familiar signature of my magic tingled over me with his touch. “You gave me something precious. I intend to use it wisely.”
“You’d better,” I said, still feeling hollow from my loss.
“But right now, I need to give some of this back.”
I glanced up at him, startled. He just smiled and leaned in to kiss me.
Chapter 9
“But—”
His kiss cut off my protest. I automatically opened my mouth, welcoming him, but all the passion we’d built between us was gone. It wasn’t that I didn’t want Kane to touch me. It was that the all-burning need had been satisfied.
“Kane,” I said and pushed him back gently.
“Yes, love?” He gazed down at me with tender eyes.
“I don’t think… I mean, I just need a moment to myself.”
His sweet expression turned concerned and he sat up. “What’s wrong?”
I turned my head to the side, wanting to cry. But I held the tears back. “I don’t know. I’m having a hard time being touched.” Not wanting to admit the truth even to myself, the words came out in a whisper. This was Kane. I couldn’t remember a time I hadn’t wanted to be close to him. Not even after Camille had taken over my body and I’d felt so incredibly violated.
“Look at me.” Kane’s quiet voice was like a soft caress over my bare skin.
I turned and met his gaze.
“You’re okay. We’ll be okay.” His fingers curled into mine, and he pulled my hand close to his heart. The slightly elevated beat beneath my fingers settled me, grounded me to him. “This thing, this incubus spell caused what you’re feeling here.” He moved his other hand and caressed the left side of my chest right over my heart. “Let me hold you. I can fix this.”
I wanted him to hold me. But at the same time I wanted to curl into myself and disappear into my own world, where I wouldn’t have to deal with the emptiness inside me. “How do you know?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know anything. But there’s an instinct in here.” He pointed to his chest. “It’s telling me what to do.”
“And what is that?” I whispered, feeling more broken than ever.
Kane scooted down next to me and wrapped his arms around my body. “Just let me hold you for a while.”
I sensed the sheer desperation churning in him to fix me. To bring me back to myself. And I wanted to let him do it. I didn’t want to feel this way, but I just couldn’t. Not yet. Crossing my arms over my chest, I rolled away from him, facing the wall, and let the tears fall.
“Oh, Jade.” The words came out strangled, full of emotion, and in that moment his love slammed into me, thick and warm, filling all those empty crevices.
Still facing the wall, I reached one hand behind me. “Take it.”
His fingers tentatively slid over mine.
I tightened my hold and pulled his arm around me. “I think this is okay for now.”
He let out a long, slow sigh, scooted down onto the bed, and tucked me close to him, my back to his chest. His warm breath tickled my neck as he buried his face against my hair. “Jesus, Jade. I feel like such a dick right now.”
“No.” I pulled his arm tighter around me. “Those witches did this to us. We’ll be okay.” I said the words but wasn’t quite sure I believed them. My only saving grace was that I could sense his emotions and how much he needed me and ached to be near me. My heart swelled with love. Yet my body still felt distanced from him. Like our last joining had taken every ounce of physical pleasure from me, leaving me with nothing left to hold on to. It was terrifying. “Kane?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you feel powerful now?” I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of effect my magic was having on him.
He laughed, but it was humorless. “I feel incredibly helpless. All I want is for you to be whole again. But I can’t…won’t force myself on you. And this power inside me is worth nothing if it breaks you.”
I heard what he’d said, appreciated the sentiment more than he could know, but
“You’d better,” I said, still feeling hollow from my loss.
“But right now, I need to give some of this back.”
I glanced up at him, startled. He just smiled and leaned in to kiss me.
Chapter 9
“But—”
His kiss cut off my protest. I automatically opened my mouth, welcoming him, but all the passion we’d built between us was gone. It wasn’t that I didn’t want Kane to touch me. It was that the all-burning need had been satisfied.
“Kane,” I said and pushed him back gently.
“Yes, love?” He gazed down at me with tender eyes.
“I don’t think… I mean, I just need a moment to myself.”
His sweet expression turned concerned and he sat up. “What’s wrong?”
I turned my head to the side, wanting to cry. But I held the tears back. “I don’t know. I’m having a hard time being touched.” Not wanting to admit the truth even to myself, the words came out in a whisper. This was Kane. I couldn’t remember a time I hadn’t wanted to be close to him. Not even after Camille had taken over my body and I’d felt so incredibly violated.
“Look at me.” Kane’s quiet voice was like a soft caress over my bare skin.
I turned and met his gaze.
“You’re okay. We’ll be okay.” His fingers curled into mine, and he pulled my hand close to his heart. The slightly elevated beat beneath my fingers settled me, grounded me to him. “This thing, this incubus spell caused what you’re feeling here.” He moved his other hand and caressed the left side of my chest right over my heart. “Let me hold you. I can fix this.”
I wanted him to hold me. But at the same time I wanted to curl into myself and disappear into my own world, where I wouldn’t have to deal with the emptiness inside me. “How do you know?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know anything. But there’s an instinct in here.” He pointed to his chest. “It’s telling me what to do.”
“And what is that?” I whispered, feeling more broken than ever.
Kane scooted down next to me and wrapped his arms around my body. “Just let me hold you for a while.”
I sensed the sheer desperation churning in him to fix me. To bring me back to myself. And I wanted to let him do it. I didn’t want to feel this way, but I just couldn’t. Not yet. Crossing my arms over my chest, I rolled away from him, facing the wall, and let the tears fall.
“Oh, Jade.” The words came out strangled, full of emotion, and in that moment his love slammed into me, thick and warm, filling all those empty crevices.
Still facing the wall, I reached one hand behind me. “Take it.”
His fingers tentatively slid over mine.
I tightened my hold and pulled his arm around me. “I think this is okay for now.”
He let out a long, slow sigh, scooted down onto the bed, and tucked me close to him, my back to his chest. His warm breath tickled my neck as he buried his face against my hair. “Jesus, Jade. I feel like such a dick right now.”
“No.” I pulled his arm tighter around me. “Those witches did this to us. We’ll be okay.” I said the words but wasn’t quite sure I believed them. My only saving grace was that I could sense his emotions and how much he needed me and ached to be near me. My heart swelled with love. Yet my body still felt distanced from him. Like our last joining had taken every ounce of physical pleasure from me, leaving me with nothing left to hold on to. It was terrifying. “Kane?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you feel powerful now?” I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of effect my magic was having on him.
He laughed, but it was humorless. “I feel incredibly helpless. All I want is for you to be whole again. But I can’t…won’t force myself on you. And this power inside me is worth nothing if it breaks you.”
I heard what he’d said, appreciated the sentiment more than he could know, but
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