Page 2 of Vicious Little Vows
I smoothed my hands up his chest. Yes, we had things to do, but I just couldn’t help myself. I wanted to lift his shirt, to explore.
“Will you stay with us tonight?” His voice was hoarse, just the light petting between us sparking power.
My throat went dry. That sounded perfect, but if Gabriel was still pissed he might need space. And Sebastian—
Did I actually want to return to him at the apartment too?
I had thought when I finally found my mother, things would be way less complicated, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“We’ll see how it goes.”
His brows lifted, his eyes still dark with heat. “Must I bribe you with sweets?”
“Crispin bought donuts this morning.”
He sighed dramatically, loosening his grip, but not quite releasing me. “It seems I’ve been outmatched.”
“That’s not true and you know it. But Gabriel’s right about one thing. We should get to the pool while it’s still light out.”
It definitely wasn’t the top priority, but it was the only thing I could do something about right now. Sebastian was trying to figure out a way to contact his sister without actually going to the hells. The thought of working with her gave me the heebie-jeebies, but he was right. It might be necessary if she actually knew where my great grandfather was. We needed to find him before he learned about me. Find him andkillhim.
So yeah, right now, thinking about the pool was easier.
Mistral’s fingertips danced across the side of my brow, trailing down my temple. “So many thoughts, and none of them about me.”
I lifted the brow he had just been stroking. “I thought you said you weren’t jealous.”
“Jealous, no. Competitive, perhaps.”
I met his eyes again as he drew me back in. “Should I be worried?”
“About a great many things, dear Eva. But you already know that.” He kissed me again, deep and long, his vanilla and ozone scent filling my senses. Cool magic trickled down my skin like raindrops. When he pulled away, a few tiny stars drifted around us.
Smiling, he slid his hand down my arm, raising goosebumps, then twined his fingers with mine. “Just promise me you won’t jump through the pool like you did with the portal in Emerald Heights.”
“I didn’t jump through.” I scowled. “I was pulled.”
He tugged me toward the door, glancing back at me. “Still, I believe I will maintain my grip on your hand.”
I smirked. “I guess I can deal with that.”
He slipped on his socks and boots near the door, then pulled me closer to his side as we exited and walked down the hall. Hopefully Gabriel would be waiting with Crispin and Ringo. I didn’t think he would intentionally confront Sebastian, but you never knew. Just in case it was a possibility, the Bogs was the best place to be, considering it was one of the few places Sebastian couldn’t go.
Though that would soon change too if Sebastian had his way. Since Mistral couldn’t leave, the only way for us to fully test the conduit star would be for the devil to come to the Bogs. And while the goblin holding my hand tended to be a rather agreeable sort, Sebastian might just be the exception.
TWO
Dappled sunlight kissed my bare shoulders, providing little hints of warmth in the cool shade of the trees. A larger source of warmth curled against my neck, anchoring himself with a lock of my hair. Ringo shivered with excitement, pleased to be part of the adventure this time. Ahead of us, Mistral led the way. At my side walked Crispin. And bringing up the rear was Gabriel. I couldn’t help but picture him as a brooding storm cloud behind us. The massive sword strapped across his back only added to the image. Thus far, the magic of the Bogs hadn’t really tried to hurt me… unless you counted dropping me into a nest of hostile merrows. Okay, so maybe it didn’talwayshave my best interests at heart.
“Are there many trolls in these parts?” Crispin was saying to me as he strolled by my side. As he walked his blue eyes caught flashes of sunlight through the leaves, making them flash almost white then back to blue. “While your former employer is impressive, it would be a unique experience to see a full-blooded troll. They don’t tend to appear in the city.”
Ringo shivered. “Trolls will try to eat you.”
I raised an eyebrow at Crispin as we continued down the overgrown path. “He’s not wrong.”
Crispin’s brow furrowed. “But surely with the ruler of this realm along—” He gestured to Mistral ahead of us, his long white hair shining whenever a hint of light broke through the tree cover.
“That depends on whether I choose to protect you,” Mistral replied without looking back, his voice drifting down the narrow path.
