I thought he’d accepted me.
The moment he’d slipped between my legs and licked me into the best orgasm of my life...I thought we’d stepped onto a new path that only led to good things.
But...he was merely using me to calm the furnace in his blood and that made me so, so worried. I had suspicions of my own that were rapidly growing out of control the more he burned and smoked and did things that weren’thuman.
What if everything that was happening to himwasmy fault?
What if the fact my blood held the same odd enzyme that his did—the R gene if Marcus could be trusted—meant all of this had been preordained and—
“Well?” Lucien cut into my spiralling thoughts. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
I shivered and hugged myself, trying to figure out how to say what needed to be said, all while absolutely petrified he’d kill me.
“I...” I shook my head, my tongue refusing to work. Memories of him touching me, licking me, looking up at me from between my legs with such lust glowing in his pitch-black eyes...
Now, he looked at me as if he already hated me and ithurt.
It hurt that I hadn’t been cut out for the world of Snowflake Corp. It hurt that I hadn’t been strong enough for what truly went on behind those lab doors.
In a way, I’d been made forhisworld.
A world where I only found an anchor when I was with him.
Rubbing my aching heart, I opened my mouth again, but nothing came out.
“Whoareyou? Why can I suddenly feel your pain? Why am I becoming more and more aware of you the longer we spend time together? What exactly are you hiding—?”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
That scary scarlet ring appeared around his pupils. “You know...I thought you’d leap at the chance to finally talk. I stupidly believed you weren’t like the rest, but I’m beginning to think you might have fooled me the most.”
Shaking his head, he shrugged with agonising sadness. “I really, really don’t want to have to kill you, Rook, but if youweretasked to kill me. If everything up till now was planned and I fell right into your trap, then justtell me.”
“H-How can you even ask that? After everything that’s happened between us? After what we just did?”
He didn’t seem to hear me as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just spit it out. Tell me whatever it is that you’re hiding because with the burning pain I’m in, I’ll give you one shot. I’ll give you something I’ve never given anyone.” He dropped his hand as his eyes locked on mine. “I’ll give you a single chance to put me out of my misery because right now, I’m hurting and lost and—”
“God...you just had to pickthismoment, didn’t you?”
His eyes narrowed. “This is the only moment I have left. I’m taking you home. I’m bringing you into my inner world where I’m at my most vulnerable. I’m willingly keeping you by my side where you could choose any moment to drive a dagger into my back.”
“Ididdrive a dagger into you, remember?” I snapped, my temper finally waking up. “But into your chest—because youcommandedme to.”
“And now I’mcommandingyou to tell me what I want to know!”
“Do you really think this is the place to talk? We’re on a plane. In the sky. And you’re not exactly doing all that well. If you burn up again—”
“I’ll only burn up if you tell me something I don’t like.”
“Yes, well...that’s kind of inevitable at this point, isn’t it.”
He never took his eyes off me. “So thereissomething you’re keeping from me?”
“I’ve never lied to you. Not once.”
“Lying by omission is the same thing.”
“Look, I’m not saying I won’t tell you...just that being on board a highly flammable machine might not be the best place.” Glancing at the scorched blankets, I added softly, “You dragged me in here because you were ready to snap. You were steaming for goodness’ sake. Y-You...burned my underwear off. What if you lose control again and we fall out of the sky like a blazing asteroid?”
