Page 23 of Darkness Consuming
I could make us even, I suppose.
I step back from him and I wait until I have his attention. When his gaze locks with mine, I grab the hem of my shirt and pull it over my head. When I toss the fabric to the floor, his brows are raised high. His warm gaze rakes down my frame slowly. My nipples pebble and I have to force myself not to fold my arms and cover myself up.
“What—what the fuck are you doing?” The rasping sound of his voice makes my stomach tangle around itself.
“I thought I could make us even. You confessed. Now I’m confessing.”
His attention hasn’t left my chest in over a minute.
“I don’t think this is how confessions work, Vi.” He finally tears his gaze away from me only to push his hand roughly over his face, raining water across his features.
“I’ve never been naked in front of anyone before.” My fingers unfasten my jeans and I push them slowly down the curve of my hips.
It’s true, I’ve never been this exposed with anyone before. I know I’m pretty; smooth skin, round breasts and small curves. I know that, but I’ve never felt as beautiful as I do right now. Cameron’s looking at me like I’m a goddess.
It’s empowering. My jeans push to the floor and I step slowly out of them. And then … nothing. I don’t know what I’m doing. This wasn’t as thought out as it should have been.
If I were closer, would he touch me? Would he glide his fingers across my abdomen, dripping warm water down my hips?
If it were Nollix, I know he would. If it were Linkin, I know he’d pull me into the bath with him. He’d take his time just to show me how beautiful he thinks I am.
I know them. I know them completely.
I know them enough to know that they’d be furious if that Warlock touched me right now.
Guilt tumbles through my stomach. I turn away from him but I can still feel his attention on me every step of the way. At my dresser, I pull out a white shirt and underwear.
“I have your book.” Once I’m nicely covered up, I turn back to him. The worn leather of the book of Severed Souls is smooth against my fingertips as I pick it up and show it to him.
For a moment, he searches my eyes. He doesn’t even look at the damn book in my hands. I think he’s trying to make sense of my weird change in behavior.
Good luck. I can’t even make sense of myself, I don’t know how I can expect anyone else to.
“Great. That’s great,” he says before looking away.
I made things awkward between us. To be fair, he showed me his first, so it wasn’t just me who threw us into this weird nudity territory.
He doesn’t look at me as he stands. Water cascades down the panes of his chest, and I try my best not to follow the path they trail down his hard body.
Just one peek.
Just one.
That’s all I allow my gaze to wander. The smooth length of his dick is hard, and I stare blatantly until the white towel wraps slowly around his lean hips. When the towel is tucked safely in place and he’s covered up enough for me to think clearly, I tell him what I’ve been working on.
“I watch him every day.” My fingers rub back and forth against the smooth leather binding. I’ve read and reread the book twice now. “He’s taking the spirits—the souls—and from what I can tell, he’s not strengthening them to build an army.”
“If he’s not building an army of the dead, then what’s he doing?” His arms fold across his bare chest and he leans against the edge of the bath as it drains slowly.
My lips part as my brows lower just slightly. Every single morning, I watch my father and every morning he does the same thing; he drinks that concoction like it’s his daily vitamin.
“I think he’s devouring them. I think he’s consuming them and with the help of a spell, or with the help of the words from this book, he’s … becoming immortal.”
Those two words give the Warlock pause and his big, dark eyes hold mine for several seconds.
“If he were using them as an army, we could have put them back in their proper place in the afterlife.” His voice is quiet; regretful almost. “If he’s consuming them …”
He doesn’t finish his thought and he doesn’t need to. I know exactly what he’s thinking and it makes my heart sink low until it drops right into my stomach and settles there.
For years, I’ve collected departed souls. I collected them and assumed they’d go on into a place for eternal rest.
I didn’t know until now that because of my father, there is no eternal resting. Only pain.
And then, nothingness.
