Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 152616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 610(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 763(@200wpm)___ 610(@250wpm)___ 509(@300wpm)
Folding my arms over my chest, I looked away. The thing was, these meetings were complicated, because sometimes it wasn’t a big deal. Sometimes I enjoyed the touching. It wasn’t like those I met under these circumstances were always bad, odious people. Often they were charming and interesting, and I . . . could touch them without the guilt of seeing or sensing what they likely wanted to keep hidden. I could shovel that blame onto Claude, and yeah, I knew how messed up that was. Deep down, I knew I still shared some of that guilt. Either way, I walked away from these encounters unharmed, and there had been only a few times I sensed things I felt like I’d never be able to erase the memory of.
Walking once more, there were just the sounds of his boots and my robe whispering against the stone floor until we came to a set of double doors.
“We’re here,” Grady said quietly. “If anything happens . . .”
“I scream,” I told him— something I’d yet to have to do.
Grady stepped in to me, his hand moving to my arm. “Be careful,” he whispered. “Please.”
My heart squeezed. “I will be.” I smiled at him. “It’ll be okay.”
Grady stiffened. “You keep saying that.”
“And maybe you’ll start believing me.”
“Or maybe you’ll start believing it.”
I tensed. A weird mixture of sensation hit me— confusion and an emotion that scalded my insides, making me wonder if I shouldn’t be okay with any of this. If I already knew the answer to that and my words were all false bravado and deflection. I turned from him, more than just a little unsettled. But now wasn’t the time for deep introspection.
Because I was already a bit nervous. I was every time I did this. I liked to think anyone would be, because I never knew what was waiting on the other side of the walls. I wasted no more time, reaching for the gold ornate knobs. Unlocked as expected. I stepped inside an antechamber lit by a lone lamp placed by a deep-seated settee. The doors made no sound as I closed them behind me. I hesitated for only a few seconds as I scanned the space. It was empty except for the rich furnishings draped in lush fabrics and carved out of smooth, glossy wood, but there was . . . there was a presence here.
A tangible energy that coated my skin, eliciting a wave of goose bumps. My mouth dried as I turned to the rounded archway that led to the bedchambers. Fingers still twisting the sash nervously between them, I started forward even as unease resurfaced.
I assumed that whoever was here would be expecting company. Surely, Claude would’ve made sure of that. After all, the doors were unlocked. But I heard nothing as I entered the darkened bedchamber. My steps slowed as I allowed my vision to adjust to the darkness. I inched closer, making out the door leading to the bathing chamber left slightly ajar. Power also drenched the walls and floor. Tiny shivers coursed over my skin. My heart began to pound even faster. I knew this feeling, and there was a scent here. A soft, woodsy aroma that reminded me of—
Suddenly, I could no longer see the door of the bathing chamber. The room had become pitch black, leaving me blind, and that . . . yeah, that wasn’t normal. I started to take a step back.
A rush of warm air stirred the edges of my robe. My fingers slipped away from the sash as I went completely still, holding my breath. The nape of my neck tingled. The air of the chamber shifted, thickened and became electrified, reminding me of the atmosphere right before lightning struck.
I wasn’t alone in the utter, unnatural darkness. The breath in my lungs left me in one ragged exhale as an acute awareness pressed against the entire right side of my body. It was like I was suddenly standing too close to open flames. Instinct kicked in, not the kind fueled by my abilities but the kind fueled by pure need to survive. It screamed that I flee.
My trembling lips parted to speak or maybe scream, but before a single sound could escape, an arm came around my waist, jerking me back against a hard wall of muscle. I was lifted until my feet no longer touched the floor— until they dangled several inches from the floor.
There was no mortal I knew who could lift me so easily, and that could only mean—
“I have two questions, and each answer better be honest,” a deep voice drawled, his cadence of speech almost relaxed but the tone low in warning, at the same instant a warm, callused hand pressed on the expanse of skin above my breasts, forcing my back against a . . . a chest. “What are you doing in my quarters?” Breath stirred the wisps of hair at my temple. “And do you have a death wish?”