Page 10 of Hunted in the Shadows
“We’ve had this conversation before,” I said, determined to keep my voice a sweet murmur despite the outrage flooding me. “I know when to pull back if things get really bad.”
“And that low-level vamp still got the jump on you. Got his hands on you.”
“He threwyouacross the room just as hard.”
“That’s—it’s different. You know it’s different. I can take it.”
“You don’t get to define how strong I am.” The words came out with more of a bite than I’d intended.
Jon faltered, the urgency on his face softening into untethered affection that made me molten.
“Of course not,” he murmured. “I wouldn’t dare. But I—” After struggling to string together the right words,Jon sighed through his nose, shifting his weight to one arm so he could sweep a lock of my hair off my face. His fingertips were warm, his touch drugging. “I don’t want to lose you. There’s just something about you, Sylv. I couldn’t bear it.”
Focusing onanythingwas hard with the pleasant weight of his body over mine, my own body demanding to arch into him, to claim him.
“What happened todon’t get too attached?” I teased—though the shared mantra at the beginning of our time together felt age-old now.
“Guess I fucked up,” Jon said, brushing my jaw.
I let my eyes fall shut, leaning into his hand. It was so gentle, so tender, I almost forgot how dangerous he could truly be. I was glad my days of being prey were long behind me–because that look on Jon's face would surely lure me into letting my guard down.
In the recesses of my mind, his request for my safety stirred uneasily, but the matter could be dealt with another time. He would come to his senses when the veil of lust and adrenaline wore off.
I smiled coyly up at him, eager to distract from a potential argument. “What exactly is it about me? Enlighten me.”
Eyes darkening in the way that made my stomach flip, Jon leaned down.
“You’re brave. And kind. And dangerous.” He punctuated each word with a kiss, trailing over the intricate lace of my bralette.
“And pretty?” I prompted.
“Beautiful.” Jon’s lips brushed the traitor mark on my cheek. “Eres tan hermosa como las estrellas.”
A delighted giggle spilled out of me, heart fluttering as his lips stole mine again. “I love when you say nice things to me in Spanish. I’m going to assume that was nice, at least.”
A familiar thrill rushed through me as we entwined. Sometimes, our time together still felt unreal, like Jon would always be this myth just out of reach. This rush rekindled the memory of our first return to the spectral realm—the dizzying, almost unbearable anticipation as we shared our second kiss. That deceptively innocent brush of lips flooded me with something electric and dangerous, making me ravenous. Out of all my partners, none had ever made me feelso reckless, soalive.
I didn’t have to wonder if Jon felt the magnetic pull—the one that tugged us toward something we shouldn’t want but couldn’t resist.I saw it in his eyes. We shared the same wild hunger. We were both twisted in the same way.
I gripped his shoulders, feeling the hard-earned muscle on him. Though reality shifted from blink to blink, the solidity of Jon’s body pressed over mine was constant. I could feel his hunger, his aching care for me in every move he made.
He slipped a hand beneath me and massaged between my wings—a trick he’d learned early on in our time together. His mouth stretched into a smile against my neck when I rewarded him with a pleased moan, the sensitive skin hugging my wings coming alive under his touch. The spectral plane glowed blindingly bright in response to my ecstasy, forcing my eyes to squeeze shut. When I peeked past Jon’s shoulder, the sky and ground shimmered with shooting stars, bright hues of pink and cerulean swirling together. They bled together like watercolors, the air abuzz with silent magic that raised hairs on the back of my neck.
Jon and I broke apart to observe the spectral realm shifting around us. He collapsed beside me, and I cuddled up against him to lay my head on his chest. The miraculous display settled, but brilliant sparks still streaked in and out of sight.
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. With each visit, this plane seemed to root deeper into the connection with my mind and heart—for better or worse.
He stayed quiet for a few seconds, the warm brown of his eyes mixing with the manifested colors as he drank it all in. “Don’t apologize—it’syou. The most beautiful things about you.” He rubbed my arm up and down.
My throat went tight. I had one job in this arrangement—don’tfall for the lethal hunter you’ll have to leave.
I shifted nervously against him, tucking hair behind my ear. “Jon, do you believe in soul bonds?” My voice was unusually soft and restrained as I absently traced another rune across his chest.
He turned his head, studying me. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it.”
“It’s just another old Elysian story,” I said. “The concept of this invisible golden thread of starlight tied between two souls—unbreakable, always pulling them together, even when it defies all logic. A thread that spans through all time, all distance. Like somehow… the stars intend that they should meet.”
“Sounds like destiny,” he mused. “That can be dangerous if you’re not careful.”
