Page 108 of Tortured Soul
My throat bobbed and his gaze dipped to the motion briefly.
“It feels empty,” I answered. “Hollow. Everyday, I wish for it to be back. To never have lost it.”
“Why?” Pain clouded the piercing blue of his eyes, making them duller. “Why do you want it back when it hurts so much?”
“Because it hurts even more not being able tofeel. To not have recognized you and Arc as my mates. To not have been able to save Dimitri from his curse.” The muscle in his jaw ticked. “It hurts to only be a shell.”
My voice wavered, and his grip tightened slightly.
“Do you know why I’ve barely fought back since that first day?”
I shook my head. I didn’t know, and I asked myself that same question a lot. The two times we fought after he attacked me on that first day had almost been one sided. He neveractuallyhit back.
“Because when I hit you, the pain made my bones shake,” he said slowly, his tone soft but confused. “Because my soul, no matter how much I didn’t want to, had already recognized its own missing piece in you, and punished me for hurting you like I did.”
I forced a smile.
“Your soul is wiser than you are.”
He didn’t smile back.
“And when you attacked me in the archives, I knew I deserved it. But my soul still hurt, realizing thatyoudidn’t feel the pain I felt.”
I couldn’t stop my hand from reaching for his face, cupping his jaw. He tensed at my touch, his eyes darting between mine.
But he didn’t jerk away.
Slowly, like a phantom tug pulled me toward him, our faces inched closer. Our noses touched and I shuddered. His hand squeezed my wrist tighter before releasing it entirely and his arm snapped around my waist to pull me even closer.
I gasped, my hand grabbing at his shoulder to keep my balance. Our breaths mingled as we both panted softly.
“What’s happening?” I whispered, his lips brushing over mine.
“You still repulse me.”
I didn’t have the time to talk back or argue before his mouth captured my own.
The kiss was assured and clumsy. Soft but hungry. Mentally painful but healing.
I ignored the pang in my heart as his devouring kiss contrasted with his previous words. His fingers were sliding in my hair, holding my head close, my legs now circling his waist. He kept pulling me closer, even though our bodies were flushed together. The bulge in his jeans pressed against my core, the feeling amplified by the fact that I had foolishly decided to wear a dress, reducing the number of layers between us. He groaned against my lips, one of his hands now sliding down my back to squeeze my ass and rock me against him.
I reached out to caress his spread wings and he shuddered before letting out a growl and pushing me back, his wings retracting immediately.
My eyes were wide, lips parted, breath coming out in short pants.
“Get out. Now.”
And I did, my brain foggy and mind still in a haze.
Carterkissedme.
And I didn’t hate it.
Chapter 31
Lola
Arc’s room was empty when I let myself fall against the door, panting.
