Page 62 of Tear of Destiny

“Do you actually get along with your parents?” I ask.

I still know so little about Noah. But he’s always happy to answer my questions and never seems to want to withhold anything from me.

“Your dad seemed pretty strict. But I only met him that one time when he came to take you to Travis’ hearing.”

He shrugs. “I get along with them okay. They’ve never been around that much, and they’re still not. So you kind of grow apart over time.”

“You mean, you were often left alone as a child?”

“When I was younger, I mostly traveled with them. It was pretty stressful, and I spent most of my childhood in hotel rooms and attending events. I guess it wasn’t easy for my parents to raise me under those circumstances.” He thinks for a moment and then says, “When my mother was pregnant with me, she almost lost me. My parents were ambushed by Tempes and attacked, and my mother was badly hurt. The chances weren’t good, and the doctors told my mother to expect the worst and to be prepared to lose me. But, as she always says, a miracle happened.”

“That must have been hard on her,” I reply. I can only imagine how it must feel for a mother to fear for the life of her unborn child. I doubt there’s anything worse.

“Yeah, she was really scared, and her own injuries were serious too. But in the end, everything turned out fine.”

Noah scoots over and puts his arm around me. I happily snuggle up to him and enjoy the closeness. It’s a special moment, finally being together undisturbed. His breath tickles my cheek, and I’m overcome with intense longing. He hasn’t even touched my skin, but his scent and his warmth enveloping me are enough to fill me with this deep desire.

I lean in and gently brush my lips along his neck. I hear him gasp, and he bends toward me. He urgently seeks out my mouth and seals it with a passionate kiss.

I don’t actually want to think about anything else right now, but an idea keeps pushing its way into my head. I pull back, catch his eye, and say, “I know Alessandro. I’ll ask to spend some time with him. I’m sure I can get him to invite me to his house. Once I’m in the building, I’ll let you in through a window. Except it may not be easy to find the room where that stuff is kept. The house is huge.”

“Tess,” Noah begins. I can see the doubt and concern in his face.“Are you sure that’s a good idea? It’s sounds dangerous.”

“Breaking in is not an option,” I reply. “Trust me, this is the easiest way for us to try.”

“You always have to put yourself in dangerous situations,” Noah says quietly, leaning his head against mine. He doesn’t sound accusatory at all, he sounds sad. “I hope someday that will change.”

I hope so too. But I don’t want to waste this opportunity. I lean forward and kiss him. His breath caresses my skin, and I realize that there are far too many layers of clothing between us. I push my hands under his shirt, tracing his muscles and enjoying the chance to explore his smooth skin.

I kiss his neck, his collarbone, and I get goosebumps all over. He’s eager to peel off the layers of clothing too. His lips feel their way along my neckline, and there too he pushes the pesky fabric aside. I sink back on the couch, close my eyes, and enjoy the way he touches and tenderly kisses my breasts.

I look up and bury my hands in his hair, and something behind him catches my eye. I see a strange glow coming from a chest of drawers.

“What… What’s that?” I blurt.

Noah’s irritated and doesn’t know what I’m talking about, but he follows my eyes, moving his head back and forth. Finally he sees it too. He frowns, stands up, and pulls the furniture out from the wall a little. What he finds there makes him catch his breath. There’s a hole drilled in the wall behind it and inside is a small pouch that I guess is not properly closed, because there’s light shining out of it.

I go to Noah and kneel beside him. “What are those?” I ask as he turns the small blue lights in his hands.

“Each of these spheres is a dying breath,” he says. “But I’m guessing they weren’t collected by a Noctu. Or they were acquired illegally because otherwise they’d be in the vessel thatwe normally store them in.”

“Like Frida’s ring,” I say.

He nods. “This is not good. This is really not good.”

“But why are they in your apartment? Who brought them here?”

Noah is already on his feet, reaching for his phone to make a call. “Come to my apartment right now,” he says. I can hear the anger in his voice. He ends the call without waiting for an answer and paces restlessly back and forth. It’s not long before the door opens, and Frances enters.

“Why did you call me?” she asks, then stiffens when she sees me. “Why did you ask me to come here?”

Noah takes out the pouch, opens it, and holds it out to her. Her expression freezes. Even I can recognize the guilt in her eyes.

“What do you want with these? Why did you collect them, and how dare you abuse my trust and hide them in my apartment?”

Frances’ face turns pale, but then a look of determination spreads across it. Her eyes smolder with anger and fierce resolve. She’s not going to open up to Noah, and that worries me. He’s always meant so much to her, and I’m sure he still does, even if she can’t show it anymore. Something has happened.

“It’s none of your business. Stay out of my life. You expect the same from me.”

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