Page 22 of Darkness Colliding
No one wants to drink Demon liquor.
But rules are rules.
“That’s not how we’ve been playing.” He shakes his head at me.
“I think we should follow the rules, don’t you?” The taunting smile pulling at my lips is something I can’t repress.
“Nollix,” Violence warns, her palm skimming my thigh before she brings her attention back to Cameron.
“I’m not drinking whatever the hell is in that bottle.”
A beat passes quickly before I lean forward. I’m entirely too invested in this game now. I won. I should win something, right?
“I should win a dare then.” I shrug as if it’s not that important, but the tension lining Cameron’s wide shoulders hints at just how important we both know it is.
His gaze holds mine, and we simply stare at one another, both of us masking our glares.
“Nollix,” Violence’s tone is testing, but before she can say anther word, he speaks.
“Sure. What’s your dare?” His head tips up just slightly, urging me on to dare him.
“Cameron, you don’t have to do this.” Violence tries to soothe the tension out of the room, and for several seconds, the only sound is the sand hitting the glass of the window and the rumbling whispers of the Demons in the next room.
Her palm’s still against my thigh. Her gaze is held on him. This moment, right here, this is what it’s been like for the four of us since the moment I met Cameron; her touching me while watching him. She’s powerful, but she’s not cruel. She’s not going to explore things between the two of them because she thinks it’ll hurt Link and me. But I only care about him hurting her.
Of all the shitty things I want to dare him, only one keeps pressing to the front of my mind. Because Violence is the only thing I care about.
“Kiss her.”
Link’s head turns slowly until he’s staring hard at the side of my face. Cameron’s dark brows rise, and he too is gaping at me.
I peer down. Violence is looking at the floor. Not meeting any of our gazes.
“What?” His dark hair shifts as he tilts his head abruptly as if he really didn’t hear the simple words out of my mouth.
I have to bite my cheek to stop the smirk from pulling at my lips. This has been on my mind since Link mentioned their bond last night.
Our bonds are all interconnected in a way. If my feelings reflect Vi’s, and her feelings reflect his, then I want to know just what the fuck his real feelings are. I want to know if he wants her, or if he just wants to use her.
“I said, I want you to fucking kiss her.”
There’s a demented way my mind works. I know it’s off. I know it’s not like everyone else’s. But it’s never led me wrong.
I don’t think it will right now either.
Cameron places the cards down for the first time in hours. His palms settle hard against the scratches of the tabletop. For several seconds, he just leans there, staring at me, seemingly trying to make sense of what I could possibly gain from this.
He probably thinks I’ll kick his ass.
I’m still not ruling that out as an option.
Especially if the bond doesn’t show me what it should.
Slowly, his attention shifts to the woman sitting between Linkin’s legs. She’s still studying the dark floorboards, her fingers trailing absently against the dust. And the look in his eyes should be all that I need to know. He looks at her the way I used to look at her. He looks at her like she’s something he want’s but he can’t reach.
“Vi,” the rumbling sound of his voice pulls at her attention. Long blonde hair shifts against her back as she looks up at him, “come here.”
For a second, even I’m surprised by his words.
