alive.”
Tristan dipped his head and captured her mouth in a kiss. Her lips were soft, her hands gentle on his shoulders. She was so full of personality that it took him by surprise how slight she felt in his arms.
She broke the kiss, licked her lower lip as she pulled back. “That was nice.”
Nice?
“ Nice? ”Jacques laughed, peering down at them from his perch in the upper branches of the tree.
“I am not ‘nice’.” Tristan grabbed her right wrist and jerked her forward until she bumped into him, her free hand coming up to brace against his chest.
She looked up at him, her eyes big and soft. He’d intended to ravage her, but she seemed so fragile and delicate. He changed his plan, releasing her wrist to brush her hair back from her face. “You are a complicated woman.”
She frowned. “That’s it?”
“What do you mean?”
“You had a great caveman thing going there. What happened?”
“What…you wanted that?”
Melissa jumped him. Tristan staggered back a step and she wrapped her left arm around his shoulder, right hand gripping his hair to hold his head still as she kissed him, her tongue swiping across his lips. He grinned, then returned the kiss, nipping her lower lip and pressing his tongue into the warmth of her mouth. He grabbed her ass and lifted. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he turned and braced his back against the tree.
Melissa moaned and threw her head back, offering the pale skin of her throat up to his lips. He kissed and licked his way down to the fabric of her jacket.
“Your clothes,” he grunted.
She ripped her jacket off, revealing a thin white tank top. She released him, balancing in his hold as she struggled to remove the jacket. She winced slightly as she pulled her left arm free.
“ Her arm. ”
His brother’s horrified words stopped Tristan in his tracks. He remembered the scarring he’d seen on her forearm. Still carrying her, he stepped out of the shelter of the branches so the moonlight fell on them.
Her left arm was webbed with scars from mid-forearm up to her biceps. The scars were so deep that her arm was slightly misshapen, the flesh above her elbow concave and shiny.
“Your arm.”
“Put me down.”
Tristan did as she asked, then watched as she picked up her jacket and put it back on.
“I didn’t meant to…” Tristan didn’t know how to apologize, didn’t know if he should.
“I forgot about it. That’s actually rare, since it hurts.”
“It hurts you?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“An accident at work.”
“An accident?”
“Yes.”
“That’s all you’re going to say?”
“What more do you want to know?”
“I want to know what happened.”
“You mean you want the gory details.”
“No, I want to know about you, and that includes understanding your pain.”
“It’s not a nice story.”
“I did not think it would be.”
“ You don’t have time for this. You need to go, mon frère . ”
Tristan didn’t acknowledge Jacques’ words. Melissa was staring at the trees, her face like pale blue porcelain.
“ Tristan, go! ”
Cold wind whipped through the gardens, carrying the sound of a woman’s scream. Melissa frowned, but to Tristan the sound was piercing, like nails being driven into his body. Spinning, he looked in the direction the sound had come from.
“Tristan?” she asked.
“What is it?” he asked Jacques, scanning the shadows.
“ The evil beyond the garden wall. It’s trying to get in. ”
“That noise? It was probably just the wind.” Melissa touched his shoulder.
“Can it get in?”
“ I don’t know. Maybe. It’s hard to tell, because of her. ”
“Her? Why? Why can’t she see the ghosts?”
“ She’s protected. ”
“Protected? From what?”
“ From us. ”
“You’re not talking to me, are you?” Melissa said.
The scream came again, the sound closer. Little flecks of gold and white light appeared in the deepest shadows.
“We need to go,”
Tristan dipped his head and captured her mouth in a kiss. Her lips were soft, her hands gentle on his shoulders. She was so full of personality that it took him by surprise how slight she felt in his arms.
She broke the kiss, licked her lower lip as she pulled back. “That was nice.”
Nice?
“ Nice? ”Jacques laughed, peering down at them from his perch in the upper branches of the tree.
“I am not ‘nice’.” Tristan grabbed her right wrist and jerked her forward until she bumped into him, her free hand coming up to brace against his chest.
She looked up at him, her eyes big and soft. He’d intended to ravage her, but she seemed so fragile and delicate. He changed his plan, releasing her wrist to brush her hair back from her face. “You are a complicated woman.”
She frowned. “That’s it?”
“What do you mean?”
“You had a great caveman thing going there. What happened?”
“What…you wanted that?”
Melissa jumped him. Tristan staggered back a step and she wrapped her left arm around his shoulder, right hand gripping his hair to hold his head still as she kissed him, her tongue swiping across his lips. He grinned, then returned the kiss, nipping her lower lip and pressing his tongue into the warmth of her mouth. He grabbed her ass and lifted. When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he turned and braced his back against the tree.
Melissa moaned and threw her head back, offering the pale skin of her throat up to his lips. He kissed and licked his way down to the fabric of her jacket.
“Your clothes,” he grunted.
She ripped her jacket off, revealing a thin white tank top. She released him, balancing in his hold as she struggled to remove the jacket. She winced slightly as she pulled her left arm free.
“ Her arm. ”
His brother’s horrified words stopped Tristan in his tracks. He remembered the scarring he’d seen on her forearm. Still carrying her, he stepped out of the shelter of the branches so the moonlight fell on them.
Her left arm was webbed with scars from mid-forearm up to her biceps. The scars were so deep that her arm was slightly misshapen, the flesh above her elbow concave and shiny.
“Your arm.”
“Put me down.”
Tristan did as she asked, then watched as she picked up her jacket and put it back on.
“I didn’t meant to…” Tristan didn’t know how to apologize, didn’t know if he should.
“I forgot about it. That’s actually rare, since it hurts.”
“It hurts you?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“An accident at work.”
“An accident?”
“Yes.”
“That’s all you’re going to say?”
“What more do you want to know?”
“I want to know what happened.”
“You mean you want the gory details.”
“No, I want to know about you, and that includes understanding your pain.”
“It’s not a nice story.”
“I did not think it would be.”
“ You don’t have time for this. You need to go, mon frère . ”
Tristan didn’t acknowledge Jacques’ words. Melissa was staring at the trees, her face like pale blue porcelain.
“ Tristan, go! ”
Cold wind whipped through the gardens, carrying the sound of a woman’s scream. Melissa frowned, but to Tristan the sound was piercing, like nails being driven into his body. Spinning, he looked in the direction the sound had come from.
“Tristan?” she asked.
“What is it?” he asked Jacques, scanning the shadows.
“ The evil beyond the garden wall. It’s trying to get in. ”
“That noise? It was probably just the wind.” Melissa touched his shoulder.
“Can it get in?”
“ I don’t know. Maybe. It’s hard to tell, because of her. ”
“Her? Why? Why can’t she see the ghosts?”
“ She’s protected. ”
“Protected? From what?”
“ From us. ”
“You’re not talking to me, are you?” Melissa said.
The scream came again, the sound closer. Little flecks of gold and white light appeared in the deepest shadows.
“We need to go,”
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