A silent reprimand.
I succumbed to his disapproval by exposing my throat, trusting him as he hummed in contentment. His tongue mapped out the contour of my earlobe, the slow exploration so torturous I couldn’t help but sigh.
“I’m aware of your cravings,” he said with a whiff of peril so heavenly I wanted to float in it. “What I want is yourdesires. Things hidden in your closet, thoughts occupying the deepest crevices of your mind, the darkest dreams of your nights.” His mouth trailed lower, increment by increment. “I want it all, Zion. I want all ofyou.” As he sunk his teeth into my neck, a hoarse groan fluttered out of my throat at the ache so dull yet mighty to make me question the situation.
Was this real?
Or just a figment of my rampant imagination?
I’d played numerous games with Gedeon over the years, ceaselessly, sowing a graveyard of failed matches, a labyrinth of concealed emotions, a loop of smothered wishes, not a gap for them to escape into reality.
But had I finally won? Had he finally given in?
“Stop thinking.” Running his fingers through my hair, he used the strands as leverage to coax me to meet his eyes, demanding and strict, full of memories as murky and obscure as the ink spiraling around his forearm, the story behind it unknown to most.
I’d stood next to him the day he’d gotten it and sat down in the chair after him. I was the one who’d told him about the birds, about how my sister had said they were the symbol of new beginnings, of breaking points and rebirth, of freedom and choice.
Scratching my nape, he pressed, “Tell me what you need.”
“Will you take my blood?” I blurted out. I’d already done so with Kali, and I wanted the same with him. The exchange of your blood with someone else meant gifting them the reins to your life. You became theirs to keep, to protect, to value, and they—yours.
Willingly offering the life essence flowing in your veins was the greatest sacrifice one could make.
Gedeon didn’t inquire why I’d asked for this, didn’t resist, didn’t scoff. He simply…collided with me.
His lips skimmed my own, but only for a moment. Latching onto my bottom one, he sucked on the minuscule wound. The tissue grew numb, but my pulse beat in tandem with his tugs.
Then clarity hit me. Half of the world clicked into place as the tornado wracking my brain evaporated. The calmness was such an unfamiliar sensation I crashed into him, devouring his mouth, razing it?—
Someone cleared their throat.
Sighed dramatically.
Then two ginger braids flashed in my peripherals.
Shit.
“You’re so into each other; it’s borderline disgusting,” Jayla remarked as she pulled her pink sweater sleeves to her knuckles.“Where did all the tension go? The fight? I liked it more whenyou,” she pointed at me, “were pining for Gedeon while he stayed oblivious. Those were fun times.”
Hovering at Jayla’s side, Kali covered her mouth, her mirth evident despite her efforts to conceal it. She was the embodiment of a bird in a human body, her feathers strong enough for her to soar the skies and her smile a song of beauty.
Which also begged the question of whether smiles were edible. I’d never attempted to remove them before, but my playthings had never smiled in my underground either. What if I drew them on their faces? If I started the incisions at their lip corners and curved up, I could grace them with a perpetual grin of scarlet.
Yet, somehow, I doubted the flavor of my living dolls would be satisfactory. Most likely, the bitterness or sourness residing in their cells would ruin my meal.
Perhaps Gedeon could give me a tip on how to counteract this. He’d once plucked the eyes out of Ilasall’s guard because the fool had leered at Kali. And it was said eyes were a window to your soul—essentially an equivalent to a person’s smile.
Shuffling to my side, Gedeon fixed Jayla with a death glare. “I was never oblivious.”
“Whatever you say.” She plopped down on the bench outside the training ring, right beside Ava, and wiggled closer until their knees touched. “Ignorant, then.”
Kali snorted. “I think you wanted to say an idiot.” Maneuvering around Eli and Eislyn sitting on a large, tattered towel, she collapsed on the gravel near Amari, Tarri, and Sadira. “Or a pain in the ass. And a thief.”
I pouted. Gedeon hadn’t abducted her by himself. I’d played a major part in it too.
Encouraged by his glower, Ava added, “Don’t forget arrogant.”
Ooh, she was right. Except Gedeon’s authority had an addictive aftertaste. “But that’s delectable. I once licked his t-shirt after he’d thrown in the laundry hamper. It wasso good.”
