Page 35 of Reflections of Silence

Tongue and teeth tangled in a clash of need. I reached around his neck to twist my fingers in his hair, tugging on the dark waves. He groaned into my mouth, his hardness pressing against my stomach. The night passed over us while he bruised my lips and devoured my mouth. When he drew back, my mind and body were still whirling with emotion—both mine and his.

“Why does that happen?” I murmured, dragging dozy eyelids open.

“Because you’re insatiable,” he answered, a gleam in his dark eyes.

I nudged him in the ribs with my fingers, but he didn’t so much asoof.Typical. “Not that. I mean, why do I get what you're feeling?”

Sebastian drew back sharply. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged, uncomfortable to be under his scrutiny again. “When you spoke to me in the garden, I could feel your anger, your rage at being…well, at not being able to join us. And now,” I flapped lamely. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Of course, you should.” He tucked me into his shoulder, drawing me along the path that led back into the garden.

“I just came from here,” I protested, “Maybe we could go back to the house?”

“The house has ears.” He tightened his grip on my arm.

Stubborn man.

“And your garden has eyes,” I retorted. “Is anything else going to jump out at me? Wait—your stone man?—”

“Dolion.”

“Yes. He said there are wolves.” I shivered involuntarily at the thought of sharp teeth and found I couldn’t face the image.

“Not…natural ones.”

I took a moment to ponder that. “You didn’t say native,” I murmured.

“No. I didn’t.” He laughed, a cruel, twisted sound. “I told you I’m the monster here.”

“So you say,” I grumbled, amazed at my own acceptance.

Or maybe it was him. I shivered despite his hold on me.

The shadows have eyes.

I’d never call my thoughts fanciful ever again.

“You’re safe with me, Gella. I won’t let you be lost again.”

“Your directions were dreadful,” I offered, to break the tension.

“Perhaps you didn’t follow them correctly.”

“Perhaps,” I echoed softly.

Perhaps you couldn't find your way around a map with both hands.

Sebastian laughed again, though true humor coated the deep sound this time. Flashes of the day ran back to me—his portrait, the fire. Amy. A tremor ran over my shoulders at the thought of her, my mind whirling at the connotations I hadn’t taken the time to process.

His arm tightened around me. “Gella?”

“I set fire to your gallery.”

He harrumphed into my hair, dropping a kiss to the top of my head. “I know.” He sounded resigned, as though he knew what was coming.

I barreled ahead anyway.

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