Daimon (Guardians of Hades #6) - Felicity Heaton Page 0,87

and wishing there was something more he could do for her.

He pressed another kiss to her hair and murmured against it, “I don’t know anything about your situation, but you have family, Cass.”

She dipped her head, released him and brought her right hand up to her face, her actions hidden by her fall of black hair. When she straightened, her eyes were red, but she had erased all trace of her tears.

Almost all of them anyway.

He lifted his hand and caught one glistening teardrop on his index finger, stared at it as it froze into a perfectly clear crystal of ice that glittered like a diamond.

“The coven—” she started.

He shook his head. “I meant Marinda. Marinda is your family. I didn’t get to choose my family, but if I had been able to choose it, like you were able to choose Eric and Marinda, I probably would have chosen my brothers. Or maybe subbed a few out. They can drive me crazy at times. I’m not saying this well. I just wanted to say that you got to pick your family and I think you chose pretty damn good. I can see Marinda means a lot to you.”

Cass nodded. Smiled. “She’s like a sister, and a daughter. I’ve known her from before she was born and I watched her grow up. I learned so much about what it was like to be a real family from her, or at least I thought I did. Coming here… meeting you and your brothers… it’s made me realise I didn’t really know what a family was.”

“Your coven isn’t like a family?”

She shook her head, frowned and then nodded. “It is. It is my family, and it’s dear to me, but it’s just… different.”

Warmth shone in her eyes, backing up her words, making him see that she meant them and that her coven was dear to her, important and necessary. He wanted to probe more so he could understand what was different about her coven that made her feel she had never really known what a family was like, but she drew down a breath, sighed it out and tilted her head up.

“I had an idea when I was in the shower.”

He smiled. “Did it involve me being in the shower too?”

A pretty blush stained her cheeks and she pushed his chest with her right hand. “No. Yes… but this idea came after that.”

He slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her closer to him again, glad to see the storm clouds lifting from her eyes.

His gaze dropped to her lips, hunger to taste them rising inside him again. “So let’s hear it.”

“I can’t when you’re looking at me like that. I just want to kiss you.” She leaned towards him, pressing her chest to his.

“So kiss me,” he husked.

She tiptoed and captured his lips, her kiss brief but passionate, rousing fire in his veins that lingered when she pulled back again, a sigh escaping her.

He wanted more.

Wasn’t sure he would ever get enough of kissing her.

“I want to help you and your brothers.” She raised her hands and framed his face with them, looked deep into his eyes, hers revealing how much she wanted that. “I have some books at home, ones about forbidden magic. They might be helpful. If nothing else, they speak of necromancy. I’d like to get them and some other things.”

He nodded. “I’ll take you.”

Mostly because he didn’t want to let her out of his sight. He wasn’t sure how much the Erinyes knew about her, and he wasn’t going to risk them knowing about her island home, letting her go off alone. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if she ended up hurt or worse because he hadn’t gone with her.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” She pressed closer, the smile that tugged at her lips sending a hot thrill through him as her gaze turned hooded. “Maybe we could hide from your brothers a little longer there.”

That sounded more than good. He didn’t want to face his brothers, and he had the impression she didn’t want to face them yet either. Both of them were going to get a grilling when they returned.

He forced himself to release her, and rifled through his dresser for some underwear and a fresh roll-neck long-sleeve T-shirt. As he tugged on his trunks, Cass sighed, drawing his gaze to her.

She stared longingly at his backside.

And then her blue eyes lifted to lock with his. “It’s such a shame to