Page 36 of Silent Lucidity

From the corner of her eye, she saw Tenthil turn and sidestep through the narrow doorway.

“What are you doing?” she asked without looking away from the murky mirror.

He stopped beside her and lifted his arms. She turned toward him, reflexively stepping back. He gently caught her wrists and guided her hands out of her hair. Abella was too confused to resist.

Tenthil released his hold on her arms, stepped behind her, and raised his hands to her hair, giving her a glimpse of his wicked black claws. Continuing to move with startling care, he combed his claws through her hair, easing the tangles, grazing her scalp so lightly that his touch produced only pleasure rather than pain. Her eyes closed of their own accord as she gave in to the soothing feeling of his ministrations, relaxing so much that she swayed toward him with each stroke of his claws.

I should tell him to stop.

A soft moan escaped her, and she tilted her head back.

But it feels so damn good…

Tenthil stepped closer—so close she should feel the heat of his body through their clothes. Her skin prickled in awareness, and her breath quickened as he ran the tips of his claws along the outside of her arms, eliciting tingles that swirled through her to coalesce low in her belly.

He inhaled deeply, and a growl rumbled in his chest. “Your scent has changed.”

My scent…?

Abella tensed, eyes widening.

No. No way.

Could he really smell herarousal?

She slipped out of his arms and turned to face him. Black dominated his eyes, gleaming with hunger; it only made her sex wetter. No one had ever looked at her with such intense longing, no one hadeverlooked at her the way he did.

Despite how much she wanted,craved, his touch, Abella thrust aside her desire. “If I’m going to be with you”—her eyes widened—“I mean, stick with you! If I’m going tostickwith you, you need to answer my questions.”

Tenthil blinked and tilted his head slightly. His nostrils flared, and his pupils shrank down to normal. He held her gaze for a moment before turning and walking out of the bathroom.

“Eat,” he said over his shoulder.

Abella stared after him, mouth agape. Did he seriously just walk out on her without even acknowledging what she’d said?

She made her way back to the doorway—cringing when her boot came down on something sticky—and slipped through. Tenthil was standing beside the desk, upon which he’d placed the backpack.

Abella marched toward him. “I’m tired of you ignoring what I want. I deserve to know what is— Is that blood? Was someonekilledhere?”

There was a large, dark stain in the middle of the floor. How hadn’t she noticed it before?

Because I was tired as hell from running away from aliens who want to kill me, and it’s dim in here.

Tenthil turned toward her, holding an open package in one hand, and glanced at the stain. He lifted his gaze to her a moment later, offering the package. “Yes. Now eat.”

“And…are you the one that killed them?”

He nodded.

Abella’s brows drew together. “How can you be so…sodetachedabout death?”

She’d taken a life for the first time in that safehouse and felt ill every time she thought about it.

“Part of the job.” He dipped his chin toward the package and locked eyes with her.

She drew back. “Job? You…” Suddenly, it all made sense. “You’re one ofthem, aren’t you?”

He stepped forward, grasped her wrist with his free hand, and pressed the package onto her palm. “You eat. I will speak.”

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