Page 9 of Blood and Redemption

The promise in his voice is concrete, causing my pulse to race.

I believe him. Even if my brother suddenly pops up, I don’t think even Ren could pull us apart. Not while we’re like this.

Then his hand moves back to my knee, his thumb sweeping over the sensitive skin behind it. My breath stutters. I’m already leaning into him, my pulse pounding where his fingers almost brush higher—

But he stops.

His nostrils flare, his jaw tightening like he’s warring with himself. For one dizzying moment, his gaze flicks to the apex of my thighs, pressed tight against the counter’s edge. I see the hunger there, dark and liquid.

Then he drags his palm away, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

“Later.” With promise in his voice, he leaves me dizzy.

I don’t know what he has in mind, butlatercan’t come soon enough.

5

Rocco

How in the hell am I supposed to be miserable if I’ve got Aurora on my heel, pushing buttons while trying her damndest to get under my skin?

There aren’t any drugs or alcohol within my reach, but I can’t think about that when she’s far more addictive.

Hours pass, and I find myself growing more and more stir-crazy.

“Ren leaves you by yourself all day?” We’re in the living room, the same place she found me.

While she’s spread across two cushions, I’m sitting on the third. Her toes barely avoid my hip.

She nods, hardly looking bothered. “Work keeps him busy. I don’t mind. Whenever he’s here, he breathes down my neck. If he returns, it won’t be until after the sun goes down.”

If. Meaning there’s a chance that he won’t even come back.

“We’re almost to that point.” Looking over toward the large glass windows revealing all the forestry surrounding this place, I take in the darkening skies. “He won’t be too happy if he sees you at my side.”

She rolls her eyes like this is some casual debate and not the knife’s edge we’re balancing on. A hot spark of irritation flares in my chest. I should scold her. Should pin her against the cushions on this couch and remind her how easily trust can snap.

“He’s not stupid,” she says, all breezy confidence. “He knows we can’t avoid bumping into each other. If Ren brought you here, he knows you won’t hurt me.”

I bark out a laugh. Her frown is instant, delicious.

“Hurting you isn’t what he’s worried about, angel.” The words flow from my lips like sweet syrup hiding a deadly poison.

That’s when it hits me—the wide-eyed clarity in her gaze, the way she tilts her head like she’s genuinely trying to understand. Christ, she’s innocent. Not naive, not fragile, but untouched by the kind of filth I wear like a second skin.

My teeth sink into my cheek until I taste blood.

This is why I stopped, why I’ll keep stopping. Because, for once in my miserable existence, I want something without ruining it.

The longer she stares at me with those wide eyes, the more my resolution cracks at its core.

Fine. I’ll show her. Give her a reason to stay away. I’ll make it easier for both of us.

Turning toward her, the cushion at her feet sinks as I lean into it. Slowly, my fingers drift toward her ankle. The moment our skin makes contact, I feel the way her skin prickles up.

“You want to know why Ren has tucked you away from the world, Aurora?” Purring her name, my other hand joins the first, and I slide my palms up her calves before pushing her knees apart.

Her breath hitches, and her lips part. For a moment, she looks like a doe caught in headlights. After a few seconds, she nods. One jerk, all I need.

---