Page 52 of Mostly Shattered

I resist telling him to fuck off.

“How do you even know about this?” I demand, crossing over to see his face better in the shadows.

“I pay well to stay informed of what happens in my territory.”

Territory. That one word reminds me of just how powerful this master vampire is. He controls all of vampiric North America.

Irritation flows through me. I just want all of this to be over. I can’t take much more. “Mortimer had a premonition that somebody is trying to hurt my family. He believes that creating an alliance between us and the Freemonts will negate that danger. I don’t know how to tell him that I think he’s picking up on the alternate timeline where everyone died at my birthday party, except for Conrad and me. I don’t think he’d even believe me if I tried.”

“Everyone?” Costin prompts.

“You. My parents. Anthony. Others.” I busy myself frantically searching for the book, hoping it wasn’t destroyed in the apocalyptic vision. It’s not on the bed or nightstand. I feel behind the dresser before crawling across the floor to look under my bed. “Then, after my party, Conrad’s birth mother. P-Paul.”

I stumble over his name, realizing I shouldn’t have spoken about it. The book isn’t under the bed, so I sit back and look up where he watches me.

“Who is this Paul?” Costin demands.

“No one. Nobody important. It doesn’t matter.” I try to step around him, but he blocks my path. “Have you seen the prophecy book?”

“Behind you.” He nods toward the corner of the bedroom. “You really should be more careful with that. Anyone could pick it up.”

“At least the floor is not lava,” I quip, swiping it off the ground.

“You unlocked the image.” He nods. “It is a bleak message of what the future will become.”

“A warning would have been nice. I thought I was going to die.” I take the broken amulet from my nightstand and set it next to the book on the bed. “Now I just need my phone.”

“You do not need a phone where we are going tonight,” he counters.

“Well, it has my wallet on there, so yes, I do kind of need it.” I don’t want to point out that I have no intention of leaving the house without some way to communicate with the outside world. Besides, I want to text my brother and make sure he’s alright. However, I’m not too worried. I assume he’s simply hiding from our mother.

“It is on your dresser,” Costin says.

I go to retrieve it. “All right, that’s everything. Let’s go.”

His lip twitches up at the side and his eyes narrow, a wholly seductive gesture. “As much as I appreciate watching you bend and stretch in that outfit, might I suggest something a little more comfortable for the underground? Otherwise, you will have more than Chester to fend off as a suitor.”

Only then do I realize that I’ve been running around in my bra and panties. He interrupted mewhile I was changing, and I forgot to complete the task. Belatedly, I shield my breasts and stomach with my hands.

The action causes him to laugh. “Yes, good call. We wouldn’t want to shock my delicate sensibilities.”

I should be angry with him—angry for interrupting my life, for trying to make jokes when my world is falling apart. But instead, all I feel is a strange sense of comfort. His presence, the cool steadiness of it, is a balm against the storm raging in my mind.

“You’re distracting me,” I murmur, the words coming out softer than I intended.

In a split second, he’s next to me.

“I should be the one complaining of distractions. I wasn’t running around half-naked.” His voice is low, teasing, but there’s something else buried there.

Fingers glide along the small of my back, and I shiver. I expect them to be cold, but they’re not. He leans his face close to mine. Our cheeks brush, and I feel his breath against my neck. A jolt of sexual awareness courses through me. It centers low in my belly.

I know I should push him away, should tell him this will never happen between us. The prophecy looms over us like a dark cloud. The vision of the world burning is still fresh in my mind. But at thismoment, I don’t care. I want to forget. I want to experience something that makes me feel alive.

“I have already dined this evening,” he whispers against me. “But if you’re offering other diversions…”

His breath is warm against my neck. He lets the suggestion hang between us.

Before I can stop myself, I turn to face him. The brush of his smooth cheek moves toward my lips. I stop as our mouths hover mere centimeters apart. I wait for him to kiss me, to make that final move. My breath comes in heavy pants. His fingers skate slowly downward as we stay locked in that otherwise frozen embrace. The tips of his fingers breach the top edge of my silk panties.

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