The Power
Page 52
Her gaze searched mine intently. “But that’s my duty.”
“I don’t care.” And the moment the words were out, they were the damn truth. “You’re not ready for this.” I dropped her arm and gestured to the mess around us. “And you could’ve been hurt. Or worse yet, this could’ve been a trap and one of the damn Titans could have been blowing through the Covenant right now, and if that had happened again, I would’ve—” I cut myself off, unable to go there. My heart felt like it had stopped when I saw her, and it still felt like it was trying to recuperate.
“You what?” She sucked in a soft breath. “Why do you even care? You—”
“You don’t get it.” Twisting around, I started walking again, pulling her along behind me. We made it past the main Covenant building before she spoke again.
“You don’t need to hold my hand.”
I shot her a look. “Apparently I need to. If not, who knows where you might end up?”
“I’m not a child,” she spat. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I beg to differ on that account.”
Josie tried to pull her hand free again. The end result was the same as before. “You lost your hand-holding privileges, Seth.”
“Holding hands is a privilege?”
“Damn straight it is.” Her hand squeezed mine until the bones in my hand started to grind together. “Especially with me, and if I remember correctly, you said you were done with me.”
I sighed. “Josie—”
“And you told me not to embarrass myself,” she continued, her voice rising as we passed a group of Guards. “You’ve said that you didn’t want to do any of this with me anymore. So, you don’t—”
Stopping suddenly, I faced her as I pulled her to me, chest to chest. I wasn’t thinking as I cupped her cheek with my free hand and tilted her head back. Not a single thought occurred when I lowered my mouth to hers.
I kissed Josie.
She stiffened against me, and I marveled at the softness of her lips, the sweet taste of her mouth. Fuck. It had been weeks since I’d held her like this. Kissed her. Tasted her. Her chest rose sharply against mine, and in the back of my head, I knew this wasn’t right. My chest was covered with blood. So was hers. People moved around us, and I’d hurt her once before, in ways she didn’t even realize.
None of that stopped me.
The tip of her tongue touched mine and the punch of arousal nearly took my knees out from under me. I groaned into her mouth as I slid my hand back into her hair. The kiss deepened, and it was a nearby shout that brought me to my senses. I lifted my mouth from hers, leaving a hairsbreadth between us.
“What . . . ?” she murmured.
My lips brushed hers as I spoke. “It was the only thing I could think of to get you to stop talking.”
Tension locked up her muscles. “That . . . that is really wrong.”
Yeah, she was right.
Drawing back, I realized how lucky I was that she hadn’t stabbed me with the dagger she now clenched in her right hand.
Lips tingling, walking was a bit harder now, but I kept hold of her left hand, and she was quiet. Kissing worked. But at what cost? I shouldn’t have done that. I’d hurt her again.
And I was as hard as a titanium dagger.
Gods.
The dorm came into view, thank the gods, and the Guard I’d threatened on the way out looked relieved when I passed him by without introducing his head to his own asshole. Lifting my free hand, I tapped into the wind element and opened the doors for us. The act didn’t draw attention from the halfs and pures congregating in the lobby, separated by a—oh shit.
I stopped short. So did Josie, and she stared at the same thing I did. A very new addition to the lobby, in the form of three statues. Each of them was about seven feet tall, made of pure marble. They looked like three angels praying, hands folded demurely under their chins and wings tucked close to their backs. Expressions serene for now, but I knew if that stone started to crack, the looks on their faces would be far from that.
“What . . . what are those?” Josie breathed.
“Furies,” I said. “A problem we really don’t need right now.”
Josie blinked. “Furies? Is Erin in there?”
“I don’t think so. Probably three of her million sisters.” I led her around the statues, giving them a wide berth. “They appear whenever the gods are displeased with something. They serve as a warning even though they are entombed for right now.”
“A warning?”
“That if whatever is going down that has them pissed off doesn’t stop, they’ll release the furies, and these kind aren’t going to be like Erin. They’re going to rip through everything and everyone in their paths.” As we walked through the lobby, she was craning her neck to stare at them. “My guess is the gods are pissed about what’s going on between the halfs and pures, but that may be giving them too much credit. Not like they ever cared before.”
Josie was quiet as I led her down the hall, and when we came up on our rooms I made a split-second decision and brought her into my room. I let go of her hand the moment the door closed. She halted just inside the sitting area of the room. “What am I doing in here?”
Good question. “Just stay put for a few moments, then I’ll take you to your room.”
She stared at me balefully as I stalked past her. Damn. A pissed-off Josie was still an incredibly hot one. The hardness wasn’t going down anytime soon, which was whatever, because I was a walking hard-on anyway. Once inside the bathroom, I grabbed the towel and ran it under the tap. Wiping the blood off my chest, I walked back into the main room, finding her where I’d left her.
