Page 42 of Cursed Beasts

Grabbing one, I stuffed it into my mouth. It was still warm and there were bits of chocolate, making the cookie so much better. All I wanted to do was eat the other two cookies, but I grabbed a chair and returned to the mysterious book.

I set the chair down in front of the book, thinking it didn’t look tall enough for me to reach it, but I tried anyway. I was a few inches too short to reach it, even trying to stretch as far as I could, but I couldn’t get to it.

The bookshelf looked stable enough to hold my weight, testing it with just a little weight. When it looked to be stable, I set more of my weight on it using it like a ladder to get that book.

“What are you doing?” The voice made me lose my grip and slip.

My reflexes weren’t fast enough. I hit my knee, falling down as a pair of strong hands grabbed my waist.

“What are you wearing?” he said as they set me down on my feet.

I turned to see Aeon’s multicolored eyes looking down on me. His hands were still on my waist while I looked up at his angry expression.

“Uh—” I said, trying to remember what he just asked when the feel of his hands felt like fire.

“Did you not hear me?” he snarled, snapping me out of my shocked state. I pushed away from him quickly, my back hitting the bookshelf behind me.

“I was trying to get a book and what I wear is none of your concern,” I snapped.

“So, you thought climbing the bookshelf was a good idea?” He looked at me like I was the dumbest person in the world.

“I was just a few inches away. If you hadn’t fucking scared me, I would not have fallen.” I glared at him before I grabbed the chair, pushing it back to where I had it.

“There are hundreds of books down here,” he said, looking up. “Why do you need one at the very top? I’m sure there are some romance books on the bottom shelves.”

“Oh, fuck you,” I snapped, getting ready to hit him because he was annoying the crap out of me.

“I’m sure we have some childrens’ books somewhere, if you need something a little easier.” He taunted me, his expression turning a little feral.

“Well, if I find them, I'll let you know. We can’t have that tiny brain of yours thinking too hard when you read.” I jutted my chin out in defiance.

He took a step towards me, boxing me with his arms on either side of me.

“Kitten,” he said, with an air of violence in his body. “We both know Belladonna’s wouldn’t be shit without us being stuck here. I know you play dirty, so don’t confuse your treachery with power.”

“Look, I—”

“Save your lies. We all know that you’ll say anything to get your way. Next time, put on some clothes, quit parading around like some common whore.” He sneered as the clock chimed.

As much as I wanted to argue with Aeon, staying alive mattered more.

“Move,” I said, as I tried to push him back, but he didn’t move.

He glared at me with hate, but his eyes said something else. Longing?

“I have to get to my room.” I pushed him again, using more of my body, but he didn’t budge. He was a damn wall of muscle I intimately knew from straddling him. I couldn’t help but glance at his crotch, seeing that I made him aroused. My clothes didn’t offend him because he clearly appreciated my body, or maybe it was my charming personality?

“Move or you won’t like what I do,” I snapped.

He didn’t move. I stood on my tippy toes, wrapped a hand around his neck, and placed a kiss on his lips. His entire body stiffened, his mouth opened slightly from shock, allowing me to run my tongue along his top lip before he jolted back.

I didn’t get to enjoy the look of horror on his face before I booked it back to my bag. Throwing everything in quickly, then throwing it over my shoulder, I left the library without a backwards glance.

I didn’t want to know what happened if they caught me outside of my bedroom when the clock struck four. The thought of being torn to pieces had me jogging to my room.

20

ZEV

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