Page 48 of A Hint of Delirium

I smirked. “Right.” He wasn’t fooling me one bit. Alec still cared for Ansel, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

Ansel sighed. “I know you hate me, Alec, but please …” he begged. “I’ve never asked for anything before.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’ll pretend I’m ignorant. Happy?” He gave me a sarcastic smile.

“Ecstatic,” I said just as sarcastically.

* * *

Anseland I walked into his apartment quietly after his brother conjured a portal and stepped through without a backwards glance. We were both on edge, knowing Alec could turn on us at any moment.

I stopped midway through the living room and spun on my heels, facing Ansel. “I’m sorry,” I blurted.

He frowned. “For what?”

“For putting you in such a horrible position. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be—”

Ansel strode toward me in three steps, stopping inches away from where I stood. “Stop,” he commanded, grabbing my shoulders. “Don’t even think like that.”

Though his words were kind and his gaze was sincere, my guilt couldn’t be assuaged. “But it’s true! I’ve turned your life upside down. And Alec wasn’t lying … I know I’m putting your life at risk.”

He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Don’t listen to Alec. That’s thelastthing you should be doing. There’s not an ounce of humanity left in him.”

“Is there in you?” I raised a questioning brow.

The corner of Ansel’s mouth tilted up as if he was suppressing a smirk. “I’d like to think so. I might be Seelie, but I’m notthathorrible,” he whispered.

My eyes drifted to his lips and I gulped. “No … you’re not.”

“I told you, Vi, I’ll do anything and everything to keep you safe. I wasn’t lying,” he whispered. “Do you believe me?”

I nodded. “I think so.”

“You think, or you know so?”

I peered up at him, eyes ablaze. “I know so.” My eyes widened slightly, surprised by my own answer. All this time I wasn’t sure if I trusted Ansel, but at some point, I’d started believing in him. To the point I now trusted him with my life. I wondered when that shift had occurred.

His gentle hands slid from my shoulders, up my neck, and cupped my face as I stared at him intently. His bright, emerald eyes burned into me as they roamed all over my face, cataloging every feature.

“Violet?” he murmured against my lips.

My skin was on fire with just the mention of my name on his lips. Without a conscious effort to do so, my hands feathered across his hard abdomen and slid slowly up his chest, gripping the front of his shirt. The way he looked at me was like I was the oxygen he needed to breathe. My knees buckled and my breath hitched as he lowered his face, his lips lightly brushing mine as if asking permission.

I’d never been in this position before, so I didn’t know what to do. This would be my first kiss. I’d always been labeledcrazy, which meant boys stayed far away. Except Ansel wasn’t a boy … Then again, I guess he wasn’t a man, either. He was fae.

In that moment, I wanted his kiss more than I’d ever wanted anything in my whole life. His touch set my skin ablaze and I’d never felt more alive.

I slowly closed my eyes and pressed my lips against his, hoping instinct would take over.

His lips were soft and delicate, teasing, then he deepened the kiss, running his hand through my hair and opening my mouth. I gasped and gripped him tighter, pulling him closer to me as he embraced me fiercely.

My head spun. I was glad he was holding me because my knees buckled. All too soon, Ansel slowly pulled away and my eyes fluttered open as if waking from a dream. I was too shocked to speak.

“I won’t push you, Violet,” he whispered. “We can take it slow.”

I nodded, still too stunned to speak.

Ansel grinned. “Are you okay?”

---