Page 46 of Song of the Heart Scale
“You should be afraid of me,” I said quietly.
“Should I?” The blanket slid from her shoulder as she shifted closer. “Why is that?”
“Because once I have you in my grasp, I’m never letting you go.” She didn’t know just how deep I was in. With or without the mark, I wanted to keep Cat forever.
A slow smile crept across her face. “Oh?” She raised a brow. “It doesn’t hurt that my captor is handsome. I guess it’s okay,” she admitted.
The unexpected compliment caught me off guard. I almost laughed, but the sound died in my throat when her fingers traced the scar along my chest.
“What are we doing, Damien?” she whispered.
“Making a mistake, probably.” I’d already taunted Thorne with her once, and I shouldn’t tempt fate again. But…
She smiled at that—a real smile that reached her eyes. “I've made plenty of those. One more won't kill me.”
“Yet,” I added darkly, but there was no threat in it. Just the truth we both knew—that whatever this was could end badly for one or both of us. Things were getting murky, and it would undoubtedly get worse before it got better.
I traced my thumb across her bottom lip, feeling her warm breath against my skin. “I'm not good at this.”
“At what?”
“Whateverthisis. Tenderness. I don't do tenderness.”
Cat leaned into my touch, her eyes never leaving mine. “Then don't be tender.”
Something primal stirred in my chest at her words. I slid my hand to the nape of her neck, fingers tangling in her hair. She didn't flinch, didn't yield, just watched me with those knowing eyes.
“You have no idea what you're asking for,” I warned, my voice dropping to something just above a growl.
“I never ask for things I don't want.”
Eliminating the space between us, I pulled her toward me. Her body pressed against mine, warm and alive despiteeverything she'd been through. This time when our lips met, there was nothing gentle about it. I kissed her like a starved man, her soft gasp swallowed by my mouth.
Her hands found my shoulders, nails digging into the fabric of my shirt. She matched my intensity without hesitation, teeth grazing my bottom lip, drawing a low sound from deep in my throat.
“I love you, Cat,” I muttered against her neck as I traced a path of kisses down to her collarbone. “I don’t care if you can’t say it back to me yet.”
She arched into me and tangled her fingers in my hair. “Shut up, Damien.”
I chuckled against her skin. “As you wish.”
I cradled her face between my hands and studied her—the perfect shape of her eyebrows, the freckles scattered like stars across her nose, the bold defiance that never quite left her eyes, even now. She was beautiful in the way dangerous things were beautiful. Like the edge of a glittering blade or a storm rolling in from the sea.
“What am I supposed to do with you?” I mumbled as I watched her.
“Whatever you want,” she whispered.
The invitation in her words sent heat coursing through me. I kissed her again, harder this time, and slid one hand down to her waist. Her heartbeat raced beneath my palm. She was fire in human form, burning away every defense I'd built.
When we broke apart, both breathing heavily, I rested my forehead against hers. “This is dangerous.”
“Everything about you is dangerous,” she replied, fingers working at the buttons of my shirt. “I’ve already decided that I’m not going to let Thorne dictate my life. If I’m going to die here… on foreign lands… at least let me die happy.”
I froze. “You willnotdie, Cat.”
She smiled up at me, her hand coming up to caress my face. “I know you’ll try your damnedest, but no one can predict the future.”
I grabbed her wrist and pinned it to the bed. “I can,” I growled. “You will survive this storm. And I willmake sure you get back to your world. I promise you.”
