Page 51 of Snow's Charming
Sylus’s voice trailed, andhe swallowed hard, squelching whatever thought he had. Somehow, I knew what he meant, and I placed a palm on his cheek.
“Sylus, I want you to kiss me.”
I guess he didn’t need to be told twice because his lips were on mine in the next instant. All the feelings from our last kiss rushed back to me, and because I’d wanted to kiss him, I was the one to press my tongue over the seam of his mouth first. He groaned softly in my mouth as he opened to me. I swiped over his upper and lower lip before tangling my tongue with his.
He groaned again, and the vibration was just as intoxicating to my senses as the taste of him. The scent of cherries and cola flooded me as he placed his palms on my shoulders. I pressed my chest into him, wanting to touch as many of his hard planes as possible. However, just as soon as I did so, he pushed me back from him to put some distance between us. But not before I got the chance to savor him by sucking on his bottom lip. He let out a growl before placing more distance between us by gently sliding me off his lap.
“We are pulling into the driveway, baby. And even though I want to keep kissing you, we should respect what Zhang said. Let’s give our fathers some time to digest what’s happening between us,” he said.
“Okay,” I said, reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze.
He smiled at me before opening the car door and guided me out. When my feet touched the pavement, a twinge of energy enveloped me. It was stranger than anything I’d felt before. My head grew heavy, and mybody fell into Sylus’s solid mass before everything went black.
“Not again.What is this fuckery now? Can’t we catch a break before all hell breaks loose—again?”
Even though darkness surrounded me, I heard Sylus saying this as his grip tightened around me. I tried to open my mouth to respond to him, but I was too weak. It was as if all my muscles had turned to stone.
“Wake up, princess, please.” His lips were against mine, and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him and deepen the kiss, but I couldn’t move. “Why won’t she wake up? Is this another spell?”
“I’m not sure, Sylus, but we will figure it out. Let’s get her inside. Raine should have some answers for us,” said Zhang.
CHAPTER 18
Jackie and her Poison
“Thank the gods and goddesses you are back. We need your help,” Raine said before he let out a gasp. I assumed he gasped because of Sylus carrying me in.
“She passed out the minute we stepped out of the car. I can’t wake her, Raine. What if?”
Sylus’s voice cracked, and he sucked in a sniffle. Was he crying? Goddess, how I wished I could tell him I was fine! If only I could wake up!
“Raine, she’s cold.” Sylus’s voice was a whisper, and droplets of salted water splashed my lips. “I can’t lose her, Raine. I can’t.” He was definitely crying, and I was powerless to comfort him.
“And you won’t. But first thing’s first—while you were with Raven, Jackie showed up. I caught her snooping around the compound. After a little research, I found out she had cast a hex on thegrounds. I would have texted you to warn you, but we’ve been busy keeping her and the Nuri clan away from the border.”
“How did she get out of the mirror?”
“Accius found a shard I missed and plucked Jackie out with his coven. There’s more to this story, but let’s take care of Sesi first. Come to the penthouse, and let’s get her into the study. The only way to counteract a hex is to use a witch bottle. But with a hex of this magnitude, we must place Sesi inside one. I conjured a glass coffin and placed black sea salt, lavender, and peppermint inside. All we have to do is place her in it.”
“Forgive me, Raine, but I’m not magically inclined. What’s that going to do for Sesi?”
“Keep her safe until we cleanse the grounds, bind Jackie, and then go after the Nuri witches. Ara, Teagan, and Kiku are with the pack keeping Accius busy. We have little time.”
It wasn’t long before Sylus’s muscular arms shifted and left my body. He must have placed me in the coffin. I’m not great with confined spaces, so I guess it’s a good thing I can’t see what’s going on. Sylus leaving my side wasn’t something I wanted either. I needed him, needed his touch. It was the only thing helping me to feel like I was still alive.
“I should have killed the witch when I had the chance.”
“Sylus—”
“Raine—I may talk a good game, but you know Iwouldn’t kill the bitch because I love and respect Sesi too much. Still, we should have bound her powers before shoving her in that mirror.”
He was holding my hand again; his thumb lightly brushed over my knuckles. I admit I enjoyed the fiery heat from him. I would never condone Sylus killing another being, but his fiercely protective side was something I appreciated right now.
“Sylus, I hate to say this, but I can only give you a few more moments with her before we must place the cover over her. It’s for her protection, Sylus. I’d never separate you from her if there were any other choices. I know a little about fated mates because after what Yudi put us through, I believe Skye and I are?—”
“Star-crossed lovers? Yes. I’m thinking Sesi and I are suffering the same fate.”
His voice was a mere whisper as a salty tear splashed my cheek. He removed his hand from mine, and a dankness overcame me as I heard the cover of the coffin slide over me.
