Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51358 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
I nod. “That’s good progress, Saint.”
He dips his head. “Not good enough.”
There’s an iciness to his voice that puts me on alert. He’s going to kill Samuel—for a lot of things, but for what he did to Aurora the most.
“Saint—”
“Feeding.” He sets his mug down and sweeps from the room before I can even attempt to get him to open up.
I sigh. “Is he okay?”
Talon looks as grave as I feel. He shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”
Fuck, I don’t either.
“Anything we can do?” I ask even though I know the answer.
“You know Saint,” Talon says. “He’ll keep it locked up till he breaks. We just have to be there to catch the pieces when he does.”
“Hopefully one of those pieces doesn’t get him killed.” I’m genuinely worried. “He’s been a mess. Understandably.”
“He needs time,” Talon says. “And closure.”
“We all do,” I add.
Cassandra quietly sips her coffee while Talon and I talk. Funny how six months ago I would’ve groaned at having her privy to any sensitive information, and now she’s a trusted, welcomed member of the family. That’s how powerful a mating bond is.
Anticipation zaps across my skin like an electrical current, alerting me to Annika’s nearness. She’s not in the house though, because she feels far away. I think I’ve locked onto her scent without even meaning to, because I can tell she’s outside.
“We’re heading to the other island to feed,” Cassandra says. “Are you going to join us?”
I shake my head. Not if Annika isn’t.
“Don’t wait up,” Talon says as he and Cassandra head out of the kitchen.
I wait until I hear their speedboat start up before I move from my spot. The second I do, my feet carry me exactly where I shouldn’t be.
Outside, to where I find Annika in the pool, the night sky stretching over the horizon beyond. The pool lights are set to a soft purple, making her look more ethereal than she already does as she moves in the water. Her eyes are closed in concentration, and pride swells in my chest when I realize what she’s doing. She’s trying to move the water on her own. She’s still practicing, still pushing, despite the roadblocks we’ve hit.
And the fiery wins we’ve managed.
I should turn around. Go back inside. Take a cold fucking shower.
Before I know what I’m doing, I’m hauling my shirt over my head, shucking my pants, and stepping into the pool in my boxer briefs.
“I wondered how long you were going to linger,” she says without opening her eyes. It shocks the hell out of me because normally I can sneak up on even the most suspecting prey.
“Didn’t want to interrupt you,” I say. “I can go—”
“Stay,” she cuts over me, opening her eyes and planting them on me.
Fuck. Me. I’m a goner for those stunning blues.
I clear my throat, trying to remember how to fucking breathe. Maybe Cassandra and Talon are right. I need to treat her like the female she is and not a responsibility. Treat her like an asset, not a liability. Sure, she deserves someone who will put her above all else every single night for the rest of existence, but I can be a placeholder while we’re here. While we’re working together. She understands that. Who am I to think she’ll fall for me? Maybe I should let whatever is happening between us run its course. It’ll be a lot more fun than fighting it.
Fuck it.
I move around her, stepping behind her. She doesn’t turn to face me, trusting me at her back. It sends heat straight to my dick.
“It’s not about wanting the water to move,” I say, keeping my hands extended, but not touching her. “But needing it to.” I curl my fingers just above the pool’s surface, making a few small streams swirl in front of her. “Have you ever needed something so much that you felt like you’d break if you didn’t get it?”
“Yes,” she answers on a breathy sigh.
“Like the bathtub,” I say, doing my best not to groan when thinking about what she told me she’d been doing. “Not how it started,” I hurry to say before I lose my control thinking about her touching herself. “But how it ended.”
She tilts her head. “Frozen?”
“What did you need in that moment?” I ask. “Not what you wanted.”
Which was a release. She’d trusted me with that information. Something swells in my chest at the reminder.
“I…” She considers, raising her hands. “I needed to cool off.”
“You needed to cool off,” I repeat. “Remember that feeling. That connection between power and need. It’s that chain you were talking about. That’s the link. You froze the water because you didn’t have a balance, but you’re so close, Annika. You could boil the water too, if you needed the heat.”
She moves her hands above the water, her muscles tensing slightly. She keeps her eyes open this time, but there’s an adorable crease between her brows. I go silent, not wanting to break her focus.