Page 56 of Midnight Hunt

I rolled my eyes, fighting back a smile. Remembering my idea, I quickly sobered and, before I could chicken out again, blurted, “I want you to bind us.”

The mock surprise on his face immediately transformed intorealsurprise. “Bind? Withthis?”

When he lifted his right arm to point at the dark snake tattoo wrapped around his forearm, I nodded.

“Why?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

I nervously bit my lip before admitting, “Because those hunters obviously want to kidnap me and are going to great lengths to do so. If they’re successful—”

“They won’t be.”

“If theyareand we get separated, I want to ensure we’re able to find each other again.”

His frown deepened. “You don’t think we’re going to make it back home?”

“I didn’t say that, but . . . several hybrid females have been taken already. These hunters are skilled, and I want to be prepared, just in case.”

He studied me for a long moment, then said, “The binding spell is dangerous. It’s infused with dark magic and can be unpredictable. You saw what happened to Nora when Kolton performed it on her.”

“Because she tried tobreakit. The pain only flared up when she attempted to back out of their deal. If you perform the ritual with me, I can guarantee I won’t try to break it. Not willingly anyway.”

His lips thinned. When he didn’t respond, I prepared to put up a fight. But he surprised me a moment later by saying, “Okay.”

I blinked at him. “Okay?”

“Yes. It’s a good idea. Just in case.”

I nodded in agreement. “Just in case.”

“With one condition.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Name it.”

“We seal the deal with that kiss you promised me.”

I stopped breathing.

Seeing the shocked look on my face, he took a step forward. “Just one kiss, Vi. One little kiss. Seems like a small price to pay for my snake.”

I knew he meant the tattoo, but my eyes darted below his waist all the same. Curse my stupid eyeballs. When they looked back up at Griff’s face again, his lips were curling into a knowing smirk.

“Shut up,” I said before he could say whatever teasing remark was in his brain. He didn’t say a word, but his smirk grew. Forcing my gaze to remain on his and not that wicked mouth, I blew out a sigh and muttered, “Fine. You have a deal.”

The second I agreed, his chocolate eyes turned molten. Great. He definitely wasn’t planning on this being a quick peck. At the realization, my body eagerly warmed, making my skin feel way too hot in the robe.

Traitor, I hissed at my overactive libido.

But my fear of being separated from Griff kept me from backing out of the deal. It was a kiss. One kiss. It wasn’t like he asked me to have sex with him.

I could handle a kiss. One last kiss between friends, right?

As I felt a drop of sweat slither down my spine, Griff gestured for me to sit on the living room couch. I stiffly perched on a cushion, watching him slowly approach me. Expecting him to sit beside me, he startled me by kneeling on the rug at my feet. Our eyes were level now, and something about the position felt intimate. He wasn’t even touching me, but I almost couldn’t stand the sudden tension sparking between us.

Not knowing what to do next, I waited for his direction. He searched my face for a moment, as if to make sure I was truly okay with this. I stared back, silently assuring him I was. With a small nod, he held out his hand to me and said, “Violet Jane Rivers, do you wish to bind yourself to me?”

Ah, hell. That almost sounded like a marriage proposal. Why did I think this would be a good idea?

Too late to back out now.

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