Page 83 of Splintered Shadow
Vekele stepped close, adjusting her stance. He brushed back the red hair from the shell of her adorably round ear and whispered. “You will summon the shadows, and I will reward my mate for her hard work. This is our first bit of privacy in days. I am impatient. Hurry.”
She licked her lips. “What kind of reward?”
He chuckled, pressing his lips to the spot where her second eyes should be. “Do not make me wait.”
Sarah
She groaned.That man.“You expect me to concentrate now?”
“If you are not interested in being rewarded, do not concern yourself.” He stepped behind her, his hands on her shoulders. Although she could not see his face, she heard the cocky grin in his voice.
Her arrogant prince. He played her like a fiddle. Of course she was interested. For days now, they never had more than a few moments together before being interrupted. The only time they were truly alone was when he joined her in the shower. It wasn’t as fun as it sounded. The shower was way too small for adult fun times.
“You could kiss me right now. We’re alone.” She gestured to the empty room. “Give me a little sugar for motivation, you know.”
“Are we alone?” He placed a hand on the back of her neck. His thumb stroked her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. “Consider security cameras. They may be functional after all this time. Anyone may be lurking around the corner.”
“Are you suggesting that Luca is gonna spy on us?”
He leaned in, his lips a breath away from her ear. “When I have you, I do not want an audience.”
Her brain short-circuited. Sarah lacked the words to describe how she stood there; mouth open, unable to think of anything beyond his body heat pressed against her back.
“My entire life, I have been on display. For my parents, for the court, the nobles, and my king.” His hand squeezed the back of her neck gently, then released. “Draw the shadows to us, Sarah of Earth, because I will claim the kiss you owe me.”
Talk about motivation.
She took a shaky breath to steady herself. She could do this. Hell, she’d done it once before. Yes, fear made her unlock this ability. Vekele had been in trouble, and something inside her—not something, the symbiote—reacted to her fear.
She could do that again, with less blind panic and more intention.
Closing her eyes, she recalled the moment the light vanished and how absolute the darkness seemed. She saw through Ghost’s eyes. The connection between them crackled with awareness. Ghost had been protective then. Now he was curious.
The thing inside her wanted to swallow the light. She let it.
The air chilled.
“Good,” Vekele said in an encouraging tone.
Sarah opened her eyes. The darkness was not as deep as it had been during the attack, but it was enough to hide them from cameras.
Tendrils writhed on the floor around her feet.
“Is that normal?” She picked up a foot, distressed to find the tendril attached to her. She had foot tentacles. That was… interesting.
She shook her foot violently, trying to shake it off.
“I have never seen that,” he said.
“You don’t have to sound so damn fascinated.”
“Void beats have tendrils. It is logical that you also have tendrils.”
Yup. Still sounded fascinated.
The tendrils reached upward, brushing against her calves. They were cold to the touch but also insubstantial, like how Vekele’s wings felt. Solid and smoke all at the same time.
Huh.
