I realized then just how muchbiggerhe was — how utterly powerless I was against him despite my hunter strength. And yet, I wasn’t afraid of Kaden. My body welcomed his power and intensity — craved his every touch.
He unleashed every bit of that intensity as we fought for each other with teeth and tongues, devouring one another until we were both panting with need.
Kaden’s expression was feral as he spread my thighs apart, and I wiggled back on the bed to make room for him. As I did, I felt something hard digging into my side.
His leather jacket.
I reached beneath me to dislodge it, intending to push it off the bed. But something heavy and solid in the pocket distracted me from Kaden’s grip on my thighs.
Reaching inside, I frowned as my hand closed over a smooth, round object. Kaden went absolutely still as I fumbled to pull it out.
It was a polished stone nearly as large as my palm. Itwas the color of the sea just before a storm, and just beneath the glassy surface swirled what looked like smoke.
The instant I closed my fingers around it, a surge of dark power seemed to seep into my skin —heavy and toxic. Kaden made an odd noise as if to stop me, but I was too focused on the stone.
An unfamiliar power wrapped itself around me, entwining with my own magic and caressing it lightly. It stroked and seduced, and I felt my magic being lifted away.
An unwelcome tug sent a jolt through my body, and I dropped the stone as if it had burned me.
When I looked up at Kaden, his expression was an odd mix of defensiveness and heartbreak that immediately put me on edge.
“What is that?” I whispered, unable to keep the suspicion out of my voice.
Kaden’s golden skin was flushed, his eyes still blazing with lust. He kept his gaze locked on the stone as he said, “You wouldn’t be asking unless you already knew.”
A surge of dread washed over me, followed quickly by anger. I’d known the instant I’d felt that tug on my magic. I just hadn’t wanted it to be true.
“The apokropos stone.” It wasn’t a question.
Kaden didn’t answer me, but a muscle flexed in his jaw.
“Why doyouhave it?” I asked, my voice coming out low and harsh.
He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, still not meeting my gaze. “The same reason you wanted it.”
A thousand questions fired off in my mind, swirling around each other and compounding my confusion. I shook my head as the realization hit me, not wanting it to be true.
“You’ve had it all this time,” I whispered. “From themoment we met.” My voice quivered as I thought back to the night I’d gone to Julian’s shop. “It wasn’t some coincidence that you showed up to save me from those demons. YouknewI’d be at the shop.”
“Yes.”
“Julian approached you about selling the stone, and you . . . what?”
“Julian didn’t approach me,” said Kaden softly. “He didn’t know I had it.”
“But you knew I was looking for it,” I accused. “That’swhy you were there that night.”
Kaden heaved a heavy sigh.
But the stone had only reached for my magicafterit had released what was already stored inside. It had been a magic not of this world — something I’d only felt once before.
A bolt of terror shot through me when I realized what that dark power meant.
Scrambling away from Kaden, I hurriedly covered myself with his jacket. My eyes darted to my weapons holster hanging over the back of the chair.
The dark fae I’d come to trust wasn’t the real Kaden — not all of him, anyway. The stone had concealed at least part of his true power. And if he was a faerie queen’s bastard, that meant the other half might not be fae at all.
I thought back to what the Ringmaster had said when I’d mentioned Kaden.
