Page 518 of Flirting with Darkness

He sounded so confident, and I stifled a laugh. “You don’t know me.”

“I think I do,” he said. “I think I see more of you than you would find bearable.”

I shook my head in disbelief.

He went on, “You’ve spent your whole life hiding, believing it’s better if everyone looks right through you, instead of looking at you and thinking you’re unlovable.”

I stared at him in shock. I wasn’t sure he was wrong. It felt odd and terrible and somehow like a relief to hear the deepest wound I had laid out on the table in front of us like it was part of the feast.

“But now you’re in the Fae world, and you can’t hide. And you have valid reasons for fear. But you’re not scared the Fae are dangerous or the land is unknown to you. You’ve been waiting for that adventure all your life. Now you’re scared for other reasons, aren’t you? You’re scared because you want that wound to heal and at the same time, it’s at the very center of who you are, and who the hell are you without it?”

I stared at him, confused by being laid bare so cruelly. But then, my chin lifted. “Well, you have a lot of thoughts about my personality.”

I couldn’t help but think that he had been watching me from the shadows like Tor. Suddenly I wasn’t convinced that any of that had been a dream. I thought perhaps, they’ve been watching me this entire time.

But why? I was no one special. O was nothing back in the mortal world.

And maybe he was right, I knew I should run back to the mortal world if I had the chance to escape. I knew I should try to bargain with the prince and with Tor to try to escape.

But some insane part of me wanted to stay.

“You think you know a lot about me. What about you? I haven’t had the benefit of stalking you.”

He just smiled and didn’t deny it. “I followed your adventures, such as they are, since you were a child.”

“Why?”

“Because you chose Tor. Despite… his appearance. Despite the fact you must have sensed he was a predator. And yet, deep down you are fearless. And that’s why you will be our queen.”

“I won’t.”

The smile he gave me was sharp and dangerous. “You will claim what you want, Bethany. Because if you don’t, if you try to run from the last chance you have at your dreams, there will be consequences.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Take it that way if you please.” He said coolly.

I rose from the table too leave, and he grabbed my wrist. His grip was light around my wrist, but inescapable. I yanked away without any success in escaping him, and when I pulled away too hard, he yanked me toward him and dragged me onto his lap. Impossibly fast, his arm circled my waist.

“You don’t get to be invisible with me, love,” he said, running his thumb down my jaw line. “And you don’t get to run away.”

“Let go of me,” I said fiercely.

“You almost say that convincingly, but I can smell your desire. I can smell your juices trickling down your thigh. I know how much you desire me.” A ravenous look came into his eyes. “I want to lick those juices away and satisfy you.”

“Yeah, no thanks,” I tried to pull away, no matter how much my heart raced, no matter how cognizant I was of my soaked panties. “You are an arrogant asshole.”

“No, I’m the one who wants to see you take what you want for once.”

His hand glided from my jaw to wrap around the back of my head, his fingers tingling in my hair. Everything inside me ached and yearned for him as he dragged my head to his and pressed his lips to mine in a fierce, passionate kiss. I felt tense and uncertain, not sure how to respond, but deep inside me, something else was turning to liquid. warming, softening. And then my body followed suit irresistibly, leaning into him, as he kissed me over and over.

Then Tor’s face flashed into my mind. I pushed him away, scrambling to my feet.

“no.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to keep running from what you want.”

“No,” I said, reckless words pressing at my throat. It felt like I had to speak, or I’d betray the boy who had stood in the rain all those years before. “I know what I want. And I want Tor.”

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