Page 34 of Tragic Ink
My eyes widened. “And you were planning on telling me this whenexactly?”
He sighed. “It’s not like we’ve had time to really sit down and catch up on every little thing. We started to last night before your tattoo alarm system wentoff.”
I stalked to the chair beside my sagging couch. “Point taken. Let’s go ahead and do thatnow.”
“Gwen...” Rhys looked tired despite the fact that it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. I couldn’t blame him. We were both night owls, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been up beforebrunch.
“You wanted me to come to you for help, Rhys. And you told me that whole story last night about you being a Protector and where I really come from because you wanted me to trust you. Why ruin it now by keeping things fromme?”
He shook his head. “I’m not hiding anything from you, Gwen. There’s a lot happening here, and I’m trying to keep up and keep youalive.”
I sighed. “You’re right. Sorry, I’m juststressed.”
“I know. Just... take your herbs,” he said, and I pushed to my feet. “We’ll start there. Get the shields back in place so people don’t see you soeasily.”
I winced, and his eyes widened. “Shit, I’m sorry. That came out wrong. You know what Imean.”
“It’s fine.” I waved him off and turned toward the kitchen, where I kept my herbalsupplements.
“It’s not fine,” he said, following me. “You’re scared, and you’re counting on me, and I don’t mean to insultyou.”
“I...” What could I say? Iwascounting on him, but I wasn’t ready to admit that out loud. “I’d like to find a way to be of use in this whole thing,” I admittedinstead.
“You will,” he said, with enough certainty I decided not to admit how much I doubted that right now. “Your magic is strong, Gwen. More than enough to stop this guy from taking it or from hurting you.” He stepped closer, grabbing my hand with his own and spinning me to face him. “I believe inyou.”
He barely applied pressure, but the contact alone was enough to halt me in place. I turned slowly and met his eyes, the look he gave going straight to my stomach. Butterflies flipped and flitted inside me. And the heat that curled there shot low, straight to my thighs. “Rhys,” Ibegan.
He stepped closer, and I remembered the way he’d felt pressed against me when we’d first arrived. Not to mention kissing in his truck last night. And earlier this morning. The heat inside me seemed to warm the space between us, charging the air with a spark. Without consciously deciding to, I curled my fingers tighter around his, willing the moment to last. Suddenly, sitting and waiting for our next move didn’t seem sobad.
Rhys bowed his head, leaning in, and I held my breath. Every single thought of the danger and the uncertainty vanished. All that mattered was thismoment.
A small voice deep down warned me against getting distracted right now. And Ethan scratched at my arm, reminding me of the very real danger we were both in until we found answers to why a dead man had been inside my apartment. But none of it penetrated the fog of my own desire. And for a moment, neither did the insistent buzzing of a phone that broke the silence betweenus.
The buzzing continued, and Rhys sighed, his breath warm as it washed over myface.
When he pulled away, I came crashing back to reality. We did not have time for this right now. Not with a glamoured fae on the loose and out to getme.
Rhys pulled out his phone, checking the screen before looking back at me, apology written all over his expression as he steppedaway.
“It’s my contact at the Court,” he explained. “We need to go.Now.”
