His eyes hardened even more. ‘No one makes me feel that way.’ There was an edge to his voice I’d never heard before.
‘Someone must have rocked your world once,’ I said softly.
He stared at me, something indefinable in his expression. Come on, Byron, you can puzzle this out. ‘The only person who ever made me feel anything,’ he said, ‘is dead. And that’s what will happen to you if you don’t start answering my questions.’
‘You desired me,’ I told him, my heart in my mouth. ‘You wanted me. Maybe you still do. Byron…’
‘Shut up,’ he ground out. ‘Shut the hell up.’
My stomach churned. He was too focused on the Illusion to work out what was going on. There was no other way around this – it was time for the truth.Allthe truth. I took a deep breath, reached down into myself and extinguished the Illusion. My long dark hair transformed into pure white. The tan I’d so admired disappeared back into my milk-pale skin and my body shifted. There, I was Integrity again. I’d miss those breasts though.
Byron blinked. ‘What the fuck?’ He peered at me and blinked again. He took a step back, swallowed and balled up his fists. ‘What is this?’ he snarled. ‘You think you can taunt me? You’re obviously a Sidhe. Which Clan are you?’
‘It’s me, Byron. It’s Integrity.’
His emerald eyes flashed. ‘Integrity is dead. Just because you have powerful Illusion magic doesn’t mean I’m an idiot.’ His neck muscles were straining as he held himself back. Held himself back from what, I wasn’t entirely sure.
‘I’m Integrity, Byron,’ I repeated. ‘I stole Illusion from someone back at the Cruaich earlier today. I pretended to be that stripper because I wanted to know what you were up to.’ And I wanted to see you again, I added silently. I wanted to press myself against you and have your arms round me so I could pretend that everything was alright between us. ‘I faked my death because if I hadn’t, your father wouldn’t have stopped coming after me. Neither would the Fomori demons.’ My voice faltered slightly. ‘I wanted to tell you the truth. But I didn’t have any choice.’
He took another step back then a step forward. Then he went back again. If this situation weren’t so serious, I’d have made some quip about his dancing but he still looked as if he were barely controlling himself. His jaw tightened and he flicked his wrist again, bringing me towards him so my face was directly in front of his. He reached up as if about to touch me and drew back again. ‘This isn’t real,’ he whispered. ‘You aren’t real.’
‘I am.’ I scanned his features, willing him to see the truth. ‘I can prove it. Ask me anything Integrity would know.’
His nostrils flared. I knew he was scenting me, doing everything he could to ascertain the truth. ‘Where did we first meet?’
‘In a hotel bar. We drank pink champagne.’ My mouth curved into a smile. ‘Well,’ I amended, ‘I drank pink champagne. I’d been trying to avoid alcohol but you didn’t give me much choice. You were avoiding alcohol tonight, too. Why don’t you tell me what you’re up to?’
He ignored my question. A muscle in his cheek pulsated but he’d schooled the rest of his face into an impassive mask. ‘During the Games, I went to see you in your competitors’ accommodation. You were wearing a fancy outfit. What was it?’
‘Princess Leia,’ I answered easily. ‘But only because I’d made a deal with Bob.’ Byron’s eyes narrowed. I countered with another of my own questions. ‘Why are you holding Candy captive? Isn’t he supposed to be your friend?’
He didn’t answer, just kept staring at me unable to believe the evidence of his own eyes. That was understandable. My tongue darted out, wetting my lips. He followed the movement. ‘We almost made love under the only remaining tree in the Adair grove,’ I told him quietly. ‘There are more trees there now. They’re saplings really but they’re growing. When I went across the Veil, I found you on top of Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, shackled to a post. I used Illusion to help us escape so it shouldn’t be too hard to believe that I’ve used it for other things. You told me I smelled bad.’
Byron seemed to stop breathing.
I leaned forward, pushing against the constraints of his magic as best as I could. ‘I wouldn’t know any of these things unless I really was Integrity.’
