Finally, her breathing slowed to a normal, healthy rhythm. “Demons feed off emotions just like sirens, only where we share power and grow — they drain.” I sighed, while Mason shuffled on his feet.
I didn’t want to have to say it.
At all.
But nobody was speaking.
“Damn it.” I ran my fingers through my hair, my hands shaking with the movement. “Any emotion you feel, he will feel, but he’ll drain it from you so as to keep you from… attracting attention.”
“I don’t even know who he is!” She yelled, getting frantic again.
“He’s a powerful demon.” Ethan spoke first. “One who cheerfully plays whatever side suits him. For now, he’s on our side.”
“But never good,” I said quickly. “Demons are never good. Understand? They’re born out of evil—”
Cassius huffed next to me.
“Oh, please.” I rolled my eyes. “You have maybe one percent of their blood in your system. Maybe if you had more, you’d be able to remove his mark!”
Hope’s lower lip quivered. “Am I going to have this forever?”
I hung my head. “Until he calls his power back… yes.”
She sent me a hurt expression that had me ready to slit my wrists in dramatic fashion — like that would solve everything?
“Why?”
“I think…” Cassius tilted his head. “He was trying to protect you.”
“From Bannik?” Genesis piped up.
“No.” Cassius’s eyes jerked away from mine. “From Alex.”
Hope
I WAS SENT to my room.
Well, not really my room — but Alex’s. Which made everything that much worse. I was afraid to touch anything.
And it didn’t help that his scent was everywhere — to be completely honest, it freaked me out that I knew what he smelled like, that the pillow I was resting my head on was so delicious I’d been tempted to stuff my face in it and suck in a giant breath.
That was just what I needed, Alex to walk in on me sniffing his pillows like I was committing a crime. The man was arrogant enough, and I hated that he knew the effect he had on women.
Why had I been able to control myself around him before?
And now? Now I wanted to touch him every single moment we had together.
My body and my mind were at war with one another. It was completely exhausting and depressing.
“This is ridiculous,” I grumbled to myself. What was I supposed to do? It wasn’t like it was humanly possible for me to relax, not with the creepy tattoo wrapping itself around my body.
Any normal person would be freaked out.
I think if anyone deserved a time out — it was me.
Granted, I’d known about the immortals, but going from knowing about them, to actually living with them was a giant stretch even by their standards, right? I mean, my little brain wasn’t exactly accustomed to seeing things like Cassius suddenly breathe ice into the room, or Ethan suck off of his wife’s neck, or even Mason — the man had clawed the crap out of the couch by accident! His nails could have impaled me if I was an inch closer to him.
That wasn’t normal.