Page 68 of Broken Shadows

“Did it help?” I ask, offering him a sad smile.

He inhales, then raises his head, a small smile curving his lips upward.

“Evie? I need to speak with you.” I glance over as Lorcan weaves through his brothers and stalks toward us.

I fight to control the anxiety ricocheting jarringly around in my guts, like a bouncy ball with sharp spikes. If this was my reaction to the first trial, how would I survive the rest? I rub over my heart as it flutters nervously. Lorcan cups my face, his tattooed hands so large his index fingers sit where my jaw hinges and his pinkies press lightly under the sides of my jaw. My lungs expand as his ashy nutmeg and sage scent lights me up from the inside out. It’s as if his very essence demands my body to relax, like I’m a marionet and he controls my strings. A blush steals across my cheeks as the intensity of his full, unwavering focus wraps around my mind and body like a soft silky cloak. I raise my chin and open my mouth to speak, but Lorcan shakes his head gently. He steps closer until our bodies touch from chest to thighs, then lowers his forehead to mine.

Why does his mere presence soothe me? The dominant yet gentle press of his hands demand I submit to his overbearing control without speaking a word. I don’t need him to put me back together. I’ve been doing that myself over and over again since I ran after I killed my brother. I inhale a stuttering breath. But part of me begs to admit, if only to myself, that maybe I trulydowant him to take care of me.

Slight trembles course down Lorcan’s fingers and through his forearms where they brush against the sides of my breasts.

“Are you okay, Baby Girl?” he asks quietly, his voice rough and gravelly.

I honestly don’t know how to answer that question. A million emotions knot behind my breastbone; it’s impossible to pull apart the threads and inspect each individual feeling. “I’m fine. I passed and now we can all move on, that’s all that matters.”

“I don’t give a shit about them,” Lorcan growls softly, lifting his face away and narrows his cold green eyes on mine but never relinquishes the hold he has on my face. “Surely, you’re aware of that by now. You are and will always be my first and only priority, Evie.” The knot in his throat bobs as he swallows, then he closes his eyes as if the words he wants to express pain him in some way.

My brows furrow, then my lips flatten into a straight line. “But I really am fine. I’ve been through worse than this. I can’t fall apart now, after one damn trial, and expect to magically complete the rest.” I tug on our bond seeking entrance to his mind, but he has it walled off on his end. Frustrating but not entirely unusual. “Let me in,” I whisper.

“No. I need to say this aloud. I know you're not fine, but I’ll let it go for now. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you nearly gave up back there. I almost lost you forever to a fate far worse than death. So, please, let me speak.”

“Did you just say please?” I blurt.

Lorcan chuckles deeply and the corner of his lips twitch as if he’s suppressing a smile. “Yes, but don’t get used to it. As you know, it’s not a word I use loosely.”

I roll my lips together, then nod seriously. “Okay, go on.”

“I've been meaning to give you something.” He pauses and gestures to the cemetery, gritting his teeth. “I almost missed the chance and I’ll be fucking damned if I continue to put it off any further.”

I narrow my gaze on a folded piece of paper as he slips it from his front pocket and tucks it into mine. The hand still cupping my cheek glides down the side of my neck, collaring my throat. I gasp as he lightly squeezes and my heart backflips.

Damn I love this demon’s touch. I wish I didn’t but there is no denying it any longer, he saw to that in the Shadow Realm. “Don’t open it until after we complete the trials.”

I quirk a brow curiosity roaming through my veins. “You insist I must have, whatever this is,” I say, smoothing a hand over my pocket. “And now you want me to wait?”

“I can’t explain it now, that’s why it’s written down.” Lorcan blows out a frustrated breath and the blue-black tasseled hair tickling his forehead lifts briefly. “Swear it, Evie.”

My gaze narrows on him as I peer up through my lashes. “Why?” I inquire further.

Lorcan growls, long and deep, then closes his eyes briefly. They flash open and inky darkness replaces their normally gorgeous pastel green. “For once in your life, just fucking do as I say.” It comes out as a plea, but his continuous growl underscores the sentiment with a command. I skate my fingers along the edge of his mask. Shit, he really means it. I rise to my tiptoes, brush my nose against his, then plant a kiss on his lips before dropping back to my heels.

“I won't read it until after the trials.”

A dark eyebrow arches as if silently asking,And?

I roll my eyes and sigh. “I swear it.”

“Good girl,” he rumbles, pressing his palm to my lower back and guiding me forward, punctuating our conversation.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Lorcan

With the first trial complete, a low hum of determination settles over the seven of us, including Gomez.

I move closer to Evie as she takes in the hellscape surrounding us. She tips her head back and her lips scrunch together, begging me to smooth a kiss over them. “What are you thinking, Baby Girl?” I ask aloud, rather than reaching through our bond.

“How do you tell if it’s day or night? Nothing around us has changed to indicate a time shift.”

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