Page 45 of Elven Lies

Even then, she couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t take the leap anyway.

Just not now. Not when so much was at stake for Shade with Harkennr right on their doorstep.

But after?

Maxwell stopped so close in front of her, it took her a few more seconds to remember their conversation while the air seemed to crackle between them. He hovered over her, his silver gaze sweeping across her face.

She barely succeeded in forcing back a trembling shiver.

“I can tell you have something else to say, Maxie,” she murmured. Part of her hoped using the nickname he hated one more time would make him back off. The other part of her wanted to know how far he would let her go while she tested him.

Honestly, Rebecca didn’t even know herself how far she might push him.

It took a horrendous amount of concentration to get out the rest of her words. Their form and meaning kept blurring and disappearing in her mind as she swam in his silver eyes. The flaring pull toward him only strengthened before she finally managed to blurt out the rest of it.

“Whatever it is, just say it so we can move on.”

Maxwell swallowed, still searching her face before a low growl reverberated between them. Rebecca swore she could feel it in her own chest.

“You shouldn’t be going anywhere with him,” he said. “Not alone.”

“I shouldn’t. But I have to. He made that one condition perfectly clear.”

“That elf is false, Knox. Dangerous. He’s too eager to get you alone, and I don’t like any of it.”

“I know,” Rebecca breathed, vaguely aware of her own words even as she felt like her own identity was about to get swallowed up within the glow of the shifter’s silver eyes and the heat radiating off him. The scent of moonlight and dewy grass and sandalwood and all the other things she thought she recognized but couldn’t name.

By the Blood, this thingwasgetting stronger, making it impossible to think around him. Impossible to focus.

“But this is more important than just me,” she finally added. “I can handle myself with Blackmoon. You don’t need to worry about that.”

Maxwell growled again and leaned even closer. “But I do.”

Rebecca’s lips parted at the rushing surge of so much more tingling warmth and that physical pull toward him within her core. Like some invisible fishhook had caught through the center of her being and she couldn’t get free, no matter how fiercely she struggled.

Was he doing this on purpose?

There was no way. Shifters didn’t have the kind of magic that could make this happen, and Maxwell didn’t exhibit an ounce of manipulation or deceit. Not anymore, anyway.

In fact, he looked just as caught on the same hook. Two unknowing worms wriggling on the line together.

Even then, she still didn’t want it to stop.

She still had so many other things to do.

“I promise,” she whispered, “I can handle it. You believe me, don’t you?”

His eyebrows twitched together as he slowly tilted his head, and his gaze dropped to her lips. “I believe thatyoubelieve it. But I can’t let you go.”

Wellthatwould certainly throw a wrench in her plans, wouldn’t it?

“You can’t stop me, Hannigan.”

“I can’t let you go unprotected,” he clarified, then blinked and straightened away from her, as if finally realizing what was happening. Even if he didn’t know any more than she did about what the Blue Hells was happening to them.

“I do know this much,” Rebecca added breathlessly, her voice sounding and feeling strangely detached from the rest of her. “Blackmoon’s not taking me anywhere if you insist on tagging along. Honestly, I think that would be an even worse idea than me going alone with him. But we have to move on this.”

“If you must.” Maxwell dipped his head, then stepped away again with great effort and reached into the front pocket of his jeans.

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