I shook my head. My courage had come under attack from many avenues over the past few months, but I'd never expected it to fail in the face of desire. I just couldn't meet his gaze. I feared what I would see, what I would have to acknowledge.
What it would lead to.
"Look at me."
This time, the demand in his voice was undeniable, and I found my gaze rising almost against my will.
My breath caught somewhere in my throat.
Because there in the blue of his eyes was a desire so stark and raw it burned my very soul.
"You cannot deny this, Risa," he said softly. "You cannot deny us."
Oh god, oh god, oh god…
It was a litany that tumbled unchecked through my thoughts. I couldn't think any more than that, couldn't react, my brain and body held captive not just by what I saw in his eyes, but what I felt, as well.
Because what I felt was him. His energy, his being.
Against my skin and in my mind. He burned me, inside and out, making me tremble and ache and wish for… for what? Not sex, not exactly. More a completeness.
As if that made any sense.
I licked my lips and somehow managed to croak, "It could change everything between us, Azriel—and may-be not in a good way."
"That is possible—maybe even probable. But what is acknowledged might also be controlled."
It might not, too. "I think it's a very bad idea."