Sighing, Luca kisses my neck. “Do you think this works because we’re all a little broken?”
I tilt my head to give him more room, and goosebumps spread along my skin. “I think everyone is a little broken,” I admit. “Our pieces just fit.”
Luca grinds against me, and a bolt of pleasure shoots up my spine. “I like the way our pieces fit,” he growls.
It’s a good line, but I can’t tell him that. I’m the best flirt, and everyone knows it.
Working my hand inside his pants, I swallow his groan as I circle his piercing with my thumb. “I don’t fuck outside,” I whisper, latching onto his earlobe with my teeth and biting down. “I’m too rich and spoiled for that.”
“Then let’s go inside, brat.” His chuckle makes me shudder.
I drag him back to the compound, and for once, my insecurities are silent. I shoot the crescent moon a wink, hoping she enjoyed the show.
THIRTY-ONE
Unspoken Rule of the Fringes #26:
Make your own rules.
CELINE
Tires whir against the pavement, and I drum my fingers against the steering wheel. Mentally, I’m back in the arena, putting my life on the line to save theirs.
The mood in the car is bad, but I can’t worry about that.
This is about Malach—my Malach.He’s hurting on my behalf, attempting something I’ve never had the strength to do. He deserves my focus.
“I’m recognizable in my echelon. There won’t be much stealth involved,” I say.
I wait for Riven to respond, but all I get is silence.
The leather of the steering wheel groans in my grip. Awkwardness, I can handle, but tension could get us killed. “You’re mad at me,” I acknowledge. “Will it get in the way of us working together?”
“It will not.” His voice is colder than the ice pellets in themonster realm. It scrapes against my skin and makes my hair stand on end.Focus, Celine, focus.
“With any luck, my father won’t be home,” I say. “The estate is magically constructed around mythatshabloodline. He can’t lock me out because everything there is connected to my radiant heritage.”
“He’s manipulated the magic before, no?”
I swallow my annoyance and remind myself that he’s not questioning me to pick a fight. He’s not from the celestial realm. This is information he needs to know.
“The realm runs on a combination of magic and technology,” I explain. “The tier of engineers,nish orik,are incredibly skilled. They merge machinery with magic to create tools—gateways, for example. Theoretically, anything built can be broken or altered, but there are other forms of celestial magic that are less malleable, like radiant words or power derived from a family line. An ancestral home built around bloodline magic can’t be messed with; at least I’ve never heard of it happening.”
Riven glances at me. “But if it’s your blood that unlocks the gateways and the estate, why wouldn’t your father be able to manipulate both?”
I frown.Why couldn’t he have taken my word for it?I’m positive I’ll be able to enter the estate, but I’d rather not explain why. The silence between us grows until I can’t stand it any longer.Malach. This is for Malach.
“The estate is from my mother’s line,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “Father only has access because of their marriage. He holds the key to a door that will never be his.”
The vault in my head rattles—the veins pulsing, red and angry, as the door threatens to burst open and spill all my memories.
Riven doesn’t respond. His silence is the final straw.
“You think she was weak, don’t you?” I snap, unable to helpmyself. “Because she married him and let him take everything from her, you think she was weak. Her health. Her power. Her independence. Even her voice.”
Especially her voice.I swallow and tell myself to shut up, but now that I’ve started, I can’t make myself stop. “By the end, she’d stopped fighting him at all, Riven. And it happened in her own home while her kid watched. Day in, day out, do you get that? She could have left or kicked him out at any time, but she didn’t. You think she was weak.”
This time, Riven looks at me, the faint glow from the dashboard turning the angles of his face a deeper shade of amber than usual. “It doesn’t matter what I think,” he says softly. “The only opinion about your mother that matters is yours.”
