Page 2 of Desire

“And I am not asking for any. If I ask any question that I should not, simply do not answer it.”

“All right.”

“Could any knowledge I gain through my efforts invalidate the help I give?”

“No.”

His answer didn’t fully alleviate my concerns as I understood I could not directly ask him if what I saw the night prior was related to the help they needed.

“Am I allowed to read everything that’s in the study?”

“Yes. Henry didn’t leave anything behind that would hurt us or your chances to help us.”

“But did he leave anything that would help?”

“Help you understand the powers you possess? Yes. Brandle believes you’re afraid of your abilities. Perhaps the books will help you understand casting more so you will fear it less.” His fingers began to twist my hair into a braid.

“I don’t fear the power but what it might do to the people around me. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“Can I ask you a question to better help you?” Edmund asked.

“Please.”

“Why is Brandle the only one of us who causes you to lose control of your powers?”

“I don’t lose control of my powers; I lose control of my emotions.” I would have stopped there, but he tugged at the end of my braid, silently demanding a better explanation. “Brandle is direct and doesn’t conceal what he’s thinking or feeling when he looks at me.

“With the rest of you, I can lie to myself. Eadric is kind and courteous by nature and the easiest of you to be near. Daemon and Darian are playful and not to be taken too seriously. Liam and Garron are cautious, and you’re distant.”

“Lie to yourself? In what way?” Edmund asked.

I didn’t know he was coiling my braid around his hand until he fisted it and gently tugged my head to the side. I could feel his exhale on my neck, and my eyes popped open.

“Close your eyes, Kellen, and answer me.”

Heart thundering, I closed my eyes and focused on controlling the emotions churning inside that well, seeking to escape.

“You are no longer helping me, Edmund. Release me.”

“You’ve lashed out at me several times. You’ve proven that you have a temper. Yet, you didn’t lose control any of those times. Only with Brandle. Why?”

His exhales continued to torture the sensitive skin at my nape. Edmund was no longer distant. He was dangerously close. I shivered, and the walls of the well trembled.

“If you don’t wish to be struck again, please release me.”

With one hand tangled in my braid, he used the other to cup my chin and tip my head back. His lips skimmed my skin. A soft gasp escaped me at the same time as what I felt slipped free of the well.

My hands closed around his wrists, and I struggled to breathe through what he was making me feel. Heat and need. His and mine. But mostly his.

“Edmund. Please. Stop,” I panted.

His tongue darted out, tasting my skin. My knees started to buckle.

“Edmund, enough. You’ve proven your point,” Darian said. “Release her, or I’ll kick you in the bollocks myself.”

Edmund’s lips left my neck to nip the outside of my ear. The feel of his teeth brought me low and robbed me of my last shred of control. The well was wide open, and I felt everything.

The echoes of remembered emotions from within the cottage. The six men gathered around the door, watching their brother slowly unmake me with barely a touch. The land. The rain that had fallen overnight. The beasts in the forest.

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