“I don’t care.” And the moment the words were out, they were the damn truth. “You’re not ready for this.” I dropped her arm and gestured to the mess around us. “And you could’ve been hurt. Or worse yet, this could’ve been a trap and one of the damn Titans could have been blowing through the Covenant right now, and if that had happened again, I would’ve—” I cut myself off, unable to go there. My heart felt like it had stopped when I saw her, and it still felt like it was trying to recuperate.
“You what?” She sucked in a soft breath. “Why do you even care? You—”
“You don’t get it.” Twisting around, I started walking again, pulling her along behind me. We made it past the main Covenant building before she spoke again.
“You don’t need to hold my hand.”
I shot her a look. “Apparently I need to. If not, who knows where you might end up?”
“I’m not a child,” she spat. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I beg to differ on that account.”
Josie tried to pull her hand free again. The end result was the same as before. “You lost your hand-holding privileges, Seth.”
“Holding hands is a privilege?”
“Damn straight it is.” Her hand squeezed mine until the bones in my hand started to grind together. “Especially with me, and if I remember correctly, you said you were done with me.”
I sighed. “Josie—”
“And you told me not to embarrass myself,” she continued, her voice rising as we passed a group of Guards. “You’ve said that you didn’t want to do any of this with me anymore. So, you don’t—”
Stopping suddenly, I faced her as I pulled her to me, chest to chest. I wasn’t thinking as I cupped her cheek with my free hand and tilted her head back. Not a single thought occurred when I lowered my mouth to hers.
I kissed Josie.
She stiffened against me, and I marveled at the softness of her lips, the sweet taste of her mouth. Fuck. It had been weeks since I’d held her like this. Kissed her. Tasted her. Her chest rose sharply against mine, and in the back of my head, I knew this wasn’t right. My chest was covered with blood. So was hers. People moved around us, and I’d hurt her once before, in ways she didn’t even realize.
None of that stopped me.
The tip of her tongue touched mine and the punch of arousal nearly took my knees out from under me. I groaned into her mouth as I slid my hand back into her hair. The kiss deepened, and it was a nearby shout that brought me to my senses. I lifted my mouth from hers, leaving a hairsbreadth between us.
“What . . . ?” she murmured.
My lips brushed hers as I spoke. “It was the only thing I could think of to get you to stop talking.”
Tension locked up her muscles. “That . . . that is really wrong.”
Yeah, she was right.
Drawing back, I realized how lucky I was that she hadn’t stabbed me with the dagger she now clenched in her right hand.
Lips tingling, walking was a bit harder now, but I kept hold of her left hand, and she was quiet. Kissing worked. But at what cost? I shouldn’t have done that. I’d hurt her again.
And I was as hard as a titanium dagger.
Gods.
The dorm came into view, thank the gods, and the Guard I’d threatened on the way out looked relieved when I passed him by without introducing his head to his own asshole. Lifting my free hand, I tapped into the wind element and opened the doors for us. The act didn’t draw attention from the halfs and pures congregating in the lobby, separated by a—oh shit.
I stopped short. So did Josie, and she stared at the same thing I did. A very new addition to the lobby, in the form of three statues. Each of them was about seven feet tall, made of pure marble. They looked like three angels praying, hands folded demurely under their chins and wings tucked close to their backs. Expressions serene for now, but I knew if that stone started to crack, the looks on their faces would be far from that.
“What . . . what are those?” Josie breathed.
“Furies,” I said. “A problem we really don’t need right now.”
Josie blinked. “Furies? Is Erin in there?”
“I don’t think so. Probably three of her million sisters.” I led her around the statues, giving them a wide berth. “They appear whenever the gods are displeased with something. They serve as a warning even though they are entombed for right now.”
“A warning?”
“That if whatever is going down that has them pissed off doesn’t stop, they’ll release the furies, and these kind aren’t going to be like Erin. They’re going to rip through everything and everyone in their paths.” As we walked through the lobby, she was craning her neck to stare at them. “My guess is the gods are pissed about what’s going on between the halfs and pures, but that may be giving them too much credit. Not like they ever cared before.”
Josie was quiet as I led her down the hall, and when we came up on our rooms I made a split-second decision and brought her into my room. I let go of her hand the moment the door closed. She halted just inside the sitting area of the room. “What am I doing in here?”
Good question. “Just stay put for a few moments, then I’ll take you to your room.”
She stared at me balefully as I stalked past her. Damn. A pissed-off Josie was still an incredibly hot one. The hardness wasn’t going down anytime soon, which was whatever, because I was a walking hard-on anyway. Once inside the bathroom, I grabbed the towel and ran it under the tap. Wiping the blood off my chest, I walked back into the main room, finding her where I’d left her.
