We’re on a fun hunt for an artifact. That soundslike a quirky enough adventure for the day, but the reality is, there’s more to this than simply finding the artifact. What comes next, I don’t think I’m ready for.
My throat dries as I take a tentative step toward it, and my eyes widen when I notice the Emberlock sitting beside it. They are the only two artifacts I'm familiar with, both of which I've had the opportunity to use under Professor Grimm's supervision. Now, they both sit perched on the top shelf, as if they don’t have the capacity to cause harm. My gut churns as I consider the rest of the items in here and what they have the potential to achieve.
With trembling fingers and a racing heart, I reach for the Veilstone, but before I have it in my grasp, the lights switch off, drenching the room in darkness. A gasp lodges in my throat as I feel the familiar brush of Kael’s body against mine.
His hands are on my waist, spinning me on the spot. We turn just as the display room door shuts, closing us in. My chest heaves, but I feel safe in his embrace, with my back pressed against his chest.
“What's going on?” I breathe, my gaze latched onto the slightly obscured view of Professor Grimm's office.
Kael clamps a hand over my mouth. “Someone's coming,” he whispers against the shell of my ear, and I shiver.
Footsteps vibrate in the distance, and a moment later, Professor Grimm himself stands in his office. My eyes widen in shock as panic threatens to consume me.
I don’t like tight spaces, and I’m not the biggest fan of the dark, but adding the fact that we might get caught on top of it leaves me ready to puke.
Instead of falling into a fit of sobs like my body wants me to, I focus on Grimm. He looks stressed, raking a hand through his hair as he plasters a cell phone to his ear. His eyebrows are furrowed, desperation rattling him, but I can't make out anything as his lips move and he gestures with his free hand.
“What's he saying?” I whisper against the palm of his hand, and Kael shakes his head.
“I can't hear,” he murmurs in response, and I tilt my face to cock a brow at him.
“I thought you had some stealthy vampire hearing?” I retort. His hand drops from my mouth, only to pinch my side with a snicker.
“I do. He must have a silencer cast over his office,” he explains. All I can give him is a blankstare. When his eyes drop to mine, he must sense the confusion. “It's a spell,” he adds, and I nod.
“Right,” I whisper, like it all makes sense.
It doesn’t.
I wonder if it ever will?
Pressing my lips together nervously, I return my attention to the professor in question, but my mind wanders to the vampire behind me.
I clear my throat, taking our privacy and somewhat awkward timing to broach the elephant in the room. “Kael,” I whisper, and he plants his chin on my shoulder, humming in acknowledgment. “Are you sure about this?”
“About what?”
“Trusting me to have control over your mind. After what you’ve been through, I don’t want to add to the trauma,” I breathe, and his hands flex at my waist.
“Elodie, I trust you with my life. I know you are nothing like my brother. You are nothing like anyone else I’ve ever met in my entire life. I know, with all that I am, that you’ll be gentle with me.”
Nerves threaten to get the better of me, and I instinctively lean back into Kael. He matches the move with one of his own, wrapping his arm around my middle as he pulls me tighter against hischest. His words linger in the air like a warm embrace between the two of us.
Nothing more needs to be said. Trust and loyalty, it doesn’t need words after that.
I shiver when I feel the length of him at my back as his breath rasps against my ear. “Remind me to thank Ocean for convincing you to wear this dress,” he murmurs, ghosting his fingers over my bare thigh. Another shiver bolts down my spine at the contact as I glance at the material in question.
It was the only black item I had that didn't need washing, or so she said, but deep down, I knew she was setting me up. There's nothing fancy about the dress; it’s a simple black ribbed material with the classic tank-top sleeves and a low neckline that shows the top of my cleavage.
The real reason I agreed is that it gives off badass vibes with my black chunky boots, and I am more than happy to play the villain in it, compared to the night when this all began and I wound up in some seedy room in a two-piece.
I shudder, quickly squashing the memory from my mind as I turn my attention to Kael, only to find his gaze fixed on the dipped neckline. If he feels my stare, he doesn’t acknowledge it. The skin on display has become the sole focus of his attention.
Hetrails his fingers across my skin and my hips flex back into him instinctively, despite the current situation.
“Kael,” I breathe in warning, but he ignores me as he presses a kiss to my cheek, and I don’t miss the feel of his grin spreading against my skin.
“Elodie,” he retorts.
