Heart of Vengeance (Alice Worth #6) - Lisa Edmonds Page 0,34
Creatures you and I have only read about in storybooks walk down the street, and humans have to figure out how to survive when we’re not at the top of the food chain.”
“When you put it like that, it sounds kind of bad,” I said.
He snorted.
I turned onto my street. “I’ve got to have a serious talk with Sean. Have fun hanging out with Liam. Say hi for me. We’ll have to all get together when we get back.”
“Okay, Alice. Have a good night. I’ll see you in the morning.” He vanished.
Sean’s Mercedes was parked in my driveway, off to the side so I could get past. The SUV was a tight squeeze in the carport, so I parked in front of it and got out.
The door opened as I trudged up the walk toward the front steps. Sean stood in the doorway, worried and grim. He’d probably caught hints of my emotions through our nascent bond while I was at Northbourne, and that was on top of the strain already caused by Charles.
When our eyes met, I paused halfway up the steps, my hand on the railing. “Hi.”
Sean came out to meet me. To my surprise, he scooped me up and kissed me hard, then carried me inside. He set me on my feet in the foyer and closed the door with his foot. “Are you all right?”
“I’m okay. Really,” I added when he frowned. “Not about what Charles did to me, obviously, but I know the truth now and that’s the first step toward dealing with it.”
“I should have told you sooner that I’d once considered turning a mage to be my mate. I’m sorry you found out this way.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you tried to warn me a dozen times what a manipulative, lying bastard Charles is.”
“He was in your head, keeping you from thinking clearly. Even I didn’t know how bad it was.” He cupped the back of my neck and pressed his forehead to mine. “He didn’t just try to steal you from me—he tried to steal your mind. I want to kill him for that.”
“I know.” My fingers tightened on his. “My heart hurts, and I don’t even know if the pain I’m feeling is real or a result of his meddling.”
He kissed me again, much more gently this time. “Vaughan was your friend, and he betrayed you in the worst possible way. It doesn’t matter if your feelings were based on his lies—this is a loss and a hurt you’re going to feel. I wish I could take that hurt from you.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
“So, what happened at Northbourne?”
I yawned. “Can I tell you in bed?”
He smiled, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. How I loved that about him. “Of course.”
Sean let our dog, Rogue, in from the backyard and we all went upstairs to my bedroom. Rogue curled up in his bed by the window while Sean and I got ready for bed.
By the time I crawled under the covers next to Sean, I could barely keep my eyes open. “I used to stay up for days at a time and be fine. Now I can barely make it to three o’clock.” I burrowed my face into his T-shirt and let his forest scent wrap me in comfort.
He pressed a kiss into my hair. “You’ve had a long, emotionally tiring day.” He rested his chin on my head. I nestled deeper into his arms, trying to commit the feeling of his body wrapped around me to memory. I would have no such comfort and safety in the Broken World.
“What did Vaughan say to you, right before you left?” he asked.
“He said you’ve changed because of Miraç’s power.”
After a long silence, he asked, “Do you think I’ve changed?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Sometimes I do. We’re both different, but I don’t know if it’s because of the sorcerer magic or because of what we’ve been through these past few months. Or maybe Charles planted suspicion in my head as yet another way of driving a wedge between us.” Magic sizzled on my skin. “I hate him for doing this to me—for making me doubt my own thoughts.”
He squeezed me. “I’m responsible for the safety and well-being of my pack, and you most of all. If you ever truly believe something is wrong, I need you to make sure I’m not a threat to you or anyone else. Nan and Ben will know what to do.” He brushed hair