Page 36 of Hell Storm

Levi reached toward my neck, and I flinched before realizing he only meant to lift the chain tucked inside my shirt.

“Beautiful piece, isn’t it?” He met my gaze after asking. “Turns out, it’s also functional.”

The large ruby fell back to my chest when it slipped from his fingers. And with those few words, I understood.

“There’s a tracking device in the necklace,” I breathed, hating how my heart lurched as I reached this conclusion. It’d been silly and unintentional that I assigned the gift any kind of sentimental value, but it was clear to me I had.

Without thinking twice, I reached for the clasp and removed it, dropping the expensive piece to the dirt where it belonged. The thought behind it had been cheapened.

“Oh, please. Give it a rest,” Levi scoffed, nearly laughing as he observed me. “Don’t pretend it meant something to you.”

I was certain my expression and posture made it obvious I was offended. Whether I was comfortable with him knowing it or not.

“I only wore it because I intended to sell it,” I lied. No such plan existed.

“I knew you couldn’t be trusted.” He paced, gazing up once to peek at the two roamers he’d left hanging above us.

“Please, spare me the lecture and just call the sentinels, or whatever it is you intend to do,” I hissed, turning my back to him when I couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t cry. If I did, he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing it.

He wouldn’t have understood how devastated I was by having yet another plan foiled. All I wanted to do was go home. That was it.

“I knew you were up to something when you stayed locked inside your room all day,” he added.

Startled, I blinked, hearing thatthiswas the reason he thought I kept to myself the last twenty-four hours. He had no idea the physical struggle I endured as I absorbed his trait. He had the sex drive of ten men, and now his urges were mine. However, I’d never tell him how many times I had to stop myself from crawling on hands and knees to his room, how I didn’t trust myself around him and the others.

Even now, just remembering for a moment what it’d been like, desire crept up my spine like a lioness on the prowl. I fought the urge to turn and glance at him. Fought the urge to take another peek at how his thermal shirt hugged his shoulders, chest, and biceps, how his dark jeans clung to his solid thighs.

“I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me where you were headed after this?” he asked with a defeated sigh.

I didn’t eventhinkabout answering that question. However, keeping my back to Levi was no longer an option. With one quick jerk, he spun me around to face him.

“Tell me who you are.” The scornful words flew from his mouth and I shivered. “Are you associated with Blackbird?”

Nothing could have prepared me for that question.

My heart thundered inside my chest and a million responses fluttered into my head, but only one word was spoken.

“No.”

Levi’s jaw tensed and I knew I needed to say more, knew that answer had been too shallow for him to accept.

My lips parted and I prepared to lie again, right through my teeth. However, confusion washed over me next when a large dart seemed to materialize out of thin air. And then, time slowed the moment it reached it’s intended target.

Levi.

He had mere seconds to pluck the projectile from the side of his neck, quickly processing this unforeseen turn of events. In that moment, a look filled his eyes. One I hadn’t seen there before. It replaced the fury of finding me here in the woods tonight, replaced the disappointment and mistrust. In fact, in a moment, he’d make it clear his heart hadn’t completely hardened toward me.

I knew it because his focus was singular, fixated on one objective.

Saving me.

“Go! Don’t stop for anything!”

The words left his mouth with a roar, causing my ears to ring with the command. He didn’t pause for me to comply with his orders, because my body was immediately pushed deeper into the woods by an unseen force.

Hisforce.

It was as though he possessed the power of hurricane-force winds within, driving my feet into the soil as I was moved. There was considerable distance between us now, thanks to the head start I’d been given, and I remembered his last statement.

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