“Thank you,” I whisper stupidly—not even sure what the fuck I’m thanking her for.
“Shut up,” Celine mutters, nipping my lower lip. “And never bring it up again.”
“Deal.” I drag one hand away from her face and run my fingersover the tips of her wings. They’re impossibly soft, no sharp edges left. “Do you want to make out some more?”
“Obviously,” Celine says, connecting our lips again.
Blood rushes to my cock, and I help her grind down on it. “Anything you want,” I promise, letting the words dangle in the shared breath we’re fighting over. “I’ll give you anything you want.”
Celine chuckles. “A demon with manners? I’m amazed.”
“Have you met many of my kind who don’t take no for an answer?” I growl, my fingers tightening on her hips. “Give me their names. I’ll make their final minutes terrifying, I swear it.”
She pulls back and I notice her brown eyes are dazed. Celine looks exactly like I do after one too many glasses of wine. I frown, then shudder as she grazes her teeth over the sensitive skin of my neck.
“Your buddy, Roscoe, actually, but . . . I took care of him, so you’re a little too late to deliver the terror.” Her lips continue exploring my throat, but the blood in my veins is icing over.
I knew it. They killed Dad’s favorite guard. Everything makes complete sense. I think part of me feared this reality, and it’s why I didn’t push harder for answers.Fuck.Why would she tell me this? She has no idea what’s she’s done. The impossible position it puts me in.
Think, Ciprian, think.What are our options? There’s no immediate answer, and Celine’s lips return to mine before I can make sense of my scattered thoughts.
“Anyone else?” I ask. I’m worried her answer will be yes, but I need to know the full extent of what we’re dealing with. “I’m feeling violent.”
“Thanks, but I can take care of myself.” Celine nibbles on my ear lobe. “I do have one request, though... don’t ever call me hot wings again.”
Groaning, I force myself to calm down and play my part. I pullback with an overdramatized mask of horror on my face. “Anything but that!”
Celine’s lips twitch, then she throws her head back and giggles. The sound echoes off the bathroom walls. “I don’t know how you always make me laugh,” she gasps, holding her sides.
Gods, she’s stunning.This afternoon I told her she was everything in between. I meant it then and I mean it now. I’ve never met anyone like her.
“You should laugh more often,” I say, winking to make the comment seem lighter than it is, then rocking my hips suggestively.
Someone knocks on the door. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on in there, but I’ve got to piss. Any chance you two could relocate?” Luca’s voice is strained. He’s pretending to be calm.
Celine and I lock eyes, and I notice hers are back to the sharp, focused brown I’m used to. She stands and pulls me to my feet. My dizziness is gone, thank the gods, but the memory of what brought me here in the first place weighs heavily on me.
Guilt joins the party. How could I have a moment with Celine while Sheena is in trouble?Don’t be an idiot.It’s Sheena’s voice I hear in my head, and I smile. She would be furious if she knew I had a chance to kiss Celine but didn’t because of her. As soon as I can, I’ll tell her all about it. I won’t give up hope.
“She’ll make it through this. Your friend,” Celine says, squeezing my hand and reminding me that she isn’t the only one who spilled her guts on the bathroom floor. “Women are resilient; we have to be. And she’s lucky to have a friend like you.”
I squeeze back and smile. “I think I’m the lucky one.”
As long as Celine keeps looking at me this way, it will be true.
THIRTY-SIX
Unspoken rule of the Fringes #56:
Listen to your gut.
ALISTAIR
A splinter of shadowed intuition digs into my mind, firmly embedding itself beyond my reach. Sleep evades me, no matter how much tossing and turning I do. My pillow is too warm, the bed too soft. I peel the covers off my right side and stick my leg out.
Now I’m cool... yet I remain vividly awake. It’s maddening.
I use my tongue to count my teeth—thirty-two of them—as I already bloody knew there would be. I count the ceiling tiles next. There are twenty-eight.Incredible information gathering, Ali. Exemplary.
