Page 34 of Barely Breathing

As my fist launches, I know it’s stupid. I punch his jaw, and his face doesn’t even move—not even to flinch. Pain radiates up my hand, but the contact sends an electric current through us both. His pupils dilate, nostrils flaring as he senses my anger, my fear, my unwanted arousal.

I’m going to ignore both the blow to my ego and how my body responds to his proximity.

“Listen to me.” He catches my wrists as I try to shove him, using the momentum to pull me closer. His breath tickles my skin, and I hate how my pulse jumps in response. “Everything I’ve done has been to protect you.”

“Liar.” The amulet burns between us, and I feel Draakmar’s rage mixing with mine. “None of this has been for me. You only care about your agenda. You’ve been controlling me, hiding things from me. Just like with Paul?—”

“Stop.”

“Or what? You’ll make me forget him, too?”

“Don’t say his name.” Costin’s voice dips dangerouslylow. His grip tightens on my wrists, and I see his careful control slipping.

“Why not? Because you let the wolves take him?” I try to pull free, wanting to strike out in my frustration, but he keeps me close. “You can’t expect me to believe you couldn’t catch the werewolf who took him. You’re Lord Constantine, the most powerful vampire on this half of the planet.”

He says nothing.

Oh, how I wish my fists could hurt him, but he’s like trying to battle a steel wall. There is nothing I can do to sway him.

“Please tell me you didn’t have anything to do with their taking Paul.” I start to lose my fight, and I’m desperate for him to deny it.

Still, he says nothing.

“Did you arrange for them to take Paul?” I stare into his eyes, wanting to find the truth. “Is that why you mesmerized me for a week? So I wouldn’t figure out your part in it?”

His jaw clenches. “You were safe here, with me.”

It’s not a denial.

“Tell me the truth, Costin, or we’re over.” I think of all the years I’ve known him. It’s been a lifetime for me and barely a glimpse for him. I don’t expect my threat to have any effect on vampire royalty. I’m merely a human with a magic charm. He’s one of the most powerful people in the world.

“I feared the moment you fixed the amulet that everything would unravel, but what choice did we have? Draakmar needed to be tamed. The prophecy needed to be fulfilled. I promised George.” The crimson in his eyes dissipates until there’s no darkness left.

My grandfather, George, was one of the few people in my life who genuinely loved me for me. He accepted that I was human and didn’t make me feel bad about it. And he was always honest with me. I feel like I’m a pawn to everybody else.

The pieces are falling into place. “You knew. You knew when we repaired the amulet that Paul would remember, and you knew he’d come for me.”

“I suspected a great many possibilities.” His hand slides to my throat, his thumb pressing against my pulse.

My heart stutters. “What are you saying?”

“Paul shouldn’t have come back here,” Costin continues. “He should have taken his daughter and stayed in Kansas.”

I try to piece together the truth from what Costin is saying. “So you knew Paul’s memories would return?”

“What would you have me do, Tamara?” His voice rises with each word. “I smelled him on you the night of the birthday fire. His scent, his mortality,his claim?—”

“His claim?” I laugh, but it comes out breathless as he backs me against the wall. “You’re jealous. The great Constantine, master vampire, is jealous of a mortal.”

“I don’t share what’s mine.” His mouth hovers close to my lips, and despite my anger, they part in anticipation.

“I don’t belong to?—”

His kiss cuts off my protest. The hard press of his mouth is all about possession. His hands release my wrists to slide down my sides, gripping my hips hard enough to bruise. I should push him away. Logically, I want to push him away. Instead, my fingers curl into his shirt, pulling him closer as the amulet heats between us.

A memory flash of being pressed against a different wall, fluorescent lights overhead, threatens my thoughts, but Costin’s touch pulls me back to the present.

His fangs graze my lower lip, drawing blood. The metallic taste should repulse me, but it only fuels the fire building between us.

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