“I’m not going to lie, I am completely fucking scared right now,” Ezra whispered. He stepped closer to me.
I saw Thea’s eyes flicker around the woods outside. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. She was here, and I could feel her eyes on me.
“I think she is just spying,” Thea said. “Cassius, kiss me. Everyone, act normal.”
Cassius pulled Thea to him and gave her a lingering kiss. I grabbed Ezra’s shoulder, our backs still toward the window.
“Don’t be scared, Ezra. Thea is right. If she were here to hurt us, she would have attacked us already. She is watching us for some reason. I can feel her eyes on me.”
There was a tugging on our mating bond, but I didn’t turn around because I had a feeling that she would be pissed if she knew that we sensed her.
“For fuck’s sake, I did not make a friend just for her to fucking kill me days later,” Ezra mumbled.
“She won’t kill us,” I said confidently. My thoughts cut off when I felt a surge of desire through our bonding tattoos. Fuck, that had not happened before. My fingers dug into Ezra’s shoulder.
“What is wrong?” Ezra asked.
“She is sending…feelings…through our mating bond.”
Gods above, I was going to chase her down if she didn’t stop it. I let go of Ezra’s shoulder and tried to focus on anything but the powerful emotions she was forcing through our bond. Quickly, I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the counter and gripped it so tightly my fingers ached. Storm, you are going to fucking kill me.
“Maybe I should go out there.” I could not block the feelings from her. My chest was heaving as her desire pumped through me.
“No, what if she is trying to get you to come out there so she can murder you?” Ezra’s point was logical, but I did not fucking care. She could murder me at this point. As long as she put her hands on me and eased this carnal longing and desire that was slamming into me violently.
Without warning, the feelings ceased immediately, and I turned back toward the windows to see if she left. But I jumped back, startled when I saw that she was right next to the window, her head tilted to the side. Her hair was soaking wet. Her red eyes stared directly at me, and they were still vacant of emotion or recognition.
“Storm,” I whispered.
Then she looked me straight in my eyes and smiled. Something about the gesture seemed as if she were marking me—claiming me in a way I didn’t understand.
She pointed at me, and I could feel the tugging on our mating bond. Everyone was watching us without saying a word. Then she pointed and tapped her right arm before pointing back at me. I lifted my arm and rolled up my sleeve to show her my bond she gave me. Her eyes traced over it slowly before looking at me; something flickered in her eyes.
I nearly fell to my knees when she sent waves of desire through the bond again. My eyes did not leave hers as she watched me closely, studying me as if I were the most fascinating thing she had ever seen.
“Fuck.” I groaned. I couldn’t take it. Before any of them could stop me, I hurried out of the door. “Storm!” I yelled for her.
“No need to shout,” she purred.
She flicked her wrist, slamming the door to the house shut and blocking it so Thea, Cassius, and Ezra could not come to me.
“Storm.”
“Haden.”
I let out a shaky breath as she lifted her hand up. Her fingers traced down my face slowly, appreciating the feel of me. My eyes gazed into hers, and there was a small glint of something in them that made me feel better.
“Please don’t leave again.”
Della smiled as she gripped the back of my neck, yanking me down to her mouth. I hummed as her mouth dominated mine. She yanked me flush against her and shoved her tongue into my mouth. Her hands dragged through my hair as my hands gripped her hips, tugging her to me harder.
I didn’t feel it at first. The sharp, stinging pain that started in my stomach and radiated through me. Pulling away from Della, I looked down to see a small knife sticking out of me. I glanced at Della, and she smiled.
“That was too easy.”
I pulled the knife from my stomach and stared at her. Blood began pouring out of the wound. Shit, the pain was becoming worse. I stepped forward and grabbed her by the back of the neck, yanking her to me. I held the knife to her throat as my eyes bounced between hers.
“Go ahead.” She smiled.
