Waiting until his gut had stopped doing somersaults, he made his way back to where Rae waited. The noxious magic was still there, just beneath his fingertips. It polluted his very essence, constantly fighting against him.
She was exactly where he’d left her, fast asleep on her side with her fiery hair wild across the pillow. She was gloriously naked, just a thin sheet covering her hips. He paused by the side, her face relaxed, content.
He shouldn’t have reacted so violently with Gerald, not when he was always cold, calm. Able to close off his emotions until he felt nothing. It made him perfect at his job, able to detach himself from any situation. Even after he’d recovered from the Rite, he was still able to recall his arcane, even if it was more powerful than he’d ever held. And even though his earlier rage had been biting, he shouldn’t have lost the grip on his magic again.
But he had lost it, and in that split second the black magic forced itself through his chi, pushing past his mental barriers with an ease that terrified him. He hadn’t called his power, and yet he’d lost control.
He didn’t lose control.
Except when it came to her.
Rae was his weakness, and as he slipped between the sheets, her body warm as she pressed against him with a gentle exhale, he found he didn’t care as much as he should.
Chapter25
Rae
Rae twisted her hands in her lap, feet resting on the bench as she perched on the back. “How much longer?” she asked, probably for the second or third time.
“They’re still on their way,” Titus said, scanning the area.
Rae nodded, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth, fiddling with her pendant. She knew they couldn’t go to where Miles was staying, not being able to risk the safehouse until they were one hundred per cent sure it was safe. But she couldn’t control the biting nerves, unable to calm herself until she’d given Miles every penny she had.
Titus didn’t understand that she couldn’t simply choose her family, not when Miles was her blood, her brother, and if he left, she’d be alone. It’d been just them since even before their parents died, forced to look out for each other. Whether it was simply a warning for when their father was on his way home, or having to take care of their mum when she was having one of her episodes. It was always the two of them against everything else.
Their relationship had been struggling since she’d moved into the guild, a growing bitterness between them that she couldn’t seem to fix. But that didn’t mean she didn’t love him.
Her mother’s necklace cut into her palm, but she still held it tight, like it was a lifeline. The wind wrapped around her bare legs, leaving goosebumps in its wake. It wasn’t like she had a chance to pack spare clothes, and she didn’t want to ruin the dress before the gala. At least Titus had given her one of his t-shirts, the look close to obscene considering it almost hid her skirt. The fabric was warmer, but not enough against the cold.
Moving the bag closer beside her, she watched Titus constantly searching the area, always alert and on watch. She’d slept like the dead, waking to find herself draped against him. She wasn’t sure what had happened last night, something changing between them.
His head turned, eyes meeting hers. He didn’t move, but the tension grew strong, hot to the point she no longer felt the cold. Something had definitely changed, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it or not.
“Get the fuck off me!”
Rae jumped up at her brother’s voice, grabbing the bag just as he appeared.
“I said get the fuck off me!” Miles snarled, his arm held by a man who looked like he belonged on a high fashion magazine cover. Except his lips were pinched, expression frustrated.
He released his grip, and Miles stumbled before regaining his balance.
“You fucking –”
“Miles!” Rae ran the short distance, wrapping her arms around his middle. “You okay? Are you hurt?”
His arms tightened around her for the shortest time before he shoved, creating a cushion of air between them.
“What’s the –?”
A sharp sting across her cheek. Her fingers hovered over where he’d slapped her, not the first time he’d resorted to violence. But the first in front of Titus.
Miles cried out, pinned to his knees with a gun pressed to his head. He looked at her expectantly, his tone on the edge of desperation. “Rae, stop him!”
The slap had been audible, but unlikely to leave a long-term mark. “Let him go,” she said, meeting the unflinching gaze of Titus. “Please.”
He released her brother, and Miles launched to his feet. “What the actual fuck?” he hissed. “Why did you get your barbarians to kidnap me?”
“I never –”
