Page 14 of Sorcia's Heart
Shoving that reaction aside, she turned her focus to the situation.She could reject his help—pride demanded it—but her responsibility to her coven overrode everything.Marcus was right: their combined powers, as Priest and Priestess, would give them an undeniable advantage.
She exhaled slowly, her shoulders relaxing just slightly as she forced herself to admit what she didn’t want to.“I appreciate that.And yes, I need your help.Now that I’ve felt the presence, even among a group of witches that should have scared away whoever it is, I know this is bigger than I can handle alone.”
She hesitated, bowing her head for a moment, then took a steadying breath before looking back up at him.Her green eyes blazed with both fury and reluctant acceptance.“As much as I hate you for what you did two years ago,” she hissed, her voice sharp with remembered pain, “I do need you now.”
Marcus didn’t flinch, his expression softening as he held her gaze.“Then let’s face this together,” he said simply, his confidence unwavering.
Sorcia looked away, unwilling to let him see the flicker of vulnerability she knew was there.She hated relying on him, hated the way her emotions tangled in his presence.But for now, she had to set it aside.The safety of her coven came first.
She saw the muscle in his jaw tighten, and her body instinctively tensed in response.She braced herself for the sharp words she was certain would follow.But a moment later, Marcus shook his head, the tension in his expression softening.His voice, when he spoke, was calm, deliberate, and infused with an almost infuriating patience.
“No, Sorcia.I didn’t betray you two years ago,” he said firmly but gently, his blue eyes locking onto hers.“And if you could get past your anger—past whatever you think you saw—you’d know I’d never sleep with another woman.Never.”
Her chest tightened, a mix of old hurt and fresh uncertainty swirling inside her.She started to turn away, unwilling to rehash the argument yet again, unwilling to risk letting him see just how much his words affected her.
But Marcus was faster.His hands caught her upper arms, his grip firm but never harsh as he turned her back to face him.“The truth is going to scare the hell out of you,” he said, his tone quiet but weighted with emotion.
Sorcia blinked, startled by the gentle intensity in his voice and the warmth of his touch.Her voice wavered as she asked, “What’s the truth, Marcus?”
He didn’t answer immediately.Instead, his hands slid down her arms, releasing her briefly, only for one to lift again, his fingers threading through her dark hair with a reverence that made her heart ache.He smoothed back a single strand that had fallen across her cheek, his touch lingering for a moment longer than necessary.
“The truth, my dear,” he said softly, his gaze never leaving hers, “is that I scare you.”
Her breath hitched, but he didn’t stop, his voice calm and steady, yet carrying an undercurrent of passion that sent shivers through her.
“What we had together was too good, too powerful for you to trust,” he continued, his thumb brushing lightly against her cheek, the touch both grounding and disarming.His voice softened, his words threading through the silence like a confession.“You loved me so hard and so completely that it terrified you.You didn’t think you could be enough for me.You thought, sooner or later, I’d leave you.”
His gaze searched hers, his blue eyes filled with a mixture of frustration and tenderness.“So, you pushed me away.You rejected me before you thought I could reject you.But that wasn’t the truth, Sorcia.It was never the truth.”
The words hit her like a blow, striking at the core of the fear she had buried so deeply.Her breath caught in her throat, and she wanted to look away, to escape the piercing intensity of his gaze, but she couldn’t.He wouldn’t let her.
“You were enough,” Marcus continued, his voice steady but filled with quiet conviction.“You wereeverything.And you still are.”
Her heart clenched, the raw honesty in his words making her chest ache.She wanted to deny it, to throw his words back at him, but the truth was written in his expression, in the way his hands cradled her as if she was something precious.
“You didn’t trust me,” he said softly, his tone carrying no accusation, only a quiet sadness.“You didn’t trust us.”
The admission stung because it was true.She hadn’t trusted herself, her ability to hold onto something so extraordinary, so she had walked away.
Looking up at him now, Sorcia knew that the fear was still there, lingering at the edges of her heart, whispering that it was too late, that the distance she had created between them could never be bridged.But as he looked at her now, she couldn’t shake the flicker of hope rising unbidden in her chest.
Sorcia’s lips parted as though she wanted to protest, but no words came out.She hated how deeply his words struck, how close they came to the truth she’d buried so deeply within herself.
Before she could respond, Marcus moved closer, his hand sliding from her cheek to cradle the back of her neck.“But you can’t keep running, Sorcia,” he murmured, his voice a gentle command.
And then he kissed her.
It wasn’t ravenous like last night, though it held every bit as much passion.This kiss was deliberate, controlled, the kind of kiss that left no room for doubt.Marcus poured everything into it—patience, longing, and a slow-burning intensity that threatened to unravel her completely.
His lips teased hers, coaxing and tormenting her in equal measure.His other hand rested lightly on her waist, the pressure just firm enough to ground her, to make her feel the strength of his presence.He didn’t rush, savoring the moment as if they had all the time in the world.
Sorcia tried to hold on to her anger, her fear, but they slipped away with each stroke of his mouth against hers.Her hands clenched at his chest, not in resistance but in a futile attempt to keep herself from pulling him closer.
When he finally pulled away, her knees felt weak, her body trembling from the force of the emotions he’d stirred within her.She nearly sobbed, the sound catching in her throat as she swallowed it down.Her green eyes met his, wide and vulnerable, but Marcus was already back in control.
The heat in his gaze burned through her, but his expression was composed, his breathing steady.There was no wildness in him now—just that maddening confidence and calm that had always driven her crazy.
“There won’t be any running this time,” he said quietly, his thumb brushing against her jaw before he let his hand drop.
