Page 45 of Radiant Shadows

Something must have been seriously wrong with me because my core tightened with desire at the dangerous rumble of his dragon voice. I was going to blame it on my weird ursa hormones.

“I think it’s my turn for a game,” I said, flashing him an impish smirk.

“Oh yeah? What kind of game?” he asked.

“It’s called”—I spun around and shot off into the sky with several forceful pumps of my wings—“Catch Me If You Can!”

He immediately took chase, and a giggle peeled out of me as I flew as fast as I could.

I would eventually tell Tobias about my ursa. But for now, I was going to enjoy this outing. Leave everything else under the Dome where it belonged.

Chapter 16

Shea

My palms were so sweaty that my gloves had begun to freeze to my hands, sticking stubbornly as I peeled them off in the lobby of Julian’s apartment.

My legs wobbled as I crossed the polished floor to the elevator, and for those few steps, I couldn’t quite remember how to walk.Do my hands usually swing this much? How wide is my stride supposed to be? Why is this so difficult?

I had no idea what to expect when I got there. Surely, they wouldn’t ask me to come all this way just for both of them to dump me. Right? But then again, Julian was a very careful person. He wasn’t the type to break someone’s heart over text but talk them down face to face.

Aww, fuck!

I reached Julian’s door to find that it had been replaced. Out of habit, I took out the spare key he’d given me, then paused. Under the circumstances, it didn’t feel right to just let myself in. So, I stashed the key and knocked instead. Well, that just felt foolish.

The door opened to the heart-stopping sight of Julian standing behind it, and my breath hitched as I took in his beautiful face and stylish physique for what might be the last time. He stared at me for a moment, a playful smirk on his full lips.

“You know, you’re not the vampire here,” he said in a light tone, “you can come in without a formal invitation.”

“Oh.” My cheeks burned as I stepped inside, hoping they just looked frost-kissed from the bitter cold outside.

Caesar was leaning against the island in the kitchen, his arms folded over his deliciously broad chest that was hugged by a fitted sweater and one ankle resting atop the other. I couldn’t tell if his stance was guarded or casual, especially since his face was an unreadable mask as his gaze lingered on me.

I jumped slightly when Julian’s hand pressed gently on the small of my back through my thick jacket, then immediately relaxed at the knowledge that he was touching me. Even through so many layers, his touch felt so good. I let him guide me toward Caesar in the kitchen, again focusing way too much on my feet and whether or not my steps looked awkward.

“So, what’s all this about?” I asked, my voice sounding surprisingly confident with my typical snark as I shrugged out of my jacket.

“We—” Caesar began to speak, but he broke off, and his eyes flared wide when he took in my slinky red sweater dress, black leggings, and black leather boots. “Whoa, you look…”

“Delectable,” Julian volunteered in a low tone that dripped with desire.

I tossed my bulky jacket and coat onto the island counter with maybe a little too much cavalier swagger. “Yeah, well, I figured if I’m going to get dumped, I might as well look smoking hot while I do it.”

Caesar’s mask cracked into a smile, and he scooted closer to me. “We’re not dumping you.”

I furrowed my brows at him skeptically, then turned to Julian, who nodded slightly.

“Oh,” I said awkwardly. “So…”

“We asked you here to talk about the dynamics of our relationship and what you would like to have happen here,” Julian said, his voice so velvety smooth I had to fight a swoon, especially considering the words he spoke with it.

They looked at me expectantly for a moment, and I guess I hadn’t realized that statement was a question, and they were waiting for an answer. I suddenly felt very hot and on the spot.

I cleared my throat and scraped my teeth over my bottom lip. “Well, you guys already know what I want. I want both of you. I don’t want to have to choose. Not that that matters because you still don’t even know if you want me at all.” I looked sheepishly at Julian.

“I guess that’s a good place to start,” Julian said, a crease forming in his smooth brow as he seemed to mentally prepare his next words. “I have spent my entire immortal life mourning the woman I always believed was my forever. And it’s been an incredibly lonely existence. I don’t believe that Alice would have wanted that for me. I think she’d want me to move on and find happiness with someone else. I never thought I’d find anyone who could be her equal, and I avoided any form of intimacy out of loyalty and respect for her. But that’s not living. I’m ready to truly live.”

He stepped closer, and my heart was beating so fast I thought it might burst out of my chest like the Energizer Bunny. Was he actually saying what I thought he was saying?

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