Page 63 of Mortal Shift
Dammit. Should have just written him a note.
“You’re going to the party, then?” he said.
“Looks like,” I replied with a shrug, because if this was going to be the last time I saw him, I didn’t want to lie. I told myself it was so that he wouldn’t question everything I told him next, the important stuff, but the truth was, I just didn’t want him to think of me that way.
Which was another reason I needed to go. Darkveil was messing with my head.
“I half expected you to hide out in the library,” he said, one corner of his mouth quirking up in a way that begged my lips to claim it. And then his words registered.
“Wait, you knew about me hiding out in the library?”
“Of course. You’re my mate. I’m attuned to your scent, and it’s strongest near there.”
“Oh.” I suppose that made sense. “How long have you known?”
“Since Nyra told you about the library in our first lesson and your face practically lit up.”
“You think my face—” No, wait, that wasn’t what was important here. Focus, Cali. “You knew about it all this time, even when I didn’t show before the hunt, but you didn’t come looking for me?”
He shrugged. “It’s tough for you having no privacy. I get it. And if you wanted to hide rather than show up for the moon hunt, I wasn’t going to force you. Doesn’t change the fact it was irresponsible of you, though.”
“I know.” He could have dragged me out there, kicking and screaming, to make himself look better. Someone like Kallan would have. But he let me make my own choice, even what he thought was the wrong one. I’d… Well, maybe I’d misjudged him. Maybe. Because he’d still been a complete dick to me most of the time. But I guess there were some lines he wouldn’t cross. “Why?”
“Why was it irresponsible?” His brow furrowed like he was trying to work out how to explain what the color blue looked like.
“No, I mean, why didn’t you? You could have. You’re stronger than me, we both know that.”
“Ah.” His gaze slid to the wall over my shoulder. “I know a thing or two about having your choices taken away because someone thinks it’s necessary. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” He met my eye again, and his mouth did that gorgeous half-lift thing that made my stomach clench in anticipation. “Not even you.”
“Gee, thanks,” I managed, my voice a touch breathless as I watched him. His own breathing hitched and he took a step closer to me, raising his hand slowly and tracing it tenderly, almost reverently, across my cheek.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he said.
“You wash up pretty good yourself.”
His hand slipped behind my head and cupped it, drawing me closer to him, his eyes searching my face the whole time, like he was waiting for something. My gaze went from his eyes to his lips and back, waiting for the same thing, and then his mouth was on me, claiming me softly, sweetly, not how it had been before, but a tentative exchange of desire, of hopes, and dreams, and fears, and souls, and I leaned into his embrace and just for a moment allowed myself to dream it would never end.
And then I drew back.
He let me go at once, a guardedness shadowing his eyes, but I gave him a small smile and touched the corner of my mouth in something like wonder.
“So, um, you’re quite a good kisser,” I said. He chuckled.
“Only quite? Perhaps I should remedy that. You did, after all, cut me down in my prime.”
“Tempting…” I teased. So very, very tempting… But no. “But, um, there’s something I need to tell you. Before we get distracted.”
“Okay…” The guarded expression was back.
“Kallan found me in the library today.”
It took a quarter second for Cole’s face to go from guarded to apocalyptic. Every muscle in his body seemed to tense into taut cords.
“I’ll kill him,” he ground out.
“No, wait.” I planted a hand on his chest before he made it more than a step. “That’s not what I meant. It’s fine. Well, notfinefine, butI’mfine.”
“Would you stop talking in riddles, woman?” he demanded, but some of the tension had left on my last two words, and I had to force myself to ignore the butterflies that reaction set loose in my stomach. Avoiding distraction was harder than I’d thought…and getting harder by the second. My hand on his solid chest was definitely not helping matters.
