Page 86 of Of Shadow and Moon

Then he speaks in that low, calm tone. “I know you’re here.”

I pause, the dagger stopping midway through the air.

Nazriel twists in his chair, his glacial blue eyes clamping onto mine. There is no surprise on his face, only the tug of a smile pulling at the corner of his lip. “If you're going to kill me, Selestina, at least have the decency to do it quickly.”

The dagger shakes in my hand, and I grind my teeth, forcing it to hold steady. “How did you?”

“You're not as subtle as you think.” He cuts me off, standing slowly. His gaze lowers to my lips and a sad smirk pulls at his lips. “You’re nervous.”

“I'm not nervous,” I snap, hating how my voice catches slightly. It's the way he looks at me, though, like he knows something I don't. And that irritates the fuck out of me.

Nazriel raises one eyebrow, his tone level with meaning, and takes another step towards me. Instinctively, I take a step back, keeping my blade sharply pointed in a safe position between us. He drops his gaze to the steel and back up to my eyes, and he utters in a voice low and soft, threaded with an uncomfortable wisdom. “You do not want to do this, either, do you?”

I glare at him, trying to disregard the shiver down my spine. “You don't know what I want.”

“Don't I?” His gaze goes from the blade in my hand to my face. “Because if you really wanted me dead, you would have done it by now. My words wouldn’t have distracted you or slowed you down.”

I open my mouth to argue, but the words get stuck in my throat. He's right, and we both know it. All he needs is my hesitation.

Nazriel steps closer again, and this time, I don't move away. His hand reaches out, until his fingers curl gently around my wrist. The dagger feels like dead weight in my hand. His touch is warm, steady, and it's the only thing anchoring me to this moment.

“Who sent you?” Nazriel asks, his voice low.

“I can't tell you,” I reply, barely above a whisper.

He nods, his grip on my wrist tightening slightly. “Do you want me dead, Selestina?”

I meet his gaze, and for a moment, the world narrows to just the two of us. His blue eyes bore into mine, but there's something else there, too. Something softer. I hate that it makes my chest tighten, that it makes my resolve crumble.

“No,” I admit, the word slipping out before I can stop it.

Nazriel's eyes glance to my lips, just for a fraction of a second, and it's enough to make my breath hitch.

Before I can think, before I can stop myself, his hand moves to the small of my back, tugging me closer. The dagger clatters to the floor, forgotten as my hands find their way to his chest. His lips crash against mine, demanding every inch of my mouth, and the kiss is everything I didn't know I needed.

I hate myself for the ease with which I melt into him, desperate, clinging to him as if he's an anchor that keepsme moored. His fingers tangle in my hair, his grip possessive and sure. I can feel the anger, the confusion, and the want bleeding into every touch.

When we finally break apart, we are both panting; our foreheads lying against each other. His voice, a whisper against my lips. “What now?”

Chapter 49

Nazriel

“If I don’t kill you, I’m fucked.” She whispers, her eyes bouncing between my eyes and my lips.

I don’t know what she is. I know she is powerful and definitely more than just a human. I knew the moment we fucked in that old storage closet that she was more than just a mere human. When she declared herself a human in Magical Theory, she was a liar.

I just couldn’t tell what. I knew she was deceiving me.

Both my hands cradle the back of her head as her doe eyes look at me. No matter how much she pisses me off, she is so fucking beautiful.

Her black hair, frizzy, and so…Selestina. She has this aura of being unhinged yet ethereal, naive but full of darkness, a woman who has suffered more than I could ever imagine. I knew this. I knew Nasarea was right. But what would that mean if I let myself believe that this gorgeous woman has lived through unimaginable things? When I had to turn her in. When I told father everything I knew.

The only way to save my sister was to turn this frustrating yet flawless woman in.

“Baby, you are everything I wish I could have,” I say, barely above a whisper. My words breathing right on to her lips. Her fingers are fisted into my shirt, as if she is gripping me hard enough to make me never let her go.

This is the last moment we will most likely get. She feels it too. No matter what happens in the future, there is no future for us.

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