A small trace of a smile cracks through the tension on his face, quick and subtle, but real. Relief ripples through me that the weight of the moment seems to break, even if it’s only by a sliver.
He exhales before shifting uncomfortably where he sits and dropping his grip on my arm. “So what I just did…” His gaze flickers toward me, then down to his dick. “That was all my own doing?”
Heat licks back through me, my body loving the reminder, and I can’t resist the smirk that curls at my lips as I start to crawl past him toward Callum. “Don’t worry,” I say over my shoulder, voice low and mocking, “I’ll only tell your family you get raging hard-ons for me if you piss me off. So, be on your best behavior.”
A soft chuckle escapes him, rough but warmer than I expect. I don’t want to admit it, but it feels like a fragile, uneasy truce is beginning to take shape.
CHAPTER 21
DANTE
Consciousness drags me back slowly, like my mind is swimming through tar. Every heartbeat hammers behind my eyes, each pulse threatening to split my skull apart. The ache radiates through bone and marrow, as if I’ve been ground down to pieces. Damp earth presses against my spine, seeping through cotton, the wet, cold fabric clinging to my skin.
Where the hell am I?
I blink the moonlight into focus and turn my head too fast. Pain lances through my head, the sky wobbling as if I’m looking at it from underwater. I focus on deep breaths and letting my eyes adjust to the view at my side. Shapes settle and I recognize Callum sprawled next to me, with Briar kneeling beside him, her wrist pressed to his mouth.
The sight should revolt me, but my brain can’t even wrap around what I’m seeing.
Where are we and what happened?
All I can do is stare as I wait for the fragments to come back to me.
Elias sits a little to the left of her–too close to not be purposeful, but not close enough to touch. His shoulders square the way mine do when I brace for impact as his eyes fixate onthe side of her face. When Briar shifts slightly, soothing Callum with her free hand at his shoulder as he whimpers, Elias’s breath catches so softly I’d miss it if the night weren’t this quiet. There’s something new strung between them…a tension I don’t quite have a name for. Maybe it’s just a concussion whispering made-up scenarios into my mind
I swallow against the metallic tang in my mouth and shut my eyes for a beat as the world wobbles. When I open them again, I’m instantly fixated on the stubborn set of her jaw and soft crinkle at the edge of her eyes.
Elias clears his throat and I realize neither of them have noticed I’m conscious as I take in this weird, new dynamic. His tone is oddly conversational as he offers up, “I’m…surprised to see you so in control with all this blood around.”
Briar doesn’t look at him at first. She keeps her wrist steady and lets Callum’s throat bob with a swallow twice before turning her head. The look she gives Elias could strip paint with the bitterness reflecting in her eyes. It’s clearly a look ofare you fucking dumbwithout wasting the breath to say it aloud, even to my dazed mind.
When she speaks, her tone is cooler than the night air. “Contrary to your family’s belief, I’m not an animal.”
A soft exhale slips from me at the sharp defense in her tone. While I don’t blame her one bit for it, we’ve all been raised to despise the supernatural world–vampires especially–and I’d be a liar if I said it’s not engrained in us. Clearly there’s something about Briar that has us all doubting these preconceived notions, but old habits and ways of thinking die hard.
The wind stirs the grass around us, the blades whispering against each other gently in a cacophony amongst the creaking branches swaying in the nearby trees. I watch Callum swallow again, mouth melded to her wrist, like her blood is a delicacy he can’t get enough of.
The thought makes my stomach churn as I glance back toward Elias. His mouth opens like he wishes he could claw the words back, shoulders stiffening as soon as she glances away from him.
“That’s not what I meant. I–” He stops speaking, jaw flexing.
Briar doesn’t let him fumble through it, quickly firing back, “That is what you meant.” She shifts her wrist back to glance at something before pressing it firmly against Callum’s mouth once more. “But it’s fine. If I let other people’s opinions about me bother me, I’d never have survived the academy.”
The words snag my focus, realizing she’s sharing some small tidbit about her personal life back home.
My skull feels split, my stomach churning with every breath, but I can’t tear my gaze from the two of them. Despite the bickering, the energy between them is different. Not the sharp disdain I’ve come to expect.
The thought rattles through my mind until it spills out. My throat is raw, like sandpaper scrapes against it as I rasp, “You two squabble like a married couple.”
Elias jerks toward me, dark blue eyes wide like I’ve caught him in the act of something shameful. Briar’s gaze drifts to me, the stubborn line of her jaw faltering for the briefest beat with her attention off of him, before she blinks rapidly and drops her eyes to Callum.
The sight of them flustered and caught off guard disorients me in a whole different way from the pain radiating through me.
Before either can answer me, Callum lurches upright with a groan. The movement jolts Briar as his hand clamps around her wrist, dragging it hard against his mouth.
The sound that rips from him makes my stomach twist. It’s a low, guttural moan as he drinks greedily. Another broken sound spills out, and for a dazed second, I can’t tell if I’m watching healing for the sake of survival, or something else entirely.
“What the fuck?” I rasp.
