Page 17 of Darkness Rising
My teeth sink into my lower lip as a stream of curses fall from Cameron’s mouth and he stumbles back, his body hitting the concrete hard.
The stars are my focus as I feign innocence in his accident.
“You’re just as evil as the rest of us.” Nollix’s voice is a deliciously low and rumbling tone when he smiles at me. It’s a real smile that makes the dimple in his cheek show. His happiness makes my heart fumble and I find myself smiling back at him.
It’s … weird.
Nollix isn’t friendly. Especially to me.
“Why are you being nice to me?” I ask, waiting for the ball to drop.
The breeze catches his damp, shaggy hair and he gives me a side glance.
“In three years, you never said a fucking word to me. You never gave me the chance to be nice to you.” He shrugs slightly, his shirt skimming my arm. “I just assumed you thought you were too good for us.”
My brows raise high and I think about every single time I ignored them. Every single time I closed myself away because it was easier. Every single time I shut them out.
“So, I’m not a snob and you’re not an asshole.” My boots kick lazily against the side of the palace as I look out at the little, glistening lights of the city.
His smile grows.
“No, I’m definitely an asshole.”
Again, that irrational fluttering consumes my stomach.
“I’m just fine, thanks for asking.” Cameron’s one-sided banter goes unnoticed, but I still listen intently for his shuffling as he tests our bond once again.
“Would you really risk your life to stop your father from having this book?” Nollix shifts closer to me, his body warming mine where our arms touch. My arm moves casually against his slick skin.
Yes, I would.My life was gone a long time ago. I can’t stand the idea of him taking other people’s lives just like he took mine.
“I’m going to at least try.” A breath shakes through my lungs. “You guys don’t have to do this with me.”
“That’s sweet, but I actually do,” Cameron says in the background.
“Goddess, does he never shut up?” Nollix’s hooded eyes hold mine before drifting down to my lips, making it hard to think, or speak, or even breathe. “We’re family. Where you go we go.”
The rain makes our arms glide against each other with every slight move and I can’t pull my gaze away from the serious look in his eyes.
Only raindrops separate his lips from mine. Reckless energy swarms between us, pushing against my chest. I lean into the feel of it. We’re so close his breath warms my tongue.
He tilts his head, angling my mouth perfectly over his. Not touching me but almost. My breath catches as my eyes start to flutter closed.
“You guys can still hear me, right? I’m still here, guys.”
Nollix’s eyes close slowly as he exhales a breath of annoyance before turning away from me. He shoves off hard from his spot, standing along the edge before striding away.
A tense breath leaves my lungs as I let my head tip back, the rain cleansing my messy mind of the strange feelings in my chest.
“Really though, you can still see me, right?”
Cock block; that’s the word that’s filling my mind right now.
Just like Nollix, I push off from my spot along the edge of the roof and attempt to put some space between me and … everyone else.
Chapter Eleven
Unseen Trespassers
