Page 37 of Hopeless Magic
“Where’d this one come from?” he asks me in a gravelly voice, pulling me from my thoughts.
I lick my lips, my gaze pulling away from his to notice the pale scar running along my side.
“I got caught stealing from a drunk when I was seventeen.” A fond smile pulls at my lips. “I don’t steal from drunks anymore. Very often.”
He smirks at me as his fingers continue tracing along my body. Making me crazy.
“And this one?” He skims the side of my neck, his thumb brushing over my jaw.
I’ve never talked with him like this. I don’t know if I’ve ever spoke with anyone like this.
“A man tried to take more than I offered once.” The smile falls from my lips as I remember the first person I ever killed.
Darrio’s brows raise high.
Carefully, as if he isn’t sure he’ll actually do it, he leans into me and presses a gentle kiss to the imperfect line against the base of my neck. My eyes flutter closed as he seals a new memory to the scar.
Lady Ivory always said I’d be perfect if I wasn’t flawed by so many scars. If I was more of a lady and less of thief. I always told her she’d be perfect if she wasn’t a whore. And we’d laugh, both of us ignoring what life had given us.
“You’re … more than just your scars. You know that, right?”
I nod, my eyes narrowing on his worried face. It’s a weird look he’s giving me.
He pauses, as if it’s hard for him to admit what he’s about to say to me. “You’re more than just beautiful.”
Again, I nod slowly.
I don’t know how we got here. Somewhere during our journey, I went from being thefucking humanto being beautiful in his eyes.
I haven’t decided if he’s still an asshole or not. At the moment he isn’t, but just give it time and I’m sure we’ll fall right back into the bickering hate we held before.
His icy gaze dances across my features.
“Never forget that.”
He glances to my lips. We’ve had sex, and yet, he hasn’t tried to kiss me again. A tingling feeling returns low in my stomach as I remember the way his lips felt against mine.
Stiffly he nods, breaking his attention away from my mouth before he pulls away from me. My stomach sinks hard as he stands and starts to pull on his pants.
The tides have changed. I can’t say that I have. I feel it though. I’m different. Because of these three ridiculous fae, I’m different now.
And I’m terrified of what that means.
Chapter Thirteen
The Kingdom
The glaring, diluted sunlight lashes out at me. I narrow my gaze on the horizon. This ship, the sea, and the growing anxiety within my chest has tortured me for two hours now.
We glide through the ocean at a snail’s pace on the Nobel ship. I have mixed feelings; wanting to finally arrive in the kingdom and also wanting to never step foot on its terrible land.
There was once a neighboring island, that’s now been swallowed up by the ocean, that was fondly named Fire Island. That name feels right. That name fits Juvar perfectly.
Daxdyn watches me while I keep my attention focused on the shore that I know will come into view at any moment.
“What will it be like, the city of the Hopeless?” All I can think about is how much I want it to be different from this world. Separate from this hell that I’ve grown up in.
Salty ocean air chills my flesh and I pull my arms around myself. It’s almost here. I can feel it. It’s a hell I never wanted to return to. It’s like the land is pushing against the sea, not the other way around.
