Page 83 of Stone Seduction
My mark lit up like the sun, the lightning destroying every target. The monsters melting, the humans exploding under a tirade of precision strikes from the water and fire. People screamed and Luke went spinning.
I flew after him, pouring everything into my speed. I caught him on his descent, cradling him against me.
“I’ve got you.”
His temperature ran hot, his clothes and hair soaked in sweat. I flew him away from the scene, aiming for the Brinecrest tower. I’d rather take him to his lighthouse, but safety first, followed by a shower and rest. Everything else could wait.
“I’ve got you,” I repeated.
He moaned, lifting his head. Strands of auburn hair clung to his forehead, his eyes bloodshot. “Asher. I…”
“Don’t speak. Rest.” I sheltered him from the cold. “We’ll be home soon.”
He passed out.
“Sleep, Lukey.” I kissed his forehead, gathering speed.
As I crossed Brinecrest’s western border, six knights greeted me. For a minute, I expected a row, an attempt to wrestle Luke from me on Seth’s orders. Neither came. Instead, they provided an escort to the tower, every one of them steely-faced and silent.
Yeah, no trust here. Unease reared its familiar head, biting down on me. This was too easy breezy.
By the gods. What next?
I landed on the mission room’s balcony, hurrying inside. Eden greeted me, following to the corridor.
“Where are you taking him, Cookie?” she asked.
“To rest.” I didn’t mean to sound so cold. My distrust put me on edge, a coiled spring ready to snap.
Eden jumped in front of me. “Slow down.”
I moved around her. “Don’t, Eden.”
She kept pace with me. “Maybe take him to the med bay. He doesn’t look good, Cookie.”
Slowing slightly, I checked him over. He shivered, his skin far too pale, glistening with sweat.
“Shit.” I glanced at her.
She smiled sympathetically, her creation a true gift from the gods. Always supporting me, always flying my flag. “Come on. He needs medical care, and you need a scotch green tea.”
Spot on there, sis.
I hesitated, glancing left and right, suspicion a spider scuttling on my nerves.
Eden stroked my spine. “I’ll be right with you.”
When I swallowed, I thought I tasted ashes. “What if they take him from me? I won’t let them. I can’t. I’ve had enough of Seth setting the rules.I’mhis protector. I keep him safe. And I can keep him under control.” Tears ran down my cheeks, catching me off guard.
He’s my Luke. He’s special. He’s the sunlight dancing on the ocean, the cherry on a sundae. He’s every sweet thing, and he’s mine.
Bollocks to the short period of time we’d known each other. I knew this was right. I’d marked his heart, and he’d marked mine. We were more, moving forward.
Meant to be.
“It’s okay, Cookie.” Eden put her arm around me. “It’s all going to be okay.”
The lie rotting in my core arrived on my tongue. “I… I… I’ve got to tell…” Shit. My mouth went dry. Fear of Luke overhearing, of him hating me, of him never being in my arms again. Of us never getting the chance to go further, beyond sex and attraction, exploring a life together.
