Page 25 of Hell Storm

What is this hold he has over me?

It was this question that allowed fear and reality to creep in quickly. At that exact moment, I separated my lips from his cool skin, and focused.

It was done. We were connected, and within minutes, we would both feel the effects—a synching of one another’s most dominate traits.

I wouldn’t allow myself to look at him. Instead, I kept my gaze trained on the floor because that felt safe.

“I should um… I should go,” I sighed, deciding to get to my feet before I changed my mind. However, his silence intrigued me, and I made the mistake of peering up into his eyes. There, in his gaze, I found more emotion than I realized he was capable of showing.

I can’t do this, can’t be here.

The smartest thing I could have done was sidestep him, so that’s what I attempted, but hadn’t anticipated that he’d try to stop me.

His lengthy fingers encircled my wrist and it made my breath cease.

“At the risk of sounding desperate,” he breathed, “… It doesn’t have to end here.” There was a wild look in his eyes as he spoke. “You could easily just spend the rest of the evening with me.”

I could have sworn the Earth stopped spinning.

His suggestion filtered through my mind, and I knew how pleased webothwould have been if I gave in, but … I couldn’t let that happen. Allowing myself to get swept up in him—even for one night—would have been a mistake, and I couldn’t afford to lose sight of my plan.

Come tomorrow, I’d be leaving the palace, and thatwas what mattered.

Not Levi.

Not … this.

“I’ll see you in the morning.” With those words, I eased my wrist from his grasp and started toward the door again.

“Wait.”

When he called out, I stopped, despite my mind telling me to keep going.

“Give me a moment. I’ll be right back.”

I turned as he disappeared inside the deep closet, wondering what this was about. My eyes drifted toward the chair where I’d just been seated and felt such a strong pull to stay.

No. That’s not an option.

Folding my arms across my chest, I began counting down to ten in my head while I waited, telling myself that if he didn’t return by then I’d…

“I had this made for you today,” he offered, announcing his return to the room.

My eyes focused on the small, black velvet case he held. Then, I peered up before accepting the gift in the palm of my hand.

“I um … had some extra time between searching for Roman and helping Julian put out fires with the press, so I thought it’d be a nice gesture to give you something to commemorate our Claiming.”

I wasn’t sure what surprised me more—that he’d thought of someone other than himself, or that he actually seemed to put stock in this whole …Claimingthing.

That he seemed to put stock in our connection.

My fingers pulled the box open, and I stared at the sizable, tear-shaped ruby pendant nestled in an onyx setting. Levi took it by the dark chain it was linked to, and unclasped the latch.

“May I?”

Blinking as I tried wrapping my mind around that, I gave a nod.

Circling to my back, he instructed me to lift my hair as the priceless piece was placed around my neck. Once it was secure, the smoothness of Levi’s fingertips brushed both sides of my throat. The sensation caused a temporary lapse, falling into the same weakness as before. My eyes drifted closed.

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