Page 29 of Thorn of Sorrow

So maybe it hadn’t been fun, but I still wasn’t giving up Dane. We were the only humans in the castle, and we had to stick by each other, have each other’s backs, and never tell the big guy what we’d been up to.

“You don’t have to cover for him, Kyson. Dane told me it was his idea.”

So much for keeping our mouths shut. I just never expected Dane to rat on himself. I should’ve seen it coming though. Why hadn’t I seen it coming?

Because Giovanni scrambled your brain cells and made you forget how to spell your own name.

He’d wanted to come with me to check on Dane, but I’d needed time to myself after the emotional roller coaster I’d just been through with him not twenty minutes ago. Still, I wasn’t an idiot. I knew he was lurking somewhere close by.

I could practically feel his eyes staring laser beams into my back.

“Fine,” I huffed, glaring at Malachi’s cheekbones. They were actually pretty nice. “Can you tell him I came by to check on him?” My tone softened. “Did he really break his hand?”

Although none of this could be pinned on me, I still cared about Dane. It hadn’t been his fault a vampire had been lying in wait, ready to pounce.

There was only so much to do around this place before you started having arguments with yourself and coming up with harebrained ideas to alleviate the boredom.

“Sprained,” Malachi answered, still blocking Dane’s door as if I would try to get past him. But at least his tone had defrosted some.

Bracing myself, I looked him in the eyes and saw the worry he was trying hard to hide. Malachi Winterhaven never showed any kind of weakness. Except at the police station, which still blew my mind.

I’d honestly thought his heart was encased in a block of ice, buried under two feet of snow, and locked away in some deep cavern, but that was before Dane had come along. The prince’s tender moments were…nonexistent, except when he’d rescued me, and that had been eons ago.

A stark reminder of just how alone I’d been.

I turned to leave, but Malachi’s voice stopped me. “I’ll let him know you stopped by, Kyson.” He paused, though I hadn’t turned around. “Thank you for your concern.”

One moment of gratitude didn’t erase the years of being a shitty friend. I simply tossed up my hand to indicate I’d heard him before walking to the kitchen.

Dick wasn’t the type to cheer someone up. He took his duties seriously and I’d never seen him crack a smile, but I still liked hanging out with him.

Even if he refused to tell me what he was.

I scowled when I felt Giovanni stalking me. My head still spun when I thought of his declaration of love. I’d never been so terrified and excited in the same breath.

He’d made me feel desired, something I never thought I would ever feel again. My skin still tingled from his touch, and I could smell his dark, smoky scent lingering on my skin.

As intense as things had been between us, I was glad I’d decided not to tell him he was my first. I hadn’t wanted things to become even more strained or have him refusing to sleep with me.

Though that hadn’t been my first blowjob, it had been, hands-down, the freaking best. I’d had to fight tooth and nail not to come the moment his lips touched my cock.

As soon as I entered the kitchen, my brows furrowed. The room was dimly lit, the moon bathing it in a soft glow. “Dick?”

Weird. I could’ve sworn he lived in here. If I yanked open a cupboard and found a tiny cot crammed inside, I wouldn’t have batted an eye.

My gaze landed on the refrigerator, and I was suddenly starving. While I was here, I might as well grab a bite. After all, Giovanni knew how to work up a guy’s appetite. I’d used muscles I’d forgotten I’d had during that “rigorous” workout, and my body still ached in the best way.

Opening the refrigerator door, I glanced inside. Then I grinned, gathering everything I would need for a boss-ass turkey sandwich. The only thing that would make it even better was if Dick had stocked some chips in the pantry.

Lettuce. Check. Pickles, cheese, and sliced tomatoes, thank you very much. I froze, my hand lingering on the mustard bottle. The feeling of being watching had returned, only… I heard someone trying hard to suppress a gag. I squeezed my eyes shut, my breaths growing raspy.

It wasn’t Giovanni or Dick since neither had ever reacted negatively to my scent, which was one of the reasons I hung out with Dick so often.

Giovanni was a whole other issue I would think about if I made it out of the kitchen.

But aside from Baron—who’d been laser-focused on Dane—no vampire had ever voluntarily remained in my presence for more than five seconds.

This was not good if he was lingering behind me, willingly breathing in my offensive odor.

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