Even with the darkness surrounding us, his skin seemed leeched of all colour. ‘You’re a ghost.’
‘Oh for goodness’ sake!’ I said, without thinking. ‘What is it with you Sidhe and ghosts? The Bull thought I was a bloody ghost, too. I thought you were smarter than that.’
Something changed in Byron’s eyes. All at once he released me, dropping the Telekinesis that had been holding me in place. Before I fell to the ground, however, he grabbed me, wrapped his arms round and pulled me to him. His hand cupped my face and his thumb stroked my skin while he gazed into my eyes. ‘You’re alive,’ he said simply.
I opened my mouth to reply but he didn’t give me the chance. His lips descended, pressing into mine with hot urgency and a demanding possessiveness that was almost painful. We stumbled backwards until I was pressed against the wall. Byron ran his hands down my body. His legs pinned me in place while he explored every clothed part of me, as if double-checking that I really did exist. All the time, his mouth didn’t leave mine. The air was being pushed out of my lungs but, despite the violent embrace, I didn’t want him to stop. He couldn’t ever stop. Then, whether by accident or design, he bit my bottom lip.
I yanked my head away, my yell of pain loud and sharp. Now it wasn’t just Byron I could taste in my mouth. There was also the bitter tang of blood.
He drew back, panting, and giving us both the breathing space we needed. My tongue darted out to the tiny cut while Byron’s green eyes followed the movement. He closed his eyes briefly as if in agony, his fists curling and uncurling as he calmed himself. I reached out and touched his jaw and he relaxed.
Rather than apologise, he tilted his head and planted a soft kiss on the wound. He gently brushed my hair away from my face before starting to trail butterfly kisses from my temple down to my neck. On the way he pulled back – once, twice, three times. Every time, he stared hard at me, as if checking it was still me. Every time it just made the ache inside me grow. Neither of us spoke because neither of us needed to; we were saying all we needed to without a single word.
More carefully now, he helped me out of my jacket and tossed it to one side. He lifted my hand and stroked upwards towards my shoulder with the lightest of touches. I couldn’t stop myself from shivering. His fingers danced across my collarbone and then down my other arm before venturing to my waist where they twitched at the hem of my T-shirt. Together, we pulled it over my head. As soon as it was out of the way, his stroking began again, feather-light movements down my chest. I groaned. He brushed against the lace of my bra then swept further down over my belly. Then he crouched down and I felt his hot breath against my skin as, instead of his fingers, he used his tongue. When he reached my belly button, he circled it exquisitely slowly.
I unhooked my bra and he watched me take it off, his greedy eyes fixed on me. He stood up, his thumbs brushing against my painfully erect nipples then he used his tongue to circle them slowly while I clumsily tried to unfasten the buttons on his shirt. As my fingers grazed his skin, he gave a guttural growl and pulled away, taking it off himself. As soon as it was discarded, he moved onto his trousers, kicking them away. And enjoyable as it was letting my eyes travel across the tight bulge in his perfect white underpants, he wasted no time in divesting himself of those too. He stretched out his arms, inviting my gaze to take in every inch of him. Despite the obvious fatigue lining his face and the visible weight loss, he still possessed a taut washboard stomach. The sight of him standing in front of me like some kind of sacrifice made my heart skip a beat.
He gestured at my jeans, his meaning clear. I smirked and shook my head, pointing down at his feet. He frowned then, realising I wanted him to take off his socks, did just that. Only then did I unbutton my jeans and slide out of them. I hooked my fingers teasingly into the waistband of my panties, threatening to wriggle them down over my hips but not quite seeing it through. Byron’s eyes narrowed enough to make me quit playing the flirt. A moment later, the pants joined the pile of clothing on the floor. Forget Chardonnay – this was much more my kind of striptease.
He tugged at my hand, leading me over to an elegant chaise longue. I draped myself across it, the very image of lady of the manor – apart from the fact I was stark naked. He smiled slowly and lifted his foot, gently nudging my legs apart until he was satisfied I was completely exposed to his hot gaze.
