His feet angle toward me, slow and deliberate, like something deep inside him has finally given in.
His hands land firmly on my waist, firm and possessive.
And then his tongue moves against mine.
He kisses me back.
It’s hesitant. Careful. A kiss made of fractures and restraint, of two people standing on the edge of something dangerous and knowing exactly how far they have to fall. Awkwardness hangs between us as uncertainty continues.
Then it shatters.
All at once, we stop holding back.
The kiss turns ravenous, as though all the darkness we’ve been swallowing has finally found its way free. His grip on my waist tightens until I’m aching. My hands tangle in his hair, clinging to him like he’s the only concrete thing left in my world. The rough scrape of his stubble drags across my cheek as the kiss deepens, and the tenderness melts away into a sweet surrender.
Our bodies collide in the small space between us. With every second, the world slips further away until all that’s left is us before. Before we realized we weren’t mates and the curses threatened to tear us apart.
More, I need more. I need him naked. I need him inside me. I need…
“I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work. You can fuck him. Flood me with every thought you have while you do it, and it won’t make me hate you,”Ambrose’s words float through my head.
I jolt to a stop.
Nyx looks down at me. He doesn’t have to read my mind to know what just happened.
He doesn’t tell me that what just happened was a mistake. He doesn’t even mention Ambrose speaking to me.
“Some vampires need me. There’s a female traveling with them that belongs to another lordship—one with whom I’ve always shared a connection that I need to speak to.”
His breathing is hot against my neck. “Don’t leave,”I think. “Stay, come back to me. Spend the night with me.”
He catches my wrists in his hands.
“Why? Why are you doing this? I don’t need you to push me. I don’t need you to force me into Ambrose’s arms. There’s still a chance—”
“This isn’t about you, Lumi. For once, it’s about me. I loved you. I still care deeply about you, but when you severed our bond, a part of me died. I’ve tried holding onto it, but it’s killing me. Trying to love you is killing me. It’s exhausting. And I’m not sure it was love in the first place.”
I grind my teeth. “Liar.”
“It was lust. I can smell how hot and needy you are. That’s all this is. It was lust. It wasn’t a mating bond. What we shared was less than that. And now it’s over.”
“Please,” I whisper, feeling hot and needy.
“There is a male more than capable of taking care of your needs. I’m not that male, Lumi.” He starts to pull away.
“It won’t work. You can’t make me hate you,” I say.
He gives me a knowing look. “I can’t control what you feel for me. But I can control how I feel. I’m letting you go, Lumi. Let me.” And then Nyx walks out the door. “Spend the night with your mate, Lumi. Let him touch you. Let him in. Let him use his magic. That will do more than any love potion ever will.”
Chapter 11
Nyx
Ionly make it into the forest before I collapse onto my knees. Death would be a welcome friend at this point. The pain I feel speaking to her in that way is unimaginable. The way I kissed her, and my world exploded all around me. Kissing her still has that impact, and it was for the last fucking time.
I’ll never kiss her again.
Never tell her I love her again.