Chasing Secrets - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,39

his head lowering against my shoulder as a shudder rolls through his body. “You know, I’ve never let someone touch my wings like this... Well, willingly anyway.”

He’s been so uneasy about letting me touch his wings, and now I think I understand why. Because more than likely his master probably did.

I start to withdraw my hands.

“No, don’t,” he protests, nuzzling his head against my neck. “Keep touching them.”

Now I’m the one to feel way out of my element. But not wanting to ruin the moment, I return my fingers to his wings and trace the edges. He shivers, his palms slide up my sides. The straps of my dress have slid down my shoulders, and the movement of his hands causes the top of my dress to slide down, exposing my breasts. I squeeze my eyes, my breathing quickening as his fingers brush across my nipple. It’s a stupid reaction. He’s touched me like this before. Somehow, though, this feels different in a way I can’t describe. Maybe because I can feel how much he wants to be touching me right now.

Fear.

Want.

Lust.

It’s coursing through me like a storm.

“East,” I murmur, my head bobbing back and hitting the wall as he sucks on my neck.

He groans, resting his head against the side of my neck, his breath dusting my cheek. Weirdly, he doesn’t take it further, but I can tell he wants to—feel that he does.

“East,” I whisper. “Why... How can I feel what you’re feeling?”

He sucks in a shallow breath, his finger brushing across my nipple again. “I... I’m not sure if I should tell you yet.”

“I...” I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as he lightly sucks on the side of my neck. Desire scorches through him along with a trace of fear. “Please tell me... I want to know.”

His fingers pause as he quietly sighs. Then, placing one last kiss against the side of my neck, he slants back and looks me in the eye. “I don’t want to scare you off.”

“You won’t,” I promise. And at that moment, I fully intend to keep that promise.

But I wasn’t prepared for the heaviness of the truth.

“It... It means I’m bonding to you,” he admits with a weird amount of uncertainty reflecting in his eyes.

My head angles to the side in confusion. “Bond?”

He hesitates then says, “Like a mating bond.”

My eyes widen and panic flashes across his face.

“I’m sorry,” he starts to say.

But that’s as far as he gets at the door to the bathroom bursts open and Maxton barrels in.

Then he spins toward us, his gaze flitting over me. He momentarily goes ridged at the sight of how much of me is exposed. Blushing, I hurry and adjust the straps of my dress, fully covering myself up. He blinks his gaze away from me and fixes his eyes on East.

“What’s going on?” East asks him stiffly.

I’m not sure if the stiffness is from Maxton barging in here or from the panic in my eyes when he told me he’s mated to me. Well, he didn’t say that exactly. He just said the emotional connection we share is from a mating bond. Perhaps it’s not fully bonded yet.

But what if it is?

Oh my Gods, what if it is? And what if the curse comes into play and he ends up dead?

Panic potently flares through me as my gaze glides to East. Other than appearing a bit uneasy, he looks okay.

Maxton’s throat muscles work as he swallows audibly. “I finally figured out what’s been following us.”

“How?” East and I say simultaneously.

I glance at East. “Wait, you noticed it too?”

He wavers. “I had a suspicion, but didn’t want to say anything unless I was certain.”

“You should’ve told me,” I tell him. “You guys keep keeping secrets from me, and it’s starting to become frustrating.” Like with this curse thing.

They’ve mentioned several times that they may know of a way to break it, and yet they haven’t told me these ways.

East’s lips part, but Maxton cuts him off.

“Before you guys start getting into one of you bantering fests,” he says. “I should tell you that I’m fairly certain a very powerful faerie is what’s been tracking us.”

If I had thought East was uneasy before, nothing could compare me for how rigid his body gets.

“A powerful faerie,” he whispers in horror.

I’ve only seen him look this horrified once and that was when Penelope showed up at that party.

“East.” I place a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t