Catalyst Page 0,29

at him slowly. "How much will you feel? How much will you know?"

"Everything," he breathed. "There will be no secrets, for either of us."

Kahli's eyes drifted to the spot where his runes started under his shirt. She'd wanted to know where they came from, and who gave them to him. If he bit her, she'd know, but that didn't make her happy. She didn't want to learn about him like this. She wanted him to tell her, but Will couldn't. She breathed deeply and leaned forward, resting her face in her hands.

"What secrets do you have left to hide, Kahlahandra?" Will said softly, his hand touching the top of her head. There was no compulsion in his voice, but Kahli still shifted like there was. Her name falling from his lips felt like a caress.

"Nothing you won't pry out of me," she meant it to be light and joking, but it wasn't. It was the crux of the problem. There was a difference between offering and taking.

Will took her hand when it flopped down on the table. "You don't have to do this now. We can wait."

"No, we can't. I left a trail of blood behind me. I wanted to get out of there so badly that I didn't think of what I left behind. Will, I have to go back and get Cassie and Cole. And - "

He cut her off, "And the rest of them. I know."

"There's only one way to do that." She looked up into his eyes.

He shook his head. "Not tonight. Sleep. If you still want to - "

"I don't want to, Will. I'll never want to. I have to. There's no other way to undo what the King has done, and after this, there'll be no way to undo what you've done. It's a necessary evil."

"I see," Will flinched and withdrew his hand.

"I didn't mean it like that," Kahli wanted to scream and yell, but not at Will. It wasn't his fault. Her voice softened after a beat, "I would have wanted to tell you everything. I would have wanted you to know me, but over time. Doing it this way, it's like spilling everything out all at once. You'll see everything. The good and bad," she smirked sadly, "But it's mostly bad."

"I know," he breathed, "I feel the same way. There are things I don't want you to know, not yet." Thing's that you won't fully understand even when you see them. I've kept things from you, things you won't forgive me for doing. His heart sank at the thought and he looked away from her.

Kahli quietly sat across from him, watching his face. Will looked nervously around the room. His gaze drifted from his hands to the walls and finally lifted to meet Kahli's emerald eyes. She smiled at him, "There's no point in waiting, you know. Actually, if the risk with the King is that serious, we should have done it already."

Will's eyes locked with hers. The endless blue pools were hypnotic and she couldn't look away. There was something broken about him, something that called to her. "I know."

"Then, why wait?"

"We shouldn't," Will replied and stood. He walked in front of her and swept her hair away from her neck. Everything from her soft skin to her scent drove him crazy and now she'd know just how much he wanted her - and why he couldn't have her.

His hands cupped her face as he leaned closer, his eyes focused on her lips. Will breathed lightly, his warm breath slipping over her skin. Kahli's body was rigid. The King had torn apart her neck when he drank from her. The memory shot through her mind and it took every ounce of self-restraint not to fight Will.

But he already felt her pulse accelerate and her nervous stomach twist. Will took her hand in his, leaving his other palm on her face. Looking into her eyes, he said, "There's no going back. Are you sure?"

Kahli shivered even though she wasn't cold. Will's fingers slipped down her cheek and rested on her shoulder, just below her neck. That's where he'll bite me. That's where he'll drink, she thought.

Cassie's words came flooding back, roaring through her ears like the girl was standing there saying it. Drinking is like sex, the two are connected.

"Will?" Kahli breathed his name. Every inch of her body longed for his touch and he hadn't bitten her, yet. Would it be worse? Would she be able to control herself? She didn't