grip.
Our blue light cut off completely the moment our fingers touched. It was like it had done its job of bringing us together and now it was gone—except he didn’t touch me like he should have. His touch was cold and threatening.
“Liam?” a voice called down the hallway. Footsteps could be heard.
My eyes widened in panic and … Liam, AKA my clearly evil soulmate, grabbed me under the arm and dragged me across the room. He shoved me into the closet, closing the door nearly all the way as he stepped out into the room to meet whoever had said his name.
I froze, unmoving, as one of the horned guys walked in. I saw him through the one-inch gap in the door. When he scanned the room, passing the closet in which I hid, my body went rigid. “What was that blue light?” the dude asked and my heart beat so loudly in my chest I thought I was going to throw up.
He’d shoved me in a closet when he could have killed me … that was sort of … not evil? It wasn’t exactly soulmate love, like in Faerie, but he hadn’t killed me … so I’d have to take it.
“Nothing. I was just checking on the crystal,” Liam said smoothly, clutching the blue crystal in his hand with ease.
The guy looked suspiciously at Liam. “I saw a fucking blue light down the hallway.”
The tall winged creature stepped closer to the horned dude and started down at him, “Who’s in charge here?” he asked.
The horned guy gulped, lowering his gaze. “You.”
Liam nodded. “That’s right. There was no blue light. Stop smoking pot and wait for me to give you orders. Understand?”
The guy glared at Liam but nodded. “Yes, sir.” Then he stalked out of the room, slamming the door.
Whoa … my soulmate was kind of a dick and it was kind of hot. Oh my God, what was wrong with me? Why was I even referring to him as my soulmate? Clearly that was a mistake. Some … fake blue light trick thing? I was grasping at straws.
When the horned dude left, Liam wrenched the closet door open. His face was all hardened, not a trace of the wonder or curiosity I’d seen before. Reaching out, he took both of my upper arms into his hands and pulled me inches from his face.
“I don’t know what that blue light was, but I know what you are, and if you touch this crystal again, I’ll kill you.”
I should have been terrified, and I was half wondering where he’d put the crystal, but honestly I couldn’t get over how yummy he smelled, how my wings seemed to perk and snap erect when he was touching me. How even though he held my arms in a death grip, his touch was … pleasant.
Fuck. What was happening to me?
He dragged me forward, my tiptoes skimming along the carpet as he released one of my arms to free up a hand and wrench the window open.
“Wait, you don’t understand,” I pleaded.
He picked me up like I weighed ten pounds and tucked me into his chest. My stomach dropped out at the close physical contact and I saw a flicker of desire in his face … or maybe I imagined it.
“Don’t ever come back.” With that, he chucked me out the window and it took everything in me not to scream. My wings snapped out, fluttering, and lifted me up just before I hit the ground, causing my feet to skim the tall grass.
I raced back to my scooter, trying to think of what the hell I would tell Trissa and Mara. No way could I tell them that a Son of Darkness was my soulmate.
My first mission was a huge fucking fail.
Mara questioned me the second we all walked in the blue door. “What happened? Did you get the crystal?” Bashur barked in excitement that we’d all made it back. I was out of breath, hands shaking and soaked from the rain.
After telling Elle and Triss briefly of my fail, we’d run off for fear of being seen.
I shook my head. “I was caught. A black-winged Son. He almost killed me.” I mean, he said he was going to kill me, but he’d never pulled a blade or weapon.
Triss frowned. “Are you hurt?” Her eyes roamed over my body and then stopped at my blade, which was clean of blood. I had no bruises or injuries, no sign of struggle. She’d trained me in