Page 74 of Heart of Iron
Will opened his mouth to retort, but Blade’s head cocked.Will heard the sound the second after.Skirts.Swishing on the stairs.
“Honoria.”Blade looked around guiltily.“She can’t know.”
“She ain’t no fool.”
“Not yet,” Blade snarled and moved to open the door.“Not ’til I work somethin’ out.”
Will turned, dragging the towel over his chest.Behind him, the door opened and Honoria’s scent bled into the room.With a slight aftertaste of honeysuckle.His gut clenched.Lena.Directly on Honoria’s heels.She’d come for the lesson.
A part of him hadn’t expected her to show up.Not after last night.With guilt and desire burning a ragged hole in his insides, he wiped the scowl from his face and reached for his shirt.
“Goodness,” Honoria murmured to Blade.“Is that blood on your knuckles?”
“Aye.Will forgot to duck.”
His gaze went straight past the pair of them.Lena hovered in the doorway, looking every inch the society lady in lemon yellow.Her hair was artfully curled over one shoulder, hiding the bite mark on her neck, and a jaunty little bonnet set off the gleaming highlights in her dark hair.
Lena’s gaze dropped, darting over the shirt in his hands and his bare chest before she looked away.A frozen little smile was etched on her full mouth.Her defense, he realized.The way she hid from the world, from her own family even.From him.
Her confession the night before made his chest ache.He’d wanted to go after Colchester with an ax, but the sound of her pain tore something deep inside him.He’d crushed her close, trying to hold the hurt away, but it was bone deep.
Alone.She’d been alone through all of it.Unable to tell her family—to burden her sister.Keeping that pretty little smile fixed in place as if nothing had ever happened when deep inside the wound festered and grew.
He tore his shirt over his head as Honoria lifted on her toes and pressed her lips affectionately against Blade’s.It was too tempting right now to grab her by the shoulders and ask her where she’d been when Lena was lying bleeding in an alley.He knew it wasn’t her fault; circumstances had been what they were then, but thefuryin him didn’t recognize that.Instinct fought logic and he’d been too long a wolf at heart not to go with his gut.He had to get out of here.
“Where are you going, Will?”Honoria asked, catching his movement out of the corner of her eye.The smile she wore was almost the same as Lena’s, but far more genuine.
“Got a lesson with Lena.”
Lena’s head jerked up and crimson infused her cheeks.She looked him in the eye, her chin tilted with icy disdain.Cool.Untouchable.Carefree.
With the razor edge of hurt souring her scent.
“Don’t you want to know about that letter you brought me?”Honoria asked.“I’ve made some progress with the code.”
The brief flash of color drained out of Lena’s face and her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Later,” he said.“After me lesson.”
Honoria murmured something to Blade as he strode to the door.Lena leaped out of his way as if afraid he’d actually touch her.Toolateforthat, sweetheart.He’d had his hands, his lips, his teeth all over her.
And it couldn’t happen again.
Her presence drove him right to the edge and threatened to shove him off.She was too dangerous, too rousing.Even last night he’d come back from the fury of passion to see the bite marks and bruises all over her pale skin.Verwulfen had walked through fire and lost arms and legs in such a state without even realizing.The fury, the wild, drove him to actions he couldn’t remember, let alone control.
There would be nothing worse than seeing her blood on his skin.Or fear in her eyes.As much as he wanted her—as much as he always had—he could never trust himself.
And then there was the threat of the loupe itself.
Taking a deep breath, he offered her his arm.“Comin’?”
This was all he would ever have of her.Stolen touches, stolen glances.And the desperate, longing ache in his chest and cock.
“Of course.”Resting her gloved fingertips lightly on his arm, she followed him out the door.
They’d taken barely three steps before Lena wrenched her hand off his and spun to face him.“You told her?”
“Not ’ere.”Not with Blade’s hearing.
