Page 31 of The Arbiter

I reach my hand over my shoulder to feel the ghostly, black wings, but my hand goes right through them, sending a shudder down my spine when my fingers brush them.

I pull my hand away quickly. Best not to do that at the moment. I like how it feels, but it’s akin to someone tracing a finger across a ticklish spot on your ribs or stomach.

What the fuck is happening to me?

“This might be my fault,” Larkan says, still staring at my appearance as I have a silent freak out while straddling his lap.

“Why am I glowing? This is weird as fuck,” I say, pausing to look at him. “Wait,yourfault? You think cause we just…”

He nods. “Yeah, I felt our power connect right there at the end. My guess? Mine helped unlock this new form. You are half Divine after all.”

I raise a brow in confusion. “But Rites don’t have second forms.”

Larkan bites his lip, and his brows lower, giving him a look that screams guilty. I squint my eyes at him in suspicion.

“You do have second forms, don’t you?” I ask in accusation.

He doesn’t respond for a moment but finally inclines his head just a fraction.

“Great! This is awesome,” I say, sarcasm dripping heavily from my voice. “You know how to put this form away? It’s weird and feels a bit uncomfortable.” I look over my shoulder at the weird flaming wings. Surprisingly, it looks like they’re being smashed against the roof of the SUV. When I touch them, it’s like they aren’t there, but when they touch something else, they become a physical thing that can move. I can actually feel where the wings are touching the roof.

He puts his hands on my shoulders and starts rubbing them up and down my arms. “You have to relax. You’re not only still amped from the sex and feeding, but you’re freaking out. You have to calm your mind and body, then your power will respond.”

I sigh in frustration, “I don’t know if I can get that calm right now, Larkan. I never expected this.”

“No one ever expects a lot of things in life, but they learn to deal anyway. Just close your eyes and breathe in and out slowly. Think of something that makes you happy.”

I don’t really think it’ll work, but I trust him not to steer me wrong, so I do as I’m told and close my eyes. Imagining sex, which I very much like, won’t help because it’ll just get me all excited. Instead, I think about sitting comfortably in my chair in the club, watching my people dance and have fun. I think about dancing with my girls to one of our slower songs as the soft beat moves through me, not stopping until the feeling is less uncomfortable and my body relaxes. I open my eyes and smile when I see everything is back to my human form. I peer behind me to make sure the wings are gone and let out a sigh of relief.

Larkan chuckles. “There you go. See? Not so hard. However, if you don’t put clothes back on, something else will be.”

I snort and cross my arms over my bare chest. “I would, but seeing that someone ripped my clothes, I’m shit out of luck.”

He helps me shift back into the passenger seat before reaching into the back. His hand now holds a shirt, which he quickly gives to me.

“It’ll be a bit big on you, but it’ll cover you until I can get you home.”

I thank him and slip into the black tank that falls to about mid-thigh. “It’ll do, though I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting some questions if anyone sees me.”

Larkan turns the key and starts the engine, then looks over at me with a smile. “Good thing you have your own personal staircase then.”

I scoff, “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

***

“Ma chérie, how was the stakeout?” Monroe asks, startling me as I walk into my loft.

I yelp pathetically from the scare. “Damn it! I didn’t even see you there,” I say with a hand over my heart. Usually, I’m not easily frightened, but with my mind still wandering through the events of the evening, I won’t admit which moment has more of my attention.

Who am I kidding? It was the sex.

I’m still reeling over my third form, obviously. But after feeling Larkan’s hands all over me and then the sweet kiss goodnight he gave me before I walked up to my loft, I can’t think of much else.

His brows pinch in concern. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He stands from the couch in the living room area where he’d been reading. His eyes stray to my state of undress as he walks over, and a knowing smile graces his lips. “Or should I say, take you away from thinking of a certain Rite?”

I snort and slip off my boots, setting them by the door. “That obvious, huh?” I ask sheepishly.

He shrugs and taps his nose. “Us Striges have a decent sense of smell, ma chérie. I can tell. But I also don’t think you’d look quite so dreamy-eyed right now if your clothes had been shredded in a fight.”

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