Page 49 of Rebirth Of Order
We engage into an unspoken hold for what seems like minutes. His leer penetrates mine in such a dark and entrancing way, speaking that he is not fond of being told what to do. The red tones of his eyes blaze around the tint of his golden hues, and my heart comes to a sudden stop.
Flames of hell swallow the heavenly halo, causing my chest to ache like he is intentionally squeezing my heart. A force wrapping around it and cutting the blood flow to my body. But if I fold now, he wins, and I’m not budging on this.
His mouth opens, and I cut him off. “Ethan, door.” Blood pulls from my face as his features transform into what can only be describedas deadly. The right side of his mouth lifts sinisterly, his vision glazed with intent, and I find myself being the one breaking.
“If you’re expecting an obedient pet, you have no idea to whom you’re speaking with.” His hand flicks, and in an instant, I’m pulled towards him. My feet dangle above the ground, my pulse pounds against my ear, and our lips are only inches apart.
Trepidation peers back through his merciless gaze now that I’m eye level to him.
Sure, a few seconds ago, I was brave. Hell, some would even say daring, but in this moment, my heart falls into the pit of my stomach, fleeing for its survival.
“Kill you, you say?” he continues, stoking the flames engulfing my reflection. “That does sound like an appealing offer. How about we start slow? I can sever a hand…an arm…then a foot–”
“You’re sadistic.” I shy away from the visions he is manipulating.
“So I’ve been told, but you may have a chance of living past tonight. Tell me where she is,” he growls, throat vibrating with a rumble. It passes through my chest and into my stomach, trembling every organ, causing me to shutter. His breath blows over my lips as I try to speak. A taste of conviction and promises layered over a citric and cinnamon flavor.
Inadvertently, my tongue swipes along the inside of my mouth, tasting his sought-after promises and threats he plans on inflicting. Stiffening, he trails the motion, pausing briefly before advancing towards my chest as though he hears its harmony. I’m unable to breath against the frigid stare, surrounded by a hellish blaze.
The next words spoken either define me as bold or completely insane…and I’m banking on insanity.
“If you want an answer, you’ll need to knock at my door.”
He returns his vindictive stare, peering into the depths of my soul, and an unbelievable amount of energy spreads around us, tossing my blankets and knocking over the stand beside the bed. He is pissed. The force keeping me suspended burns a trail across myneck, leaving a line of chilled bumps like a blade of dry ice pressed against it. I shiver at his implication of slitting my throat.
Pressure builds around my vision, knowing he holds my life in the palms of his damning hands, and the force holding me squeezes tighter.No, if he plans on killing you, don’t you dare shy away.My thoughts stand firm even when my body wants to implode.
I find him glowering and prepare for the worst, but he scoffs, releasing me with agitation and walks off. I stumble, afraid to move more than that, and panic coats my palms in sweat as his steps reduce in the distance. My front door slams shut, and seconds pass before he knocks.
“Holy shit, that actually worked,” I whisper to myself. The door sounds again, this time more aggressively than the first. “Who is it?” I yell while advancing into my living area and withhold a laugh. I’ve already faced death and lived, so my adrenaline is shot through the roof.
“Open. The. Door.” Chills and heat race down my arms as vibrations pass through them. I open it, still riding high on my accomplishment and not dying in the process. “I despise waiting, and this will never happen again. Understood?” he says, leaning forward and invading my space. I nod, pissed that my body betrayed me into submitting. “Good, now let me in.” Another demand that of course I can’t reject.We’re supposed to be working together, body. How about we stop doing what he says.
Ethan closes the door behind him, and that same sound emits a couple doors down the hallway. He shifts his gaze then takes an exasperated breath. “Where’s Angel?”
“Who?”
“You’ve escaped my wrath once tonight. I suggest not pressing your luck.” His muscular frame towers over mine, swallowing my figure within the loom of his shadow, drowning me in the abyss of his dominating presence. A vow etches into his expression as he takes me in fully, surveying my features and taking mental notes.
“Who’s Angel? Do you mean Angie?” I question, wishinglike hell he’d step back. The heat of his body is wafting over mine, and the last thing I need is for me to enjoy it. Which I am.No, I’m not.
“Angie is short for Angel. Or did you seriously not know this?”
“Ohhh. Makes sense.” Shrugging off his implication of my intelligence, I continue, “Well, I don’t know where she went.”
He leans closer, matching my height, and his cinnamon and citrus scent takes refuge within my lungs. That vow mentioned earlier becomes clear as his eyes ache to punish me for wasting his time.
Twitching hands beg to wrap around my throat, based on how he peers at my neck, and a tsunami of heat spills over my thighs, tingling with a sensational urge from how close his hands are to them, not touching me, which I’m not accustomed to.
“I’m leaving to find her. When I return, I won’t be using the door,” he says, taking a step back and cutting me off cold turkey from the very essence of him.
“Okay,” I respond, speaking through half parted lips. Something about him torments my soul, wanting to defy every command he issues, but my ovaries find this asshole attractive. And until we find even ground, I’ll keep my distance. “What’s your plan when you find her?” I regain my resolve, remembering how he threatened my life only minutes ago.
“Since she ditched her duties for…” He starts, but pauses as if the mere thought entices his anger.
“For dick?”
The thought trickled out before I could contain it, and now I’m once again under the mercy of his leer. It doesn’t help he despises cursing. “Kill the fay she’s with.”
