Page 39 of Love's Ace

How could I have known?

I forced the shiver trying to pulse through my body down and rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling like it might have answers that I didn’t. There wasn’t an easy way to deal with this.

I was destined tokillTheo. Sephtis said the sigil wouldn’t keep him safe forever. If Aiden found out what I was doing, ifanyonefound out, my wings would be ripped from my back before I had a chance to explain.

I should have pulled away while he was still sated and called for Sephtis, or Aiden, oranyonewho could give me answers.

I should have done anything other than drop my head so my nose was pressed to his soft brown hair.

Rose petals in the rain.

Maybe it wasn’t such a terrible smell after all.

Fuck…I was in trouble.

Chapter 16

Theo

Icrawled out ofbed while Wren was sleeping and instantly locked myself in the shower, like that could somehow erase the sensation that poured through me when I woke up in his arms.

It wasn’t bad. Or dangerous. I wasn’t afraid, or repulsed.

It wassafe, and that wasworse.

Safe was the most dangerous feeling of all, because I knew I wouldn’t survive if I settled intosafeand had it torn away from me. I wouldn’t be able to live ifsafeturned into Wren trying to kill me when he figured out how to sever the line between us.

My eyes glanced down at the traitorous strand of red and I scowled. When I took it in my fingers, the warmth radiating from it was pleasant, soothing.

I gave it an experimental tug and heard a gasp spill from behind the door.

“Theo?”

Wren’s voice was deep with sleep, gruff and throaty and…

I groaned and let my head fall against the bathroom wall, tugging on the string almost helplessly.

Wren gasped again, and this time the growl in his voice wasn’t from sleep.

“Stop that.”

The temptation to wrap my fingers tighter and tug again was so strong I think he could tell, because he flung the door open before I had a chance to do it. My eyes instantly darted up, but the defenses I could usually slam into place easier than drawing in a breath just weren’t there.

“Knock much?” I managed lamely, and he narrowed his eyes, dropping them down to my chest. When he realized it was still bare—and that I was still naked—I watched his cheeks splotch slowly to red.

“Stop pulling on the thread. I can feel it. It’s not…” He shifted his eyes away from me, but not before I noticed them glance up and down my body once—quickly—and not before I saw his back quiver like he was having a silent argument with his wings not to flutter out again.

“Not?”

“Comfortable.” He turned his back on me with a frown and stomped out of the bathroom like he wasn’t the one who’d barged in to begin with.

I didn’t realize I was smirking until he was already gone.

How was it that nothing had changed, but everything felt so different?

I took a quick shower, noticing the small noise he made when I scrubbed my body down, and then stepped out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around me.

“We really need to get you some clothes.” Wren didn’t look at me when he muttered it, but he did sweep past me. I heard the bathroom door lock behind him, and then I realized exactly why he’d made the noises while I was in the shower.

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