Page 10 of Savage Desire

“Don’t judge me.”

“I’m not.”

I don’t just mean now, I mean last night too, and judging by the way he smiles at me, he knows it as well.

Clearing my throat, he removes his hand from my ankle, the loss I feel instantly bubbling inside me. “Why are you here, Tatum?”

“We were concerned,” he says again, casually lacing his fingers together in his lap.

“Concerned, or mad at me?”

“Mad?” His brows furrow in confusion and I shake my head, a small scoff parting my lips.

“Don’t play coy. We both know last night was more of a mess than any of us were ready for.” My gaze falls to my lap, embarrassment getting the better of me under his intense stare.

“I didn’t see a mess, Polaris. I saw a lot of confusion on all parts,” he murmurs, cajoling me, and I huff, refusing to believe that for one second.

“Speak for yourself. The entire thing went from embarrassing to gut-wrenching all at once,” I grumble, and his hand is back at my ankle a moment later, instantly easing the despair threatening to overwhelm me.

“But now you’re a sigil-free witch, Polaris. No matter which way you look at it, that’s fantastic news.”

“Yeah,” I mutter in agreement, still unable to lift my eyes to his. Instead, I focus on his fingers curled around my ankle.

“Have you tried anything yet?”

“Anything?” I repeat, looking up at him through my lashes with my head still tilted down, and he nods eagerly.

“Magic,” he offers in explanation, and I shake my head. “That’s okay. As long as you’re okay, that’s all we were worried about,” he insists, repeating his concerns from earlier, but there’s still something holding me back.

“Who doesweentail?” I ask, forcing myself to lift my chin off my chest as I stare deep into his eyes.

“Me, Minnie, Asher, Wylder, and Lincoln. Your friend Bryony too, if we’re being honest. She says she gave you the coin?”

I sense the immediate change in direction, as though there’s a lie mingled among his words, but I follow his lead and nod. “She did.”

Instinctively, my hand slips under my pillow, finding the familiar beacon of calm. Curling my fingers around the coin, I tighten my fist around it as I settle my hand in my lap.

“It means a lot to you.” It’s a statement from him, not a question, one that I can’t deny. All I can do is gulp nervously as I wait for him to try and snatch it away, just like Lincoln did. “Mine means a lot to me too,” he states, making me frown, but before I can find a way to ask, he stuffs his free hand into his pocket and retrieves an identical one to mine.

My heart thunders in my chest and I have to double check mine is still in my grasp as he shows me his. “How?” I rasp, emotions clogging my throat as he shrugs.

“It was my father’s, or so I believe, some things are a little hazy, buried in the pain that comes along with the memories of that time, but I’ve had it with me every day since the night my world collapsed,” he explains, and my heart wrenches for him.

He holds a coin, just as I do, but he has the misfortune of remembering the circumstances and what exactly it is he’s missing out on, while I remember… nothing.

Desperate to change the subject away from the vulnerability growing thick in the air and feeding my delicate emotions, I clear my throat. “What does it mean if you have a coin, Tatum?”

“They’re passed down through the generations,” he offers, not really giving me anything else than what I’ve worked out for myself.

“Why?” I push, earning another shrug, but the way he averts his stare for the first time since he walked in here has my back stiffening. “You’re lying.”

His eyes dart back to mine, his pupils dilating just a fraction as he slowly shakes his head. “No, I’m holding my cards close to my chest. Well, my coin in this case. I don’t know if I can trust you,” he admits, the truth in his words cutting deeper than they should.

I shouldn’t care that he doesn’t trust me, I shouldn’t care that he doesn’t believe in me, I shouldn’t care about anything, but I do.

“Ditto,” I bite, the disappointment thick in my tone.

Silence cascades over us, but his hand doesn’t move as he gently brushes his thumb over my skin.

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