“What would the point of that be? Either she exists – or she doesn’t. She can’t be both.”
“Rose.” Her name rolls off Killian’s tongue as the man hops the stream and joins us.
The flicker of lust that sparks to life inside her is so intense that my own power wants to join in. Already teased by Teegan, my control slips, and my power stretches hungrily. Rolling out, brushing along the edges of the women's desires, then skittering off up the stream to find Kitten before I have a chance to rein it in and bottle it down. I want to marvel at that – my power sensing lust and choosing a partner I can’t have to tune into. It’s… impossible.
There’s no satisfaction here. Not immediately, and not ever. And my power likes to be satiated.
Killian doesn’t say anything else even though it’s obvious more words are in order. ‘Leave Kitten alone, or I’ll cut your heart out,’ might be overdoing it in any other conversation. But for Kitten, the removal of a heart is almost under-doing it.
Rose rolls her shoulders, tightening her abdomen and clearly struggling with something that’s happening between the two of them. After a beat, she pats her horse’s neck and meets my gaze.
“I can try, but her existence is pretty damn enticing.”
Killian growls, and Rose throws both her hands up in defense, making the horse skitter sideways.
“Alright, alright,” the woman mutters, walking off with Teegan in her wake.
Though Teegan glances more than once over her shoulder to smile seductively at me. It’s a tempting smile, full of her SeductionSeed power.
Killian nods toward Kitten and Seth.
“We can’t let them near her,” I say.
Killian just rumbles, and I rub my hands over my face to try and relieve some of the tension from my growing headache. How do we keep them apart and look unified to these warriors? Warriors who have known only sacrifice for the greater kingdom, and who have lived in the unity of their triunes for more than a hundred years. Keeping her alive among our allies is going to be just as hard as worrying about our enemies. Technically, that turns our allies into more enemies until we know how they’re going to behave.
We have to be strong, stronger than them, stronger than Lithael and all his threats, and right now we are so very weak.
Six Paces
Seth coils, jumps, spins, and lands with complete grace. A contradiction, given the guy’s huge size.
“Your turn,” he smiles, taking my hips.
All I want to do is lean back into him and snuggle, his touch is so damn distracting, but I force myself to concentrate and follow his instructions.
By the time Roarke wanders up to meet us, with Killian in his wake, I’ve landed three solo flips.
“Not you too, Seth.” Killian points an accusing finger at the guy. “I can see what you said in your threads. Something’s changed.”
“Me too? I thought I was the first? Just me. Only me. No one else.”
“First what?” I demand.
“First to say I love you,” Seth says.
“Pax,” Killian grunts, counting off his fingers.
“Pax hasn’t said he loves me,” I blurt. “Thane said he wuvs me, but then, technically, he was just agreeing with something I said.”
Killian gives me a head tilted look – one eyebrow raised in surprise. Then he points at Roarke, saying, “And him.”
Roarke runs a hand through his hair, like he’s trying not to say something and that something is going to hurt my feelings.
So I get in first. “Roarke didn’t say he loves me either.”
Which makes Roarke purse his lips. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t what he was going to say.
“Doesn’t matter. Am I the only one not losing my wits for the mortal?”
“And why not?” My mouth shoots off before common sense kicks in, because if I had a chance, I definitely would not have said that.
I cover my mouth and try not to say all of the other things bouncing around on my tongue – like why did he call me ‘my love’ then? What did that mean?
My face heats, and I promptly turn to march away.
“Whoa, there,” Seth says, catching my waist and yanking me back. “Don’t be offended by Darkness. He’s never settled on a mate. No one is good enough for him.”
Seth spins me back around so I’m facing them all.
“Show me your weapons,” Killian demands, as if that’s the most obvious segue from discussing feelings.
Feelings to weapons, the concepts just go together.
“Why?” I ask, not moving a muscle to obey, because this sounds like something that is going to lead to pain.
“Where are they?” he demands.
“On the bedroom –” I start, then cut myself off as he pulls my dart cuff from one pocket and the blade from his other.
He flicks the blade, sending the sheath spearing toward the ground. I don’t wait to watch it land though, diving back and scrambling to get behind Seth.
“Save me,” I yelp.
Yelp, because right now the determination in Killian’s eyes says he isn’t going to stop until he makes good on his threat.
Seth wraps an arm around me and pushes me into his back.
“It’s not my fault. I was sleeping, then I was downstairs, then I was out here, and they were inside, and I can’t get them unless someone escorts me,” I argue, hopping from foot to foot so I can see Killian around Seth’s left then his right.
My body is geared up to dodge because running is out of the question.
Killian points the knife, tracking me as he growls, “I don’t care.”
“Seth, you should have asked her,” Roarke says.
Roarke asked me, yesterday in the attic.
“Yes, Seth, you should have asked me before carrying me down the stairs,” I agree, happily shifting the blame onto the big guy.
Which is a mistake, I realize, as he hooks my arm and drags me in front of him.
“I will happily search her body for evidence of her weapons at fifteen minute intervals,” Seth volunteers.
I lean back into his
