Page 97 of To Crave Deeply
“I will. I promise.”
“Good,” he replied as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his body heat.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly.
“Oh, yeah,” he replied sarcastically. “Just fucking peachy.”
“It will all be fine. I know it will.”
He huffed out a breath. “I don’t know how you can be so confident. Thisisthe Witch Queen we’re talking about.”
I pulled back to look at him. “Yes, but she made a deal. I’m sure she will honour it. She has to, otherwise she will have me to answer to.”
Alec grinned down at me. “The mighty Lori Monroe coming to my rescue.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
His smile softened. “Nothing at all.”
I swallowed. There was something deep in his eyes that had my heart racing. I knew that without his heart he didn’t really feel anything, but the way he was looking at me now showed me that there was something buried deep within him. Something that made my blood pound in my veins.
“What’s the first thing you’ll do when you get your heart back?” The words came out as barely a whisper.
His hands framed my face and his eyes darkened. “I’d like to kiss you. Properly.”
Desire pooled at my core. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”
“Good, because once I start, I don’t think I’d be able to stop.” He leant closer, his lips a mere whisper from mine. I wanted him to kiss me so badly, but I also wanted him to feel it with all the emotion and desire I did. So, I pulled back.
“Later. Kiss me later, and I promise you’ll enjoy it more.”
“Yes,” he replied breathlessly.
“Besides. Aren’t we supposed to be meeting everyone in the portal room?”
“Shit. We are.” He sat back with a groan. “I wish Jasper were back in charge.”
I chuckled and gave him a pat on the arm. “You’re doing great. And I’m sure we will rescue Jasper once we figure out what Mordecai is using him for.”
There was another groan as he stood up. “Yeah, we will. Now come on, sweet cheeks, let’s go get my heart back.” He held his hand out and I let him pull me up from the sofa.
As I stood, a sharp pain lanced through my head, and I let out a sudden gasp.
“Lori? Are you okay?”
The pain ebbed just as quickly as it started. “I’m fine,” I replied, rubbing my temple. “Must just have stood too quickly.”
“Okay, but you let me know if it happens again.”
I didn’t miss the concern in his voice, or the wariness in his eyes. I really hoped it didn’t happen again.
“Come on, let’s find the others,” I said with more enthusiasm than I felt. Worry suddenly churned in my gut, and as Alec left the room, I heard a deep melodic laugh rumble through my mind. Oh, fuck. Mordecai. What had he done?
Chapter 30
LORI
Strigavallis still looked as picturesque as the last time I saw it, with the beautiful castle nestled in the heart of the valley surrounded by perfect little houses. It all made a lovely postcard. Except I couldn’t seem to enjoy the view. My mind was churning over that pain and the fact that I’d heard Mordecai laughing. I was hoping I’d imagined it. That it wasn’t real, but who was I kidding? My luck had never been that good.
