“See?” Ezra’s voice pulls me back. “I told you, Aurora. You’re different. You’re a queen, a goddess …everything.”
Slowly, I reach a hand to my head and run my fingers along the smooth, metallic antlers. They’re cold, despite the hellfire surrounding us, and the copper gleams in the dimming light.
The scent of sweet briar tickles my nose when I move my hand to my throat to trace the tattoo that twists up the sides of my neck and ends just under my ears and chin.
Finally, I bring the pad of my thumb to one of my fangs and accidentally nick my skin.
In a strange sort of way, I understand why Ezra likes them so much.
Finally, I reach for my phone, unlock it, and pull up my photo gallery.
Ezra wasn’t kidding. The tattoo is massive and so beautifully detailed it causes something deep in my chest to ache.
Even Emme’s mood shifts to something softer while I gaze at the little screen.
“Absolutely stunning,” Ezra purrs, planting a soft kiss on my cheek.
I watch in the mirror as my magical form disappears. When the hellfire fades, something colder settles in its place.
The shadows start to retreat. Some slither into the dark, while others hesitate, dragging along my skin, reluctant to let go.
Ezra’s seen me as a goddess.
Now I’m just … me.
He won’t want the human version.
Not now.
I should know better than to worry my bottom lip because Ezra notices right away. He pulls me back to his chest while I hook one of my legs around his.
“Aurora, I can practically hear the electricity in your brain humming. Please tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Well … it’s just … that magical version of me is so beautiful. I’m afraid plain old Aurora won’t be enough for you anymore.”
Ezra lifts his hand, but before his fingers graze my chin, a shadow beats him to it, hooking under my jaw and tilting my face toward him.
When his lips meet mine, my flesh breaks out in goosebumps.
The room is so dark I can barely see him, but it’s clear what I said upset him.
“Little lupine,” Ezra murmurs softly, brushing my cheek with his thumb. “Please don’t ever doubt what you mean to me. Your magic? Your lineage? They’re beautiful, yes, but nothing compared to the fierce, brilliant woman who stole my heart long before she became a goddess. I fell for your human heart first, Aurora. That’s the part of you I cherish most.”
Well, shit.
That’s …dangerouslysweet.
The kind of sweet that could trick a bitch into believing in forever.
And the worst part?
It’s working.
My stomach does this stupid little flip, and I immediately want to punch myself in the face.
I’m not built for this kind of sincerity. I run on caffeine, books that make me want to hug themandthrow them across the room, and the kind of music that either goes way too hard or sounds like it was recorded in the bottom of a well.
But maybe just this once, I’ll let myself have it. And maybe I’ll also let him bend me over while he whispers filthy sweet nothings in my ear. Whatever. Not the point.
