Lord of Destiny (The Dragon Demigods #6) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,24

I might be looking at him in the same way he’s looking at me. We need to stop! “I didn’t tell him about the vision,” I quickly add.

He pulls in a breath, his gaze shifting. I think he’s disappointed. I’m not sure why. “I figured as much.” He gets this wistful smile. “With that in mind, we need to keep our distance. So, your brother can relax.”

If not for the vision…what then? Would something have happened between us?

“Definitely no touching.” He laughs, sounding a little like I did before. Like he’s playing it cool.

“Unless you really want me to?” I realize how that sounded. “Read you again, that is.” Not touch! Although if he asked me…I might go there.

“Nah! I wouldn’t ask that of you. I know how shitty it is to get a vision. Especially when they’re more vivid. Let’s face it, the next one will be clearer, harder, and faster.”

Harder.

Faster.

I hold back a groan, and I try not to let my mind wander to other things. I fail! It’s been a long time since I had sex. Forever! At least…it feels that way. And then things were distinctly stilted between West and me towards the end. There were no sparks. It felt too much like a colossal effort with a lackluster reward. I’m sure West felt the same way as I did. “Visions come and go with me. Still,” I shrug, “if you want me to try… I think I would want to know more if the tables were turned.”

“I appreciate that.” His eyes sparkle.

My eyes dip to the tattoo on his chest. “I like your ink. Let me guess, it has something to do with your ability?”

He nods once and touches his hand to the piece. It’s a clock. It’s both beautiful and yet masculine in its design. It reminds me of him in that way. It has clean lines with Roman numerals. The hands are beautiful curves and softer. “It works well, since Janus is the god of transitions. Responsible for motion, changes, and time.”

His eyes seem to brighten. “That’s right. I could’ve gone with the two faces, which would have been more conventional. Two faces on one side of a coin is the main symbol for Janus.”

I nod. “One face facing back, and the other one forward to show seeing into the past and into the future.”

He smiles, and his face lights up. “I’m impressed at how well you know your stuff. Janus is an obscure god. I didn’t go with the faces because I only have half of the abilities. It didn’t seem right.” He shrugs his big shoulders. “You’ll see that the hands on the clock are moving forward and that the front side of the clock is the silhouette of a face looking forward.”

“That’s so cool.” I take a few steps towards him and lean in. “Wow! I would never have seen that if you hadn’t pointed it out. I love it. It’s perfect for the son of Janus.”

“So, you thought that you were a dragon demigod. That’s how you know so much about Janus?” He smells good…really good, considering he just got out of the pool.

“It makes sense, doesn’t it? Like Maddox and West pointed out, I was convinced until my first shift happened.”

“It makes sense, given your ability.” We look at each other for a few seconds. I can see Stephan wants to say something. That he’s contemplating whether or not to do it. I see him relax a smidgen as he makes his decision. “So…um…you and West?”

I take another sip of my tea. It’s getting cold, but it’s still good. “We were together, but we broke up.” I decide to take a seat on a nearby chair. It’s gorgeous outdoor furniture. I cross my legs and pull my shirt down over my thighs.

“I figured as much.” Stephan sits across from me.

I take another sip. I feel his eyes on me when I look down at the cup. I know he wants more information. I’m not sure how much to divulge. “We were together for years. We both dated other people at first, it was never serious for me with anyone else. When he finally noticed me, West and I went from friends to much more…and quickly.”

“It seemed to me like the two of you were serious. I definitely got that impression.”

I nod. I take another sip of my tea. “I thought he was the one, but it turned out not to be the case. It’s funny how tough times