Page 49 of Taming
Kain turns away, his steps crunching over the old boards of my home as he heads toward the road. Chaos passes me a quiet glance, his fingers skimming against mine before he trails after his friend.
Then it’s just Rime and me.
A warm feeling spreads through me as I realize he’s the only reason I’m not in Kreedence’s possession right now.
Chaos would have stood up for me. I know he would have. But his vote would have been out numbered.
“I could leave. I could run away, and you three could say you never found me.” He stands only a few feet from me and that space gets smaller and smaller with every slow step he takes.
They could be rid of me so easily. I’m more work than I’m worth, I promise. I’m a total fuck up from start to finish.
I’m a liar. A desperate, compulsive, terrible woman.
But I can’t seem to say that to him.
Even if I think he already knows.
His palm skims against the curve of my neck before trailing against my throat to push through my hair. Pain stings lightly along my scalp as his fingers fist into my locks, tilting my head up a little more to meet his intense gaze.
“I know what it’s like to travel alone. I did that for a long time before I met Kain and Chaos.” His gaze becomes that warm blue color, and it makes me lean into his hard body. “I know you’re capable of doing all of this on your own.” There’s still a hard undertone to his voice that doesn’t reflect the sweet way he’s looking at me. His head tilts just slightly before his whispered words skim across my lips. “I’m telling you that you don’t have to.”
His lips nearly press to mine. My lashes nearly flutter closed. My wall that I’ve worked so hard to build up nearly comes toppling down.
All because this man with pretty eyes said a few pretty words to me.
I pull back from him with my breath caught in my lungs. My gaze darts to the floor as I avoid the look in his eyes.
An irrational fear claws through me, telling me that if I let myself care too much for him, for any of them, that I’ll lose them.
“I’m sorry.” His tone holds confusion and hesitancy as his arms fall away from me. “I—I thought you were attracted to me.”
“Well I have shitty taste in men, soobviouslyI’m attracted to you.” My lips snap closed before I say something embarrassing. Snark overpowers my tumbling emotions.
Why am I so stupid? Someone cares about me and my instinct is to shove them far, far away.
“So … you can come on my mouth, but you can’t kiss me?”
Yes! Thankfully he understands completely. I knew he and I were alike. We’re both a little damaged because of our pasts and thank the goddess he understands that.
His hand pushes slowly across his face, his jaw locking together before he finally leans into me and speaks in a low and rumbling tone. His silence is pushed aside as his frustration growls through him.
“How about I just never touch you again and neither of us will be confused about what part of me is good enough for you.”
There’s always this back and forth between us. Our emotions are too unsteady for us to ever be on the same page.
My lips part with a reply but giant white wings burst from his back and glinting scales cover his shoulders, turning the flesh right before my eyes at a rapid pace. He looks like an archangel. Beautiful and deadly. A man of solid strength, and anger, and wings as pure as snow. Stormy eyes glare back at me just before he fully changes, being swept away in a fume of magic. The beast that stands before me lowers his head and, for a moment, I think he’ll offer me a ride like he did before.
Then his powerful wings thrust down, shoving harshly at the wind as he takes flight. The breeze sweeps up my hair, twirling it messily across my face as I watch him soar away.
“Such a dramatic exit.” I huff a sigh, pretending hard not to feel the sting of his words in my chest. On slow steps I pick up the glass bowl. Ash drifts along the top of the water as I stare down at Bobble. He blows me a few little bubbles, the only sign that he cares.
I look to Grim and the dog lowers his ears before making his way toward me. These two care about me. These two will always be here for me. Nothing could take these sweet creatures from me.
We were almost friends, Rime and me.
Thank the Goddess I avoided that.
***
