Page 54 of Wicked Chains
"What changed?" Drake counters, voice gentle. "Or more accurately, who came along that was worth risking everything for?"
I whirl around to face him. "Stop. I'm not—it's not like that. Lucien doesn't—" I can't even finish the sentence, because I'm not sure what I want to say. Doesn't care about me? Doesn't think about me? I know both would be lies after that kiss by the willow tree.
"Doesn't what, Rose?" Drake prompts.
"He's playing the long game," I say instead. "He's got some angle, and he's using me to get it."
"Is that what you really believe?"
"It makes more sense than the alternative."
"Which is?"
"That he actually..." I trail off, unable to say it out loud. "Look, I don't trust him. He's a vampire who's lived for centuries.He's been the Coven's enforcer. Why are you defending him?" I demand. "I thought you couldn't stand him."
"I can't," Drake admits with a wry smile. "He's arrogant, condescending, and has a superiority complex the size of Manhattan. But that doesn't mean I don't understand him." He pauses. "We've both lived a long time in this place, watching things we can't change, hands tied by forces beyond our control."
I shake my head, frustrated. "Even if what you're saying is true, why would he risk everything for me? He barely knows me."
"Sometimes it doesn't take much," Drake says. "Just a spark. I felt it the first time I saw you."
My heart squeezes painfully in my chest. Drake's eyes are so earnest, so open, that I have to look away. It's easier to be angry than to deal with whatever this feeling is.
"So what, you want me to go thank him for his noble sacrifice?" I snort. "Pass."
"I want you to return his coat," Drake says simply. "What happens after that is up to you."
"Is this your way of pushing me toward him? Because that's weird, even for a ghost."
Drake's laugh is hollow. "I'm not pushing you toward anyone. I told you before, you're not mine to keep, Rose. Not really." His expression darkens slightly. "And I'm not always going to be here to protect you."
There it is again, that hint that something's wrong, something he's not telling me. "Drake."
"Go return the coat," he interrupts. "Talk to him."
"He's still working with Ash now, and Ash is a monster."
"People do complicated things for simple reasons sometimes," Drake says, moving closer, hands coming up to frame my face. "And sometimes, they do simple things for complicated reasons."
"That's confusing and unhelpful," I grumble.
His mouth tips into a smile. "Being confusing and unhelpful is in the ghost handbook. Right after 'how to rattle chains' and 'haunting 101.'"
Despite myself, I laugh. It breaks the tension, and Drake's smile widens in response. His thumb brushes over my bottom lip, and just like that, the mood shifts.
"If you're trying to distract me..." I start.
"Is it working?" he asks, leaning in.
"Maybe."
His lips find mine. The kiss deepens quickly, his tongue sliding against mine, making my toes curl. For a ghost, Drake sure knows how to make me feel like I'm the one who's not quite real, like I might float away if he wasn't holding me here.
When he pulls back, his eyes are intense. "Go," he says. "Return the coat."
"Now?" I'm breathless, unwilling to leave his arms.
"Now," he confirms, giving me a gentle push.
