Page 19 of The Arbiter

“Shh,” he says as I hear two voices underneath us. His body is rock hard against me, and his warm breath fans against my face. Remember that spill about self-preservation? Yeah, I still have none.

As my head turns slightly to the side, his lips are there waiting. When they connect with mine, it feels as though a bomb goes off inside of me. Our powers clash and fight for dominance. When he pulls away, those ice blue eyes stare down at me.

“Watch yourself, Nocturna,” he whispers. “Something isn’t right, and those most important to you are hiding dark secrets.”

My mouth opens to ask him what he knows, but the door on the second landing swings open, and I hear Enoch and Monroe’s voices echoing up to us. Larkan presses his lips against mine before jumping the side rail on the opposite side. I don’t need to look to confirm that he landed on his feet and is probably half a mile away from here already.

“Mon chere? What are you doing out here?” Monroe asks as they spy me still pressed against the wall.

Enoch’s nostrils flare, and he lets out a low growl. “The Rite never left, did he?”

I shake my head and turn around to unlock my door. “No, but you can cool your tits because he’s gone now.”

“Fucking shit, Nocturna. It’s one thing to sleep with the Infernal Lieges but fucking around with a Rite takes you to a whole new level of insane,” he chastises.

I listen to his bitching all the way into the loft, but I’m only half-hearing him. Larkan’s words are sitting in the pit of my stomach, and it’s churning over and over them.

He keeps going on about the mistakes of being involved with a Rite even after we’re inside and the two of them are perched side by side on the couch. There’s an energy rolling underneath my skin, and it’s making me antsy. Enoch keeps up his monologue as I pace back and forth across the floor in front of them, trying to distract myself. Monroe is the only one who looks at me worriedly, but thankfully he never says anything. He lets me vent all my energy and frustrating thoughts out to the carpet.

“Are you fucking listening?” Enoch says, coming to stand in front of me. He grabs me by the top of my arms to hold me still, and my body rebels away from the contact.

“What do you want from me, Enoch?” I demand. “Youleft. All I was worth to you was that shitty little note that you left behind. You do not get to walk back in here and have any kind of say in my life. Especially considering you’re only here because of my new status.”

My words surprise him, which is odd, but he steps into my space before I can say anything. “I’m not back just for your status, love. I’m here for you.”

The next thing that I know, he’s crushing his lips against mine, and I fall into the routine because it is impossible to not kiss him. It only takes two seconds for my sense to return. Letting out a little of that energy, I push against him gently.

It knocks him flat on his ass, and I have to fight a laugh at the incredulous look on his face.Oops, I thought it was gently.

His second form tries to surface, but I watch as he forces it back down. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Monroe now sitting with his arms thrown across the back of the couch. His pose says that he’s getting a full dose of amusement from this. I’m sure he’d step in if need be, but for now his smirk says all.

Enoch brings himself to his feet. Keeping his distance this time, he says, “I deserve that. Do not mistake me for being weak, though, love. I’m not going to lose you again, and I will not stop until you accept that you belong to me.”

This conversation feels like it’s been waiting for a hundred years. I sigh. “I belong to no one, Enoch. Least of all you. Now, please leave.”

For the first time since I’ve known him, his face loses that arrogant hardness, but he quickly masks it again. “I’ll be around for whenever you change your mind.” With that, he leaves me staring after him in disbelief. Dear Damnation, that Baellock just will not take a damn hint.

As he slams the door behind him, the energy from before hits me again full force, the little that I pushed at him only having tamed it for a short while. Picking back up where I left off, my boot clad feet wear into the carpet again.

“Is there anything you want to talk about, ma chérie?” Monroe asks softly.

I shake my head but answer him anyways. “Something just doesn’t seem right. My body feels like there are creepy crawlies underneath my skin.”

He gets up to come stand in front of me, halting my pacing again. “It’s the power.”

“Why didn’t I feel like this before, then?” I ask, holding my palms up beside me.

“I could be wrong,” he starts, “but I think it may have something to do with that Rite. Larkan, correct?” After a nod from me, he adds, “I saw your reaction to him downstairs, and it became worse with him touching you. I’m guessing that he touched you up here as well. Did you feel anything different around him? With his power?”

Larkan’s words flash through my head again, and I second guess whether I should be trusting Monroe or not.What the fuck? Since when do I trust a Rite over a Damned?

“There was something that felt like a blanket covering my power. If that makes sense. Not suffocating or trying to hurt me,” I tell him honestly. “But now, I feel like I’m going to burst into flames or set the fucking loft on fire.”

I’m about to tell him about Larkan healing me the other day when Monroe closes what little bit of distance is left between us and grabs the sides of my face. “Were I any other Infernal, you’d be in trouble. As it stands, I do not believe in trying to sway you to choosing one side or the other. That leaves us with only one good outlet for this energy that you can feel trying to escape.”

With my face still between his palms, I have no choice but to look up to his when I mumble, “And what’s that?”

He leans down and presses his lips against mine. I’m not exactly sure if he knows what would happen next, but I can’t truly be held accountable for my actions. I blame it on the power, jumping on the opportunity that just presented itself.

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