Page 38 of Her Dreadful Will
“Okay Boomer.” Delaney patted his arm. “And how does that mindset gel with you being our DJ?”
“Music transcends all. And while I prefer the purity of records, it’s not as practical as a playlist. Or portable speakers.”
Soleil returned Lindsey’s smile, liking him already. His purity of intent rang through his volisphere, sweet and true, marred only by a hint of sadness, a thread she wanted to follow, to soothe—
What was she doing? Frantically she submerged her ability deep at the center of herself.No mind-flexing, Soleil.
“If we’re ready, then,” said Achan. “You can all begin, and I’ll join you in a moment.”
There were a few other coven members Soleil hadn’t met, but she was at her limit of new names and faces for one night. It was already difficult to keep everyone in town straight in her mind, and adding more names to the mix wouldn’t make her life any easier.
Catching Soleil by the elbow, Achan drew her aside, under the fringe of trees at the edge of the clearing. “As I said, you don’t have to join the dance.”
“No pressure. Right.” Out of the corner of her eye she could see the others shedding clothes. Shirts, jackets, and pants slapped onto one of the crates, bare skin flashing in the glow of the twinkle lights.
“I won’t coax you to do anything you’d rather not do,” Achan said. “I’d rather have you in the circle fully clothed than not at all.”
“Because your coven needs my power.”
“We can harness more moonlight with a witch of your level, yes.” In the shadow of his tousled hair, his eyes gleamed with a fervor that quickened Soleil’s pulse. “But this is aboutyou. What you need.”
“And why do you care what I need? You barely know me.”
He looked away, biting his lip. “Idoknow you.”
“You don’t.”
“I can’t explain it to you.” His voice turned husky and wistful. “I feel like I’ve known you for a long time.”
Soleil’s hands curled into fists, and she pressed her thumb over the sharp ring on her right forefinger, using the pain to center herself. She couldn’t be angry at him for saying that, not when she felt the honesty of those words in her bones. She was mystified by how easily she could talk to him, like she might talk to an old friend. It was a raw, tender truth that she’d barely dared to face, and hearing him express it aloud made her skittish.
Could she do this? Strip down to her bare skin in front of this man—in front of them all? In her backyard it was different—there was privacy.
A hot flush steeped her neck and face. “I’m not really the nudist type.”
“Soleil.” His voice carried a smile. “We do keep our underwear on, you know.”
She looked up, eyes wide. “You do?”
“Yes. I mean technically it’s more effective to bare it all, to leave nothing between the light and your most sacred areas of energy, but we do bow to the social customs of our time. No full-frontal awkwardness. You won’t be showing any more skin than you would at the beach.”
“Oh god.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I was so scared. I thought—”
“You thought I was trying to get you naked.”
“Yes.”
“I might,” he said softly. “But not yet.”
Then he walked away, tugging his Henley over his head in one smooth motion. Underneath he was carved white ice, angled shoulder blades overlaid with lean muscle, his spine tracing a path between them. He had more tattoos curving along one scapula and marking his lower back. When he pulled the shirt free and shook out his black hair with his fingers, Soleil’s mouth went dry.
You won’t be showing any more skin than you would at the beach.
No problem. She could do this. Fearing or shaming the human body was ridiculous anyway. Such a magnificent piece of complex, multifunctional science was to be revered in all its shapes and sizes. At least that was what she told herself. When it came right down to showing all the inches of her own skin, every crease and curve and mole and freckle, she was a lot less certain.
Easing off her jacket, she walked back into the circle of light, over to the crates where the others were. She laid her jacket on the damp grass and dropped her bag on top of it. Her T-shirt followed, and she praised the stars that she’d worn reasonably attractive underwear today. Most of the time her bra and panties didn’t match, but she’d selected this set because she was seeing Achan tonight, and a secret part of her had whispered,Just in case.
Just in case something happened between them.
