Page 25 of Lycan and Lark
Lark shrugged. “You wouldn’t come outside.”
Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. “You convinced my friend to fake an emergency so that I would come outside? Why would Laurie even agree to something as ridiculous as that?” Lark said nothing and a sinking feeling rested in Aria’s stomach. “Compulsion?” she guessed. Lark’s eyes dropped to the floor. “You said it only worked on the weak-willed. Laurie is not weak.”
“It iseasieron the weak-willed. It is more difficult on someone like Laurie, but not impossible.” His nonchalant tone sent a river of rage burning through her veins. She slammed her hands into his chest. He didn’t budge. She hit him again.
“You used mind control on my friend? What the hell is wrong with you? You invaded her mind, against her will. Can’t you see how fucked up that is? Don’t ever,ever, try anything like that again.” She threw her fists into his chest once more and he snatched her wrists, peeling them away from his body and holding them so that they hovered in front of her face.
“You left me no choice. You wouldn’t come out. Maybe now you realize I’ll do anything to get to you. Don’t try to hide from me again.”
She yanked her hands free of his hold and moved backward, putting some distance between them. “That is not a normal thing to say. Or do.”
Lark’s jaw ticked and he tilted his neck to one side. “Sorry to disappoint you, Princess, but I’m not normal. And I’m not able to stay away from you.”
His words sent an unwanted thrill of excitement that coasted just beneath the current of anger that raged beneath her skin. Her wolf did not share her current emotional state. It had been moping around for days. The flirty beast practically purred at the sight of Lark.
Lark quirked his head and a soft smile tugged at his lips. Aria growled. “Get out of my head. My wolf is not in charge right now. I am.”
His smile only grew. “Too bad. She seems like more fun right now.”
Beyond aggravated, Aria roared and spun to leave. Lark swallowed the distance between them in two quick steps, blocking her escape. He was close enough that his sugar-sweet scent wrapped around Aria’s senses. That familiar scent made her dizzy and warm. He let a finger stroke her throat before drifting over her collarbone and settling just above her breast. The electric tingle from his magic left a trail of sizzling flesh in its wake. The heat from his touch brought her to life, melting the icy chip she’d been carrying on her shoulder since she ran from Lark. Its warmth spread through her, pooling in her stomach and settling in her core. She squeezed her thighs tightly together, hoping to hide the wet arousal that had begun to settle there.
Lark’s eyes glowed and he chuckled warningly. “Have I told you how good you smell when you’re wet?” His nose nuzzled the crook of her neck. “That’s all you, baby. Unless you want your wolf to take credit for that too.”
She growled again, shoving him backward. He took two lazy steps away, remaining unfazed.
“Did you miss me?” The smirk on his face was infuriating. She opened her mouth to retort but he cut her off. “Don’t bother lying. I can hear it in your mind. I know you thought about me.” He moved toward her again and she shuffled back as his body crowded hers. “I missed you too.”
He was looking at her with such dark, dangerous sincerity that it caused fresh panic to butterfly through her. She missed him. He knew it. She wanted to stay mad at him, and she wanted to throw herself in his arms. Her feelings for him were so overpowering and real and frightening. She had never felt about anyone the way she felt about her mate.
She sucked in a breath and bit her lip, quickly trying to remove the word from her thoughts. His eyebrows shot toward his forehead and his eyes lit up. He had definitely heard it, again. Aria ducked beneath his arm and scurried toward the door. “Either you take me back, or I’ll run back.”
“Why won’t you admit you have feelings for me?” Lark’s question caught her off guard.
She stopped and slowly turned to face him. Her words came out messily. “Because it’s not… I can’t… You’re not—”
“Your mate?” And there it was, out in the open. The room suddenly felt much smaller than it did just a moment ago.
“Do you know what that is?” She wished her voice wasn’t so damn hopeful.
“I know enough.” His eyes betrayed his hurt. What could she even say? Lark broke the unbearable silence. “I know it’s the reason your wolf calls to me. It’s the reason the two of us are drawn to each other. And the reason why, for the first time in my life, everything feels so right.”
Pain splintered through Aria’s chest. “If you believe we are mates, then why wouldn’t you agree to come to the complex with me? Why won’t you join the pack and let Gideon help you and your wolf?”
Lark’s growl caused her to flinch. “They will never accept me.”
She stormed toward him. “How will you know if you don’t try?”
“Do you truly think your brother will allow me to claim you? Is he going to look past my part in Creedin’s plans? Gideon doesn’t strike me as the merciful type who forgives easily. Especially when it comes to you.” His eyes began to glow. “What will you do if they kill me? You don’t know all the things I've done, Aria. Death is probably what I deserve.”
“Stop! You don’t know Gideon. You don’t know any of them. Let’s just try.”
“I already told you no.”
“You are so stubborn. This, all of this.” She motioned between them. “Has to end and it’s going to be your fault. There isn’t any other way. You’re obviously unwilling to compromise and if not then I…I don’t want you anymore.” The words were false. They tasted like vinegar in her mouth. But she refused to live her life loving in the shadows. How could he expect her to hide their relationship? Was she just going to show up to the complex one day, nine months pregnant and with no partner in sight?
Lark swallowed thickly across from her. “You don’t want me?” Aria nodded, unable to say it again. He stood over her, glaring down. “You don’t desire me?” He moved in closer and his scent soaked into her again. The warmth of his body radiated toward her and the heat fought to melt her resistance. She desired everything about him. But she was too pissed and hurt right now to back down. “Fine. Run, Aria.”
She looked up into his luminous eyes. Their color drained and was quickly replaced by a swirling red. “What?” Aria took an uneasy step back. She had only seen his eyes that color one other time—when he had torn those men to pieces after they attacked her.
