Page 17 of Shifting Desire
Every time I close my eyes, he’s there.Not in a scary way.Not even in a particularly inappropriate way, though my imagination is clearly trying to betray me.
He’s just present.Watching.Waiting.Like he’s always been there.
The weird thing is ...it doesn’t feel new anymore.It feels familiar.Like I’ve dreamed of him a hundred times before.A hundred unusual ways.And now my body is catching up to something my mind can’t explain.
I press a cold washcloth to my face, hoping it’ll shock me out of this haze.It doesn’t.I’m flushed and jittery and my heart keeps skipping like it’s dancing to a rhythm I haven’t learned yet.
What happened last night ...that moment when he caught me ...it wasn’t just chemistry.I’ve felt attraction before.I may be a virgin but I’m not an idiot.This was something else.
The second my hands hit his chest it was like someone flipped a switch.Like lightning crawled under my skin, or static ran down my spine.My mouth went dry.My lungs forgot how to breathe.My magic shifted, just a flicker, but enough to make me stop and feel.
And worse?He knew.He saw it.And he didn’t even pretend to be surprised.
It’s like he expected it.Like he’s been waiting for it.
I sit down hard on the edge of the bed and stare at my hands.Something is wrong or maybe something is finally right, and I’ve just been kept in the dark for so long that the truth feels dangerous.
Either way, I need answers.And Malichai will be the one to give them to me.
****
Work is hell.Not becauseit’s busy.It’s a Monday, which means half-empty booths and an almost eerie quiet in The Gin Room.But my nerves are strung so tight I could snap.
He isn’t here tonight, and I hate that I notice.More than that, I hate that part of me aches from the absence.
What the hell is happening to me?
I barely hear Celeste call my name twice.
“Are you okay?”she asks, tossing me a rag to clean down the bar.“You’ve been zoned out all night.”
“Yeah,” I lie.“Just tired.”
She narrows her eyes.“You’re glowing again.”
“I do not glow.”
“My friend, you’re basically a sentient sparkler right now.”
I groan and rub my temples.“I need caffeine.Or alcohol.Or possibly a spell to erase the last twenty-four hours.”
She grins.“So ...something happened?”
I hesitate.Then I shrug.“Something weird.”
“Let me guess.Malachi?”
My cheeks flame.
“Oh, my God!What did he do?Did he touch you again?”She grins like she just won a bet with herself.“Did it feel like a freight train of emotion and lust crashed through your soul?”
I blink.“Yes?”
She stops smiling.“Oh, shit.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means something’s waking up.”
