Page 55 of All the Devils are Here

I leaned in, savoring that I was allowed to loop my arms around his neck. My body was tense with fear, and like he sensed it, his hands slid to my lower back, massaging his fingers into it.

“I’m scared,” I finally whispered.

He nodded once. “Tell me why.”

It was too much. Too big. “Because of you. And them. It might not be the island giving me whatever deep desire is hidden in my soul, but it is what I’ve wanted. Just having it dropped in your lap? I don’t know how to do this. And with that, it might all be taken away.” My voice cracked on the last word.

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

“How can you be sure?”

A low growl that set my hair on end in a good way. “I haven’t been alive this long just to find my mate and lose her. I’m going to do everything in my power to fix this.”

“And if you can’t?”

Nothing in his face changed. He was just as fierce about it. “Then I’ll do what I promised Christine and make sure you get out of here. With or without me. I’m sure the others would say the same.”

“That’s not an option.” I dug my hands into his hair. “No. Promise me.”

“Let’s go talk about it.” He stood, and I could tell it took an effort for him not to lift me into his arms. Instead, he wove our fingers together and led me out of the room.

But I couldn’t help but notice he hadn’t promised anything.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

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MEGHAN

Ihadn’t seen the house on the way in. But now I did, and it was… as beautiful as it wasnormal.

Carved walls of pale stone that didn’t feel oppressive, colors subtly shifting like the cave. Pillars that supported a large open space with comfy cushions and couches, and a large open pool for Trin. Steam rose off the surface of the water, and given I still wasn’t entirely warm, it was appealing.

Ban was lounging on one of the couches, still not wearing any clothes. He had no reason to be shy, but heat still painted my cheeks since I wasn’t used to just seeing anyone so casually naked.

Trin was on two humanesque legs in the kitchen I could see through a large archway.

It felt bright and open despite the fact that we were clearly underground. There were no windows, but the light felt natural. The air, too, felt clean and open. If it was true and Ariel was responsible for this house, it made sense. A spirit was likely to savor the open air as opposed to anything else.

That same spirit was on a couch across from Ban, watching me carefully. In spite of the apology, there was still some tension between us.

“This is weird,” I whispered to Laurent.

“Is it?”

Shrugging, I released his hand and wrapped my arms around myself. “A bit, yeah.”

He turned and kissed my temple, and I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes and losing myself in the sharpness of his scent. The words he whispered in my ears were soft. “It will take some getting used to. For all of us. But never worry about me. It may have been centuries, but these men are my brothers. We have the same maker and were formed by the same magic. You haven’t seen my possessive side, Meg. I’ve never let it out. And I don’t pretend I won’t want you to myself, because I will. You’remine.”

Delicious chills ran down my spine.

“But you’re theirs too. And I think you and Ariel have more to work out.”

I pressed my lips together, nervous. “I’m going to be bad at this.”

“Never.” One more kiss on my forehead, and he stepped back, allowing me space to move.

The steps I took across the room to Ariel felt like the longest steps in the world. And I remembered what Laurent asked. Was I going shy?

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