Kole
I know I’m walking on dangerous ground, but I swear I can’t stop myself. This invisible force drawing me to her is too strong, and my will is too weak. It’s impossible to resist her when she’s looking like a delicious snack I want to devour.
In this moment, she’s mine. It doesn’t matter that it’s just an illusion. I’ll take whatever I can get from this girl while I can, because when we get back to Headquarters, I’ll be forced to watch Thane and her grow closer. I can already tell their relationship is changing. She’s slowly getting to see the Thane that I know, and as much as I hate to admit it, once you know the real him, he’s hard not to love.
How long until she finally gives in to the bond’s lust? That is, if she hasn’t already. I mean, I saw what happened on Halloween. Fuck, I’m still having nightmares about it. The truth is, it’s only a matter of time before she forgets all about what he’s done to her. Thane has that dangerous kind of charm that makes you overlook all of his flaws. That, plus his looks, and the bond of the mark… yeah, I don’t stand a chance.
Chapter 42
The concept of time seems to drift as the music somehow quiets. It feels like we’re the only two people left while everything and everyone else falls away. Looking up at Kole, it’s hard to believe that he’s a different species, but maybe the reason I don’t see a deadly vampire when I look at him is because I’ve always believed that we’re souls, and our bodies are just vessels. Instead, when I look at him, I see a man whose strength comes from his resilience. Whose heart is as pure as they come. And who possesses more humanity than most of the humans who used to walk the earth.
He's good. The kind of good I’ve never had in my life. The kind that chases away the darkness and replaces it with light.
Suddenly, Sienna yanks my arm, dragging me away to the bathrooms as the rest of the world comes back into focus. It’s like Kole and I had been caught in a moment where time didn’t exist. I’m not sure how long we’d been dancing, but judging by the heavily intoxicated girls now bumping into me, it must’ve been for quite a while.
“I knew there was no way your friend zone plan was going to hold up once the tequila hit,” Sienna teases, throwing her head back with laughter.
“Ugh! Why does he have to be so hot with those damn irresistible dimples?” I slouch against the wall as we take our place in line.
“Those damn dimples,” she agrees, shaking her head.
“Well now that we’ve established my plan is royally fucked, who’s the man meat you’ve been dancing with?”
Her cheeks immediately blush beneath her tan skin. “His name is Rowan, and he doesn’t have one single thing going on in that pretty little head of his, but he’s nice to look at.” I choke on my laugh, breaking out into a coughing fit as the line starts to move. “He asked me to stay with him tonight, but I said we’re having a girl’s night!”
“What? No, you should go!” I insist. “One of us should be allowed to get laid tonight, and we both know it won’t be me.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
“Yes! I’ll probably just pass out when I get back to the apartment anyway. Besides, this’ll give you a chance to forget all about a certain vampire guard you ran into earlier.”
Sienna can keep telling herself that nothing happened between her and Kieran, but after seeing them interact today, I’m certain there’s still unfinished business there.
“Okay, fine,” she agrees with a look that tells me she really does need the distraction.
If anyone can understand what it’s like to have unwanted feelings for someone, it’s me.
On our way back from the bathroom, we stop at the bar to grab our things. Rowan and Kole must’ve spotted us, because they’re already waiting by the door when we turn around.
“Sienna’s going to go home with him,” I tell Kole, handing him my purse so that I can put on my jacket. “Do you have a key to the penthouse so she can have mine?” I ask, not knowing if the one he gave me was an extra copy.
“Yeah, of course.” He holds my purse open while I dig out the key and hand it to Sienna.
Rowan makes a move to follow Sienna and me out of the club, but Kole throws his palm into Rowan’s chest to stop him. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but judging by the wary look on Rowan’s face, it’s probably something along the lines of, “Hurt her and I’ll kill you.” Sienna doesn’t seem to notice, but when I catch Kole’s eye, there’s a cocky grin forming on his lips, confirming my suspicions.
I hug Sienna bye, and she promises me she’ll be back first thing in the morning.
“What exactly did you tell him back there?” I ask, while Kole and I wait for the valet to bring the SUV around.
“I just told him that if he did anything Sienna didn’t like, I’d cut off his dick and shove it so far up his asshole it would take surgery to remove it.”
“Jesus, Kole! What the hell?”
He looks down at me and shrugs. “It needed to be said.”
“The poor guy probably won’t even be able to get it up now.”
Kole scoffs and opens the passenger side door for me. “Did you see her in that dress? I don’t think he’ll have any problems with that.”
