Page 52 of Hell Storm

Her forthrightness was a bit jarring, but I could take it. Actually, I preferred when people spoke their minds.

“I can’t answer that,” I admitted. “But what Icansay is that I could have ended you when we had our late-night, kitchen rendezvous.”

She peered up then, seeming to listen harder than she had been a moment ago.

“I knew what you were planning, I just wasn’t sure of your timeline or strategy. And still, I let you live.”

She turned away when the intensity of our stare became a living, breathing entity, making the room feel small and charged with a powerful energy.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” was her dismissive response when the truth was a bit too hard to consider.

“Doesn’t it, though?” I countered. “It was before I claimed you.”

A surge of boldness coursed through me, and I acted on impulse, dismissing the brief thought that my next move might scare her back inside her emotional cave.

She stared at my fingers as I weaved them between hers, bringing her hand to my lap before continuing.

“Haven’t you asked yourself, evenonce,whether this has all been a setup? The universe’s way of bringing something into existence that the five of us would have been too stubborn to pursue on our own?”

For the first time in a long time, I hesitated to continue, feeling the weight of the words I had just spoken, and the ones I had yet to say. I’d never been one to deal in fate, but enjoyed the thrill of a gamble. Even the risk Silas and I took bestowing his gift of true sight on Julian wasn’t one I thought twice about taking. Yes, in many ways, Corina was the biggest gamble I’d ever bet on, but something about this—the bond, her becoming a part of our world—it just feltright.

“Silas is the intuitive, romantic corner to our square,” I joked to lighten the mood, “but sometimes I find myself thinking he might not have been wrong about this …oryou.”

The center of my chest tightened when a wide gaze flashed my way.

“He feels that way?”

When I nodded, the news seemed to have taken her by surprise. I supposed I could understand why she would assume the steps my brothers and I had taken had only been to cover our tracks. After all, things had been handled quite poorly after the gala. However, while certain acts were definitely timed to keep Julian out of trouble, what if everything that happened was only to bring us to some conclusionnoneof us saw coming?

“I didn’t realize … I guess I thought you were all just acting on autopilot, not thinking much, just doing what you had to in order to save Julian.”

She confirmed what I pretty much knew already.

“We have always considered where you fit into all of this,” I confessed, which wasmostlytrue. It was Roman’s stance on the matter that differed.

Much to my surprise, the hand I held was no longer limp and lifeless as she squeezed mine in return. I meant to show her that, even though we might not be on the same side, we didn’t have to be enemies.

“I know it’s not quite a bath in the Blue Suite, but if you want to freshen up, I promise to give you all the privacy you need.”

She stared with the hint of a disbelieving smile, and released my hand.

“Cross my heart,” I added.

After a brief stare down between this beautifully mysterious creature and me, she gave in.

“Fine, but I swear to you Levi, if you peek, I’ll—”

“Hurt me?” I interjected, feeling my teeth sink into my lower lip as she caught the meaning. “I wouldn’t stop you.”

“In your dreams,” she teased, and pushed off the cot using my thigh for leverage.

I watched her cross the room, feeling that beast inside me counting down the seconds until I’d have to make good on my promise not to peek. Moments before my lids fell closed, I was given a tempting hint of what I’d miss as Corina gripped the hem of her dark tee and pulled it over her head, exposing her back to me.

The darkness that came next was equal parts frustrating and exciting. It forced my imagination to fill in the lovely details, of which I swore to deprive myself. Desperate for a distraction, I thought of something I meant to share earlier.

“Funny story,” I smiled, falling back on the cot to face the ceiling while my hearing sharpened with the temporary loss of vision.

“What’s that?”

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