page 106 of Seduce Me in Shadow

Ecstasy explodes through me, a supernova of pleasure that tears a primal roar from my throat. As I crest the peak, more of the Call burns my brain, begging to be spoken.

Each day we share, I will be honest, good, and true. If this you seek, heed my call...

I clamp down on the urge, even as something deeper than magic, more potent than lust, swells in my chest. The certainty that Sydney is meant for me is both terrifying and exhilarating. It’s mad. Impossible.

Inevitable?

No. I refuse to let magic dictate my fate or endanger her. And yet…this feels like more than mystical compulsion. I admire her fire, her razor-sharp mind. That sassy mouth of hers drives me wild. If I were still human, I’d move heaven and earth to make her mine.

But I can’t think like that. I have a mission: keep her safe, stop her from transcasting, fix Lucan’s life. Then it’s back to Texas, leaving the Doomsday Brethren in my dust.

But what do I have to go back to?

The thought unsettles me. I withdraw and stand, righting my jeans. Sydney adjusts her skirt and looks up at me, all flushed and tousled and utterly gorgeous. My heart clenches.

“I promise…” The words of the Call surge up again, choking me. I swallow hard, forcing them down. “I promise to do everything in my power to keep you safe. To protect you from the dangers of magickind. And I’ll be watching over you, whether you like it or not.”

The words feel inadequate, a pale shadow of what I truly want to say. But it’s all I can offer without risking everything.

Chapter

Forty-Seven

Ahalf hour later, Bram crashes through the back door, followed by Tynan and Marrok. The newcomer’s already one of the lads, if Marrok’s back-slapping and grins are anything to go by. They look bloody pleased with themselves.

A surge of irrational anger rips through me. Bram’s found himself a shiny new warrior with bugger-all experience. I shouldn’t give a toss. I’m not one of the Doomsday Brethren, am I? But seeing Tynan slide so effortlessly into place… It bothers me more than it should.

The others file in, Sabelle’s golden curls catching the wind. Ice follows, his eyes devouring her like a starving man at a feast. She tosses him a wide-eyed glance over her shoulder before Duke shuts the door.

Sydney descends the stairs, fresh from her shower. She breezes past me, and Christ, if she isn’t a siren call to every cell in my body. I want her again—and not just for a shag. Being near her both soothes and ignites me. Loving every stubborn, passionate inch of her would be so easy. Too easy. But I can’t let this…whatever it is continue. I have to stop her transcasting plans, keep my gob shut, and my trousers zipped.

She lingers by the library, avoiding my gaze. The hurt on her face twists like a rusty blade in my gut. But I’m not the crusader she needs. Magic has burned me—both in the past and the present. I suffered loss after loss as a Marine. Staying here, getting close to anyone in this mad war—it will only lead to heartbreak.

I catch her arm. “Please, drop this transcasting idea.”

She yanks free. “Please stop hiding from me and yourself.”

Bloody hell, Sydney never makes anything easy. “Look, I know you’re brassed off, and I’m sorry. But you can’t protect yourself in this war. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Her icy facade cracks, and the pain in her eyes is like a punch to the solar plexus.

“I can’t sit about twiddling my thumbs. If you cared for me at all, you’d understand that.”

“Firecracker, it’s because I care that I can’t let you,” I murmur.

She arches a brow. “You never asked what I wanted. What I was willing to risk. You just assumed I shouldn’t risk anything, like you. You can’t even be honest about why you won’t join the Doomsday Brethren permanently. So I’m not surprised you can’t be honest about your feelings.”

Before I can reply, Bram and the others spill into the hallway. I bite my tongue. There’s so much she doesn’t know. But even if she did, Sydney would still charge in, consequences be damned. Despite what happened to Anka, she’s determined to do what she thinks is right. It’s both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

“We’re briefing Tynan on Mathias’s attacks. You in?” Bram asks.

I shake my head. “I’m leaving to search for Anka. Lucan isn’t improving, despite Sabelle’s efforts.”

Bram hesitates. “Yet.”

“Can you spare anyone to help me?” I glare at Tynan, who’s still scowling but fitting in like he was born to it. “Or am I surplus to requirements, now you’ve got fresh blood?”

Bram frowns. “We need every hand we can get. You and I have had our differences, but we both want what’s best for Lucan.”

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