“By Shadow… Are you referring to this thing?” He walked to the darkened part of the room and swiped his hand. He strode back to me, holding a shadowy form by the throat.
Panic zinged through me, and doubt filled me. Maybe I was wrong. The thought lasted only a second. Luke was so determined to fill me with hate.
“Is that how you visited me all these years?” I asked. “You can separate yourself.”
His jaw ticked. He hadn’t expected me to remain so calm. “Do you care for this thing?”
“You already know that answer.”
“I know that he’s been by your side too much.” Luke squeezed his fist, and Shadow burst into hundreds of tiny shadows before dissolving completely.
“Why do you do that?” I could feel my calmness washing away. He was stripping everything from me until all that remained was anger.
“He’s not coming back,” Luke muttered.
“He never went anywhere. I’m looking right at him, and he’s a real piece of work.”
“Enough.”
“Yeah, enough!” I shoved at his chest. “Stop lying to me and to your fucking self.”
“Kara.” His voice was low, but dangerous.
“I saw the shadow slip right into you before I passed out,” I continued.
“Kara.”
“You love that name, don’t you?” I couldn’t stop myself from misbehaving. I wanted to be bad like him. “So, what was it? You couldn’t kill me as a child, so you started stalking me as a shadow instead? Let me guess. You were trying to get rid of me, and somewhere along the way, you started to care. I don’tknow the why or when, but you’ve been protecting me this whole time.”
“Protect you?” He didn’t scoff. Or try to deny it. Just said it in a way that gave nothing away.
“Yeah. You protect me. You hug me so desperately every time I’m hurt, like you’re scared,” I said smugly.
His eyes brightened as he loomed over me. “Is that what you think?”
“I know you, Luke. You’re going to say anything to downplay what I’m saying. What I don’t know is why. Why won’t you give me anything real? If you care like I think you do, why do you try to make it seem like you don’t?”
“You think I care? I can’t even stand the sight of you.”
“Which probably means that you do like looking at me, right, mate?”
The scenery changed so quickly. Before I could blink, Luke pushed me against a brick wall. His hands were gripping my hips as he wedged a knee between my legs. Ecstasy unfurled through me, welcoming his touch, no matter how wicked or rough.
“You think you know everything, Kitten, when you don’t have a clue.” His breath felt like a caress as he spoke near my ear. He inhaled sharply. “But I’ll tell you this. I desperately want to smell you again.”
I moaned as he dragged his mouth down my neck, leaving goose bumps. I pulled him in and nearly came undone when he shoved his fingers down my pants and speared me with his index. “Fuck. I can’t even feel if you’re wet.” He leaned back a second and studied my reaction. It was like he was worried about hurting me with the intrusion. Almost like the fucker cared.
“I’m so wet,” I mumbled as I squeezed his arm, trying to get him to touch me more. “You didn’t hurt me.”
“Fuck,” he said again as he pushed another finger in me.
“See? You sheath your claws like a good, protective monster, so you don’t harm me.”
“Kara…” He groaned and covered my mouth with his giant palm. “How about you be the good one and take the punishment?”
I most certainly would. His punishments were so terrifying that my legs quaked. The world truly was ending. Every second in his arm, I forgot how to care.
Need scorched me. I humped his arm as he thrust his fingers into me.
