My jaw flexes with my growing irritation. “It’s not like that.”
“What is it like then, Sitri?”
“I want to keep you safe,” I say adamantly.
She snorts.
How have we come so far from where we were this morning? Always one step forward and three steps back and I’m so fucking tired of stepping. “I don’t just want to keep you safe, Pandora. I want…” I want her to step out there with confidence in herself. And when she looks at me and I look at her I want her to knowwhat it means.
She stiffens as I lean down close to her ear. “You have no idea how fucking angry it makes me that other men are going to see you like this.”
“Sorry you can’t keep me as hidden away as you’d like,” she snaps.
I let out a low growl. “You really have no fucking clue, what--I’d—like, do you?” I’m so over the confusion between us, the wondering, the waiting. I don’t have any more patience for this. “Do you?”
I reach forward and graze my fingers down the smooth, warm skin of her side. “Know what I’d like?” She goes rigidly still and I wonder once again if I’ve been wildly misreading things and she’s not nearly as interested as I assumed but then her breath catches and her hand tightens around my wrist. “Pandora?”
“I..I don’t know.”
I lean forward, sweeping my face down the side of her head, sucking in deep lung-fulls of her scent as my fingers trace down to the dip of her hip bone to make myself very,very, undeniably fucking clear.
Her hips sway, ass almost grazing my once again erect cock and I dart back, hand tightening around her to keep her from doingthatagain.
Fuck,that.
Her head tilts back to meet my chest and I lean forward, grazing my bottom lip up the slope of her neck.
“We really need to go,” I murmur. “I just needed you to understand this.”
“There you two are.”
The awful yet familiar voice rings out.Shit, Valik.
I immediately step back, and lower her to the ground, dropping my magic around her a little too hastily. She lands on her feet but staggers back, ass hitting the ground. I just dropped her, exactly what she was afraid of. The only good it does is immediately kill my boner. She scrambles to her feet, face furious as she wheels on me. I don’t have time for apologies. I snap and point back with a warning glare.No! Not in front of Valik.She opens her mouth to object and suddenly remembers her nakedness as Valik stalks forward. She spins on her heel to hide herself.
“I’ve been looking for you two. Lines dwindling and you haven’t performed the ceremony, Nightshade. Morin wanted me to ensure you didn’t try to skip out. Imagine my surprise when I find you already cozy with the nought.”
“Just making sure the nought knows how to handle herself tonight. We’re heading that way.”
“Well, I don’t think she’ll have to handle much. No one will be called to a nought, thank the Gods,” he spits in disgust. “Unless of courseyouare.”
I snort. “Even the Gods don’t hate me that much, Valik.”
My eyes creep over to Pandora. Her back is turned to me so I can’t see her response but her shoulders are stiff. I know she’s livid. I’m currently validating all of her beliefs. My stomach turns. All the progress I’ve made with her…When I glance back at Valik his eyes have wandered over to her too, scrutinizing the faint scars that mar her back. A sharp bite of anger hits me.
“Go, pet,” I snap. “Do as I’ve told you,” I say, more sternly when she doesn’t make to move. She readjusts her hair and stomps forward. She doesn’t look back as she braves the tree line nor as she proudly stomps across the field like her nakedness doesn’t phase her in the slightest. Pissing her off had effectively aided in her confidence…just not the way I intended to. I hang back, not wanting to give Valik an excuse to be anywhere near her, to even look in her direction.
“Are you participating?”
“Can’t. I’m on a job.”
I snort. “Are you going to come watch me fuck someone too like a peeping tom?”
Valik’s expression vacillates. He doesn’t want to do this either. “I won’t tell, Valik, if you want to play,” I say, as I break off toward my designated fire.
There’s a whole lot of skin on display. Most of the men in line before the Priestess are chatting amicably, throwing furtive glances toward the other side of the field where the women are clustered. I notice the moment they spot her because the atmosphere changes. Some sneer, others raise their brows in surprise, clapping their hands against each other’s shoulder as they make some stupid joke.
I spot Mag, Draven, people I used to call friends. They behave similarly, and I know it’s Pandora they’re pointing at when their eyes find me next, and swiftly veer away. Afraid of me, as they should be. Magic swells under the tips of my fingers. How easy it would be to let it loose. Just a couple sharp snips at their eyes, and they’ll never see her again. I squeeze my fists closed. That won’t help anything. Hopefully…Pandora doesn’t notice them.
