Page 27 of Sound
“Are you sure?” A frown is pulling on his forehead. “This is for eternity, Melody. There is no going back from it. No escape.”
The click cluck, albeit slow, is coming closer. The bitch knows when I can hear her, and she loves dragging things on to torment me. But Étienne deserves better than me being mute one second and forcing him to mark me the next.
“I don’t want to escape from you.” I let him see the truth in my eyes as I crane my neck to look at him. “I would’ve liked to know you better before this but every story worth reading has a commonality. Destiny waits on no one to make up their mind. Mark me, please. We will figure everything else out together.”
I’m shocked to realize I mean every word that comes out of my mouth. I’ve never been a risk taker, or adventurist making haste decisions, but this feels right on a soul-deep level. The truth must be loud and clear because Étienne gathers me in his arms and sinks his fangs in the skin of my neck.
Heat spreads through my body and an orgasm hits me out of nowhere, but I can’t even make a sound. His lips are fused on my skin, his wet tongue gliding over it. Condensed air punches the center of my chest. It makes me feel like my soul is being ripped apart when the thread connecting me to Seraphina breaks apart, but warmth soothes it the next second and I feel Étienne, the happiness that he is trying to hide so he doesn’t freak me out, and his amazement when he feels me as well. It feels natural.
It feels right.
A furious scream rattles the wall around us. A force like a tsunami rips the door off its hinges and flings it at our heads. Seraphina’s anger is like a living thing trying to choke the life out of us. Étienne lifts his head and gives me such a boyish smile I turn into a puddle even while I’m almost peeing my pants from the magic swirling around us. I can hear Seraphina running in the hallway.
“Let’s get out of here.” Scooping me up in his arms, he heads for the wall.
“No wait, my violin.”
“That’s not your violin. I took your instrument when you dropped it the night I found you.” Not slowing down, we melt through the wall just as Seraphina screams again in rage.
“Hold on tight,” Étienne tells me, and I tuck my face in the crook of his neck. “Let’s go home.”
Clinging to him while he moves like the wind, I can’t help but pray that Vi and Harmony don’t have to pay for my escape. I promise them silently that I’ll do everything to send Étienne’s brothers to save them.
“Just hold on,” I whisper to them both, but I know they’ll never hear me.
21
Étienne
“There it is again. It’s looking at me.” Melody pokes me in the ribs while clutching the back of my shirt in a tight fist. I do my best to hold back the smile trying to emerge while she uses my back as her hiding place.
“I’m not sure my brother appreciates you referring to him as an ‘it,’ little one.” Lucien’s glare turns frosty when he swings his gaze from my mate to me. “Although, I can see why you decided to refer to him as such.” The smile that threatened earlier finally stretches my lips at Lucien’s reaction.
“How are you doing this?” Melody tugs on my shirt until I look at her over my shoulder. “How is your reflection in the mirror acting independently like it’s a living thing. Is it a vampire mojo thingy you can do?”
With a deep sigh, I squeeze the bridge of my nose between a thumb and a forefinger, debating if I should knock my brother on his ass for acting like an idiot. I had to dress appropriately in my attempt to rescue Melody, so I took his clothing since he favors black over anything else. Bringing my still-fearful and stressed-out mate home, where he decided to block our path in the hallway dressed exactly the same and just stare at her like he’s never set his eyes on a female before without saying a word, didn’t help matters either. The last twenty minutes I’ve been trying to convince her that he is not my reflection in a mirror.
“Si tu ne parles pas, je te botterai le cul et elle verra que tu peux saigner.” Threatening him with violence does the trick, especially after I remind him that Icanandwillmake him bleed.
“C'est une toute petite chose.” Cocking his head to the side, he moves closer until Melody gasps and ducks behind my back. “I was telling my brother that you are very petite. Small. Not what I expected from a demigod.” His grin uncovers the tips of his fangs, and no amount of anger on my part will wipe it out.
“You didn’t tell me you had a twin.” Melody sounds upset as she steps out and reveals herself to my brother. “That would’ve saved me a lot of embarrassment,” she mutters under her breath before offering Lucien a bright smile that looks strained on her tear-smeared face.
“Hello.” Giving him a little wave, she turns from him to me expectantly. “Ummm … I don’t know which one you are, or your name for that matter. So, yeah … hi.” With a tiny shrug of one shoulder, her hands flatten over her thighs and she brushes the pants she is wearing as if trying to clean them.
“That’s Lucien.” I finally make the interdiction. “My middle brother …” my voice trails off when Melody gasps and practically jumps at my brother, wrapping both arms around his waist.
Nothing can prevent the feral growl that rips from my chest. Lucien’s arms shoot out to the sides, his palms up in surrender. He can clearly see that I’m a second away from attacking him like he is my worst enemy. The tension in the hallway is so thick I can barely take a breath, while my mate obliviously snuggles closer to my brother’s chest muttering something over and over under her breath. With great effort, I silence the thundering in my ears so I can hear her words.
“I did not touch her.” Lucien grinds the words between clenched teeth, his arms still up in the air. He is also holding his breath in such a way it is as if he thinks if he caves his chest in he can distance himself from her. “Do be a good male and peel her off me if you would be so kind, brother.”
“Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much …” Melody keeps muttering breathlessly while clinging to him for dear life. “I’m so sorry I called you an ‘it.’ I’m sorry, truly sorry …”
With a frown, my eyes dart from my mate to my brother and I see his gaze slowly lower to the top of her head. When he hears what she is saying to him, one of Lucien’s eyebrows cocks up before he swings his eyes to my face, the question clear to see in his wide orbs. Melody keeps apologizing and thanking him at the same time, and that makes me realize why she has acted this way.
“I told her that you saved the cat’s life,” I spit the words at Lucien like he’s done something wrong, which angers me even more. I shouldn’t be acting like this. Seeing her wrapped around my brother makes me want to strangle the damn cat just so I can bring it back to life for her.
“Étienne.” The warning is clear in Lucien’s voice, so I stride to him and tug Melody gently until she reluctantly releases her hold.
