Sins of the Innocent - Jamie McGuire Page 0,26

on the pale skin below, and he moved in, pulling me closer.

The movement startled me, and I yanked back, my face slipping from his fingers and my hands balling into fists.

“Careful,” Levi said. “We want to leave the restaurant intact, remember?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed, glancing around at our audience.

“I can’t tell you, Eden. I have to show you.”

I watched him for a long time, waiting for any sign of humor, but he didn’t crack a smile.

“If you think I’m going to let a demon hybrid be my first kiss, you are worse than evil. You’re stupid.”

Levi breathed out a laugh, looking down. His eyes met mine again. “Your first kiss?”

“Shut up,” I seethed.

“Okay. You’re not ready yet.”

“Ready for what?”

“The truth.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and then spun around, leaving him at the table alone. I broke out into the fresh air, and dusk was settling upon Providence, transforming everything about the city like a time machine. Bex was sitting on a stoop to my right, his elbows resting on his knees, his fingers interlaced.

“I’m fine,” I said quietly, annoyed he hadn’t bothered to look up.

“Eden,” Levi said, pushing through Capriccio’s white door. He noted Bex’s presence and then nodded. “Okay, that was out of line.” He shrugged. “I’ve been patient for a long time. Spending time with you makes it … difficult.”

“What does that mean?” I held up my hand. “You know what? I don’t want to know. You’re ridiculous.”

His confidence diminished for half a second, and I caught a glimpse of the real man behind the impervious elitist façade.

“Eden,” Bex interjected.

“I’m going home,” I said.

“Wait,” Levi said.

“Eden, it’s true,” Bex began again. “He left. He’s denounced his father and his station.”

“What? When?”

“Nineteen years and seven months ago,” Levi said, sounding exhausted.

Levi took a few steps toward me, and I shifted my weight, preparing for his next move. He took my jaw in his hands again and leaned down, touching his perfect soft lips on mine. My mind glitched, displaying a picture like snow on a television. His lips pulled mine in until I could feel the wetness of the inside of his mouth. His movements were tender, his skin warm. The tip of his tongue slid along mine, both foreign and familiar, like he’d kissed me a hundred times before.

I pulled away, wiping my mouth with the inside of my wrist.

“Eden,” he whispered, reaching for me again.

But I grabbed his shirt and shoved him against the face of the building. The windows trembled in response. He didn’t fight back, but superlative disappointment weighed down his eyes.

“Don’t,” I snarled, “ever touch me again.”

Levi looked at Bex and then back at me, his jaw working under the skin. “Not unless you ask.”

“I won’t.” I released him and then gestured for Bex to follow.

Levi didn’t try to stop me, and Bex managed to walk with me all the way to the Audi without speaking.

The moment I pulled out onto the road, Bex shook his head and sighed. “Eden, there’s something you should know.”

“Just keep it to yourself, Bex. I’m sure there are a lot of things you know that I don’t because that’s just how our family works. But Levi was drawing me like poison back there, and he is the last person I want to have that effect on me. He’s dangerous. He’s toxic. This could only end badly. So, just don’t tell me, okay? This time, I want to be left in the dark.”

“You sure?”

“No,” I said, my breath faltering.

“Damn it,” he said under his breath, already regretting what he was about to say. “You love him.”

I recoiled. “I barely know him!”

“No, you’ve loved him before. Before now. Before you were sent here.”

“Sent here?”

“You know what I mean, Eden. Humans are recycled souls. They choose their parents, what lessons they learn, what kind of life they’ll lead. They choose the experience like food from a menu. This situation is not unlike theirs.”

“I’m not human, Bex. I didn’t choose this.”

“Agreed. But there seems to always be a method to the madness.”

“How do you know all of this?” I asked, wiping a tear from my cheek.

“I’ve been translating the scrolls all week. The Bible doesn’t cover this part, so I’ve been digging up the texts King James left out.”

I yanked over the wheel and parked before looking over at my uncle. He had trouble meeting my eyes.

“I thought the whole business of having a Taleh was cruel. I thought letting go of Allison was torture. It’s nothing