Page 340 of Flirting with Darkness

“But it’s like I asked you before. What would you endure to save your brother? For me, it’s all for Moirai—for my sister. She and I are all that remain of the House of Erebus. We lost the others long ago to the savage lands of the Netherworld and the dark witchery of the Changelings. I couldn’t bear to lose her as I’d lost the others. I know I may appear a smug, selfish, fool—and I may indeed be all those things. But my sister is all I have in both this world and the next. I couldn’t lose the only person who ever loved me.”

Kneeling beside me again, Rae takes my face in her hand and smiles. Thick droplets petal down to her chin and my heart aches at the thought of not only failing my sister, but missing an opportunity to wipe away the tears flooding the face of the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.

“I’d do anything for Ross,” she answers in a tone so sure and sweet my heart melts. “But in case you haven’t figured out why I am here, why I’m risking it all now—it’s because Moirai isn’t the only one to ever love you, you fool!” Shaking her head, Rae laughs, and I feel something perk inside of me. “I love you, Kharon. I’ve always loved you.”

Warmth fills the entirety of me, and a twinge of vigor reignites parts of me I’ve only wanted to share with Rae. Before I can reply, Rae pulls me close and crushes her mouth to mine.

A kiss before dying, how sweet.

5

RAE

This is not how I expected our first kiss to go, but for the life of me, I refuse to stop now.

I never expected to be the one initiating my kiss with Kharon Nyx, but here I am owning my heart as my brother Ross would say.

My heart. What a muddled mess it is!

A mess because despite everything Kharon has done, nothing changes how I feel for him. And with the way his lips lock with my own, I know something has changed.Me.A better woman wouldn’t give a thought to a man who expressed even faux interest for a cousin she considers a sister.

I am not a better woman.

I am a woman who has stayed too long in the shadows.

I am a woman who, for too long, hid her heart in a vault, waiting for someone else to unlock it.

But in this moment, I now know I alone hold the key to my heart. I will no longer sit idly, waiting to be swept away by some romanticized knight in shining armor. No, give me the monster.

Give me the one who haunts my dreams and torments the deep places of my soul.

I want the one who walks in the company of darkness, only that I be his guiding light.

As Kharon’s delicious tongue swirls in my mouth I finally realize why I held myself back from pursuing what I want—who I want. I was afraid those I love would see me differently. Who would think the petite, bashful, freckled face girl would willingly give her heart to the villain of the story?

What will they say when they learn there may yet be a monster within me as well?

It doesn’t matter. I suppose it never did.

Slowly, Kharon pulls from our kiss as he holds my face in his palm. “Well, now that was unexpected,” he laughs and my eyes land on the perfectness of his smile. His stormy eyes deepen into my own and I feel a gathering of wetness at my bottom I’ve only ever felt when Kharon was near—but so much more now.

I don’t know what brazen force has overtaken me, but I’ve got one foot in the boat now, so I might as well go with it. “Maybe for you,” I whisper into his warm hand on my face. Kharon’s eyes darken with a glint of surprise. “But the moment I saw you tonight, I had every intention of doing just that.”

And perhaps more…but I’ll keep that to myself.

For now.

6

KHARON

Everything about Rae Vereen in this moment is unexpected. Although I’ve spent long nights fantasizing about what it be like to hold her in my arms or what it would feel like to have her soft lips upon my own, the fantasy can hardly compare to the reality.

Despite everything I’ve done, the fact Rae looks at me as if she would surrender her all to me in this very moment, speeds the beating of my heart to a pace not rivaled by Mercury himself. Even more, I feel parts of me I felt dying only moments ago, reviving with a vigor that can only be placed at her feet alone.

What is she doing to me?

Gazing into her piercing hazel eyes as her luscious mouth lingers open in desire, I wish with all my being I was the man she deserved. She deserves better than the wretchedness I only have to offer.

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