“What?” Charlie asked breathlessly, her cheeks growing hot. She’d only just met the human that day. She glanced in Liam’s direction. He was scowling, like always. His face hadn’t cracked a smile since his arrival.
“Kiss him.” Sabine gestured toward Liam. “Oh, come now, it’s just a kiss. I’m sure your wings won’t get in the way.”
Another uproar of laughter. She turned apologetic eyes on Liam, who looked like he wanted to kill Sabine.
“Do you mind?” she asked softly. “I won’t do it without your permission.” When he shifted his gaze to her, she thought his expression held the slightest hint of excitement. The emotion was subtle though. Subtle enough she might be reading into it what she wanted to see.
“I don’t mind.” His answer was immediate although curt. His voice softened as he added, “Do your worst.”
Slowly she took his face between her hands and stared into his eyes. Rarely could Charlie feel the electricity in her blood that came with being celestial, but she could now. It was like Liam’s gaze was a velvet hook, entering her and tugging at something low and deep within her. The intensity of the feeling made every other interaction she’d ever had with the opposite sex seem like a shadow of a true emotion. Her gaze dropped to his lips.
“It’s okay with me, Charlotte,” Liam said softly. “But you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I’ll back you up if you refuse.”
“I want to.” Their eyes met and held. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his.
The kiss was friendly. Soft heat brushed her closed mouth. He kissed her the same way she might kiss her mother on the cheek. But it didn’t stay that way. His large hand settled on the side of her head, and suddenly everything became far more complex. His lips danced with hers, fitting between her own with tiny nibbles and gentle suction. The roughness of his short beard was a delicious counter to his soft lips. And when his tongue grazed hers, lightning shot straight to her core.
By the time she realized where she was and drew away from him, her breath was coming in shaky pants. Slowly the world came back into focus and the cheers and whoops of the vampires filled her ears. Her cheeks turned hot and she looked away, breaking the connection between them. Liam’s hand slipped slowly from her hair.
“I am satisfied,” Elsa said.
The circle had made it around to Metluk, who stared down his nose at Liam like a master chastising an unruly dog. “Your turn. What do you choose, human?”
Chapter
Eight
All the blood had rushed from Liam’s head and straight to his dick. Damn, he couldn’t remember wanting anyone like he wanted Charlotte at that moment. Definitely not Victoria or any of his previous girlfriends. He wrestled his libido back under his control and turned back to the game.
“What do you choose, human?” the one who’d burned his own hand asked. Well, he didn’t plan to invite that type of thing.
“Ruse,” he said.
Metluk drummed his fingers on his thigh, his gaze darting between Cassius, Charlotte, and him. Liam braced himself for something twisted. These vamps seemed to feed off humiliation and degradation.
“What event in your life are you the most ashamed of?”
Fucker. Liam narrowed his eyes on the asshole. Could he lie? After all, no one knew him here.
“Whatever you do, tell the truth,” Charlotte whispered in his ear, her warm breath distracting him from the question. “They can smell a lie. Literally.”
When she pulled away again, he rubbed his jaw and then rested his elbows on his knees. He knew the answer to this question, but he hated this story, and it was more personal than he’d have shared with Charlie if he’d had a choice. Still, if these vampires could in fact smell a lie, he’d rather tell the truth than face a risk challenge. He thought for a minute how to tell the story in a way this group would understand.
“The fire grows low,” Cassius said with annoyance.
Liam cut a dagger-filled gaze in his direction, then began. “Some years ago, I was an Army Ranger assigned to a special operation in a war-torn area of my world.”
“Is an Army Ranger a type of soldier?” Charlie asked.
He nodded. “Yes. An elite soldier.”
She nodded for him to continue.
“Our mission was to destroy a warehouse that contained a chemical that we believed was being used to manufacture a deadly neurotoxin that would be used against our soldiers. I was the scientist on the team, specially trained in biochemistry. Everything was going as planned until we arrived at the warehouse. One of our regiment planted explosives around the outside of the facility while I broke into the building and made sure there was nothing in there that would kill us if it went up in flames. On my way out, I noticed two teenagers playing soccer in a nearby field, far enough away they wouldn’t be harmed by the blast but close enough that they’d feel it. It struck me as odd. We were under the cover of darkness in the middle of the night. What were they doing up? But I thought of them as kids, so I didn’t trust my gut and returned to my group without reporting them.
“My partner was supposed to detonate the explosives on my okay. But before he could press the plunger, a soccer ball hit him in the stomach. It exploded, killing him instantly. Another member of my squadron shot the assailant, and I was able make it to the detonator and complete our mission. But my buddy was dead.” He glanced around the fire, finding Charlotte riveted by his story, or maybe she was put off by it. He stared at her as he wrapped it up. “My biggest regret is not trusting my instincts and taking those two teens out when I had the chance.”
Charlotte’s lids fluttered, an unreadable expression on her face. Great. There went any hope of getting closer to her. She probably thought he was a child killer. He inwardly groaned. Why had that bastard made him reveal his most sensitive memory?
