Page 84 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

He stalks toward me. “Have you stopped to ask me what my philosophy is, Natia? Or have you assumed I only want your body? Do you think I value the rest of what you offer so little?”

“When all your talk is saturated in sexual tension, it’s fairly obvious.”

My back bumps into the wall as he pursues me. “I won’t lie and tell you I don’t want you. I do.” Bracing his hands against the wall, he traps me and runs his nose along my neck. “But you missed the part of me being interested in your life, your desires, your wishes, your fears.” He leans his forehead against mine. “I want to know every part of you, inside and out.”

A nervous tremor goes through my body. “You are doing this to break my shields,” I whisper.

He leans back and locks his eyes with mine, boring straight through to my soul. “At first, yes, that was my intention.”

“And now?”

“Do you mean me harm?”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Do you have malevolent motives for pursuing Khalkaroth, the Jar, or Pan?”

Sighing, I shake my head again. “No.”

“Then my reasons have changed. Keep your shields, Natia. But don’t deny yourself simple pleasure because you’re afraid.”

Pushing on his solid chest, I slip under his arm. “I’m not afraid, and you obviously didn’t hear me on the boat.”

He snorts, turns around, and leans against the wall. “You’re terrified, and I heard you loud and clear. You’re terrified that I might satisfy so much of what you want that you would be lost to me. There’s nobody more qualified to handle your darkness and demons, Natia. I don’t want you at my feet, I don’t want your submission—your fire is what attracted me in the first place. Only a fool would douse that. But what you think you need and what you actually need are two different things. You need someone to show you what it’s like to lose control, to trust someone to hold you together when you fall apart—that’s the part that terrifies you. That I would shatter you and leave the pieces.”

“That trust has to be earned.”

Stepping forward, he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear and smiles down at me. “Then I shall earn it.”

“What about love?”

He cups my cheek. “You’re a romantic, Natia. I can worship you, protect you, and give you everything you will ever need. But I can’t promise you love.”

“Then we are still worlds apart.”

He stiffens. “You will be mine. Deny it all you wish. It makes no difference in the end. I did want to tear down those walls—now I want you to let them down for me, begging for me. I’ve made my motives clear, including having you under me, screaming my name.”

I shiver at the mental image and stride toward the bathroom, before I leap on him and prove him right. “Not going to happen.”

“You should be dead.”

My step falters. “Is that a threat?”

“No. You survived the Poison of the Gods. No one survives it. Once Khalkaroth figures out you are alive, he will stop at nothing to get you. He will most likely drag you to the bowels of hell as a present to Lucifer himself.”

Reaching the bathroom, I slam the door and slide my ass down to the cool, tiled floor. The weight of his power leaves the room.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Natia

A Taurus is often so bubbly and confident in front of friends that no one notices the raging bull charging inside.

Lying on the sofa with my feet stretched over Jed, I hum in pleasure as he rubs them. Snacks cover the coffee table, and several empty pizza boxes litter the floor. Zee, who returned a few minutes after Archan left, is on his fifth cycle of channel flicking, as Duncan offers the use of his Netflix account.

I grin at Duncan. “Zee, check out the recently watched list.”

Various sounds of amusement fill the room as we peruse Duncan’s recently watched shows, which include episodes ofBuffy(knew it),Supernatural,Ghost Whisperer, andOnce Upon a Time. It feels good to laugh with people I love. Even Jed seems to be worming his way in. He returned with a message that he’s helping protect me and that Archan expects Khalkaroth to make a move to kill or kidnap me—awesome.

---