Page 40 of Savage Torment

My mouth dries as I try and struggle to gulp.

This man is a hazard.

“Wylder,” I breathe, unable to form a whole sentence, and he leans back, winking for good measure.

Accepting my inability to speak, I rake my eyes over him instead. His light, cropped hair begs for me to run my fingernails through it, while his hazel eyes hold promise of all the sinful things running through his mind. I know without asking that each and every one of them involves me, and my thighs press together.

“I’ve fucking missed you, Polaris. You’ve been injured, and not to be selfish, but I’ve felt left out. If Minnie gets her way, she’ll have you all to herself for the rest of eternity. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen, yeah?” He tucks a loose tendril of hair behind my ear and I blush, a mixture of his words and the realization that when I rid the juice from my body, I didn’t consider if my hair was messy now that it’s coming undone.

Clearing my throat, I try to calm my heart rate, but hearing him so openly express himself, in comparison to the mess I dealt with last night and this morning with Lincoln, is refreshing and impossible to downplay. “Eternity, huh? That’s a long time,” I murmur, and my breath hitches as he places his hand on my waist, tugging me in closer.

“Not when it comes to you. Even eternity wouldn’t be enough time with you, Little Witch.”

Slay me dead.

When a man bigger than me in every sense of the word speaks softly, promise in his tone, I’m certain the angels at the pearly gates await me. That’s the only thing that would explain such ecstasy from words alone, especially when everything else that surrounds me is drenched in a darkness that refuses to leave.

I press the palm of my hand to his chest as I run my tongue over my bottom lip, but his eyes dart from mine the second I inch closer. From the crinkle that forms between his brows, whatever has his attention isn’t good.

Understanding washes over me the moment I glance over my shoulder and a glaring vampire slowly walks past us. Wylder’s hand flexes at my waist and I quickly turn away from Blaze before he has the chance to try and speak to me.

“I’m sorry,” I mumble, and Wylder instantly captures my chin, tilting my head back so he can look into my eyes.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Because if things weren’t complicated enough, they just reached new heights,” I say with a sigh, and he scoffs.

“If you don’t think I can take him then you vastly underestimate me. Get that fucker in the ring and I’ll show him a good time,” he states with extra fire in his words, and I shake my head.

“That wouldn’t be necessary.”

It’s weird and awkward. I’m not blind to the fact that factions are usually separated. I’m not unaware of the fact that it feels like whatever this is between us, as intoxicating as it is, is likely to come with an expiration date. Wylder’s never promised me anything, none of them have, so I shouldn’t apologize for Blaze, but, I can’t help it.

“Minnie said you have your memories back,” he broaches, and I hum. He searches my eyes, looking deep into my soul. “Good or bad?”

I blink at him for a second, surprised by his question. “It depends. Both, maybe? There’s a lot for me to process, some things that may be relevant to you guys too, but as much as I want to reveal everything to you all, I’m aware that your loyalties lie with one another, just like his loyalties lie with himself. I need to be careful.”

“You don’t trust me.” There’s a tinge of hurt in his tone, and my tight smile does nothing to ease the tension bunching his neck muscles together.

“I do, just not as much as I need to trust myself, and even that’s questionable some days.”

“You want my loyalty?”

My eyes widen. “Wylder, I?—”

“I’ll give you my loyalty hands down,” he interjects, his voice projecting beyond the confines of the bubble our bodies have created, and I shake my head.

“I’m aware of factions and?—”

“I’ll mark the fuck out of you,” he interrupts again, his jaw now tight as his eyes storm with need and urgency.

“Wylder,” I breathe, but he shakes his head.

“This is serious, Polaris.”

“It must be if you’re using my actual name.” I try to ease the tension, just like Minnie does, but he rolls his eyes.

“You’re picking up too much sass from Lincoln. We’re going to have to rein that in.”

---