racing up my spine.
I narrowed my gaze, staring at Ronan. I started to open my mouth and say … something. Anything. Maybe tell him to go to hell. I don’t know, but his attention shifted away from me as suddenly as it shifted to me. Whatever he’d been doing to me stopped.
His cronies tensed and looked over my shoulder.
I didn’t have to turn around to see what captured their attention. Every sense I possessed screamed that answer at me. Dace was out there somewhere, and he was coming closer.
Energy swirled and crackled around him even from a distance. The link between our minds flared to life as he approached, and I wanted to howl in fury at Ronan for invading my mind. I knew it wasn’t me who wanted that though. The animal I’d sensed in Dace from the very beginning pushed his desire onto me.
He raged in my head, snarling and snapping in anger. He wanted to rip out Ronan’s throat for touching what belonged to him. It made me want to jump on Ronan and rip out his throat for messing with me.
As soon as that desire raged to life, I knew exactly what the animal in Dace reminded me of. A wolf. And not the suddenly harmless seeming wolf in the woods, or the one I’d seen at Mom’s funeral, but a feral, savage, and absolutely territorial wolf. Big, fierce, and snowy white with gray streaks shooting through his silky coat.
Dace’s shock hummed through me as the image coalesced, thrusting him out of my head in an instant. I stumbled a little at the force of him blowing out of my mind, and bumped into Chelle. She looked at me, her eyes wide and expressive.
She sighed when she noticed Dace approaching from behind, obviously relieved by his presence.
I couldn’t echo the sentiment.
I didn’t turn around, move, or breathe when he reached us. His aura enveloped me, rippling like tentacles around us. The energy snapping against my skin was that definite something that made him different. Authority, power, control, self-assurance, and more all knotted together. Dace wasn’t someone you messed with. He wasn’t cruel or unkind, but he would rip you apart without hesitation if you gave him reason. He was in charge, and he knew it.
I wanted to lean into him and the strength he offered. I wanted to bury myself in him and stay there, let him be strong and brave for both of us. I knew better though. If I touched him, he would go for Ronan’s throat, and no force in heaven, in hell, or on earth would be enough to stop him. He knew Ronan scared me, and that made him furious.
“Ronan.” The name fell from his lips, cold and dark.
The link between our minds widened, and fury came sizzling through like water poured on burning wood. Steam twisted through me and set my own anger aflame.
Something deep inside me stirred, responding to my heightened emotions. The same bewildering ache I’d felt the first time I saw Dace swelled like music, higher and higher until I wanted to clamp my hands over my ears to get away from the rushing sound it made. My eyes watered, and I wanted to scream, if only to release a little of the emotion that painful sound sent sweeping through me.
The rushing sound faded as quickly as it began.
I stood there for a long moment after it faded away, too stunned to think straight. Whatever had been missing wasn’t anymore. The hole vanished, and I felt whatever took its place. The thing felt primal, ancient, angry … and awake.
Part of me wanted to cheer as I stood there. The other part wanted to scream. There was something inside me. Something … not human. And it wanted to sink its teeth into Ronan and tear him apart.
“Dace.” Ronan’s lips curled around Dace’s name as he spat it out, jerking my attention back to him.
That sensation of something waking faded. The hole didn’t reappear though, and the desire to tear out Ronan’s throat didn’t go away.
Dace and Ronan’s eyes met.
My stomach churned again. Tension snapped between them a little more forcefully. A massive battle
I narrowed my gaze, staring at Ronan. I started to open my mouth and say … something. Anything. Maybe tell him to go to hell. I don’t know, but his attention shifted away from me as suddenly as it shifted to me. Whatever he’d been doing to me stopped.
His cronies tensed and looked over my shoulder.
I didn’t have to turn around to see what captured their attention. Every sense I possessed screamed that answer at me. Dace was out there somewhere, and he was coming closer.
Energy swirled and crackled around him even from a distance. The link between our minds flared to life as he approached, and I wanted to howl in fury at Ronan for invading my mind. I knew it wasn’t me who wanted that though. The animal I’d sensed in Dace from the very beginning pushed his desire onto me.
He raged in my head, snarling and snapping in anger. He wanted to rip out Ronan’s throat for touching what belonged to him. It made me want to jump on Ronan and rip out his throat for messing with me.
As soon as that desire raged to life, I knew exactly what the animal in Dace reminded me of. A wolf. And not the suddenly harmless seeming wolf in the woods, or the one I’d seen at Mom’s funeral, but a feral, savage, and absolutely territorial wolf. Big, fierce, and snowy white with gray streaks shooting through his silky coat.
Dace’s shock hummed through me as the image coalesced, thrusting him out of my head in an instant. I stumbled a little at the force of him blowing out of my mind, and bumped into Chelle. She looked at me, her eyes wide and expressive.
She sighed when she noticed Dace approaching from behind, obviously relieved by his presence.
I couldn’t echo the sentiment.
I didn’t turn around, move, or breathe when he reached us. His aura enveloped me, rippling like tentacles around us. The energy snapping against my skin was that definite something that made him different. Authority, power, control, self-assurance, and more all knotted together. Dace wasn’t someone you messed with. He wasn’t cruel or unkind, but he would rip you apart without hesitation if you gave him reason. He was in charge, and he knew it.
I wanted to lean into him and the strength he offered. I wanted to bury myself in him and stay there, let him be strong and brave for both of us. I knew better though. If I touched him, he would go for Ronan’s throat, and no force in heaven, in hell, or on earth would be enough to stop him. He knew Ronan scared me, and that made him furious.
“Ronan.” The name fell from his lips, cold and dark.
The link between our minds widened, and fury came sizzling through like water poured on burning wood. Steam twisted through me and set my own anger aflame.
Something deep inside me stirred, responding to my heightened emotions. The same bewildering ache I’d felt the first time I saw Dace swelled like music, higher and higher until I wanted to clamp my hands over my ears to get away from the rushing sound it made. My eyes watered, and I wanted to scream, if only to release a little of the emotion that painful sound sent sweeping through me.
The rushing sound faded as quickly as it began.
I stood there for a long moment after it faded away, too stunned to think straight. Whatever had been missing wasn’t anymore. The hole vanished, and I felt whatever took its place. The thing felt primal, ancient, angry … and awake.
Part of me wanted to cheer as I stood there. The other part wanted to scream. There was something inside me. Something … not human. And it wanted to sink its teeth into Ronan and tear him apart.
“Dace.” Ronan’s lips curled around Dace’s name as he spat it out, jerking my attention back to him.
That sensation of something waking faded. The hole didn’t reappear though, and the desire to tear out Ronan’s throat didn’t go away.
Dace and Ronan’s eyes met.
My stomach churned again. Tension snapped between them a little more forcefully. A massive battle
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