I walk over to take the book from Zee, and I open it to show Kane nothing is wrong at all. He tightens his lips, realizing he just judged my intentions wrong once more.
"Go in," he orders, looking over his shoulder, possibly for Gage.
"There's no need-"
"I said go in," he interrupts, sounding demanding in his insistence.
Zee looks at me with a thin line holding his lips. I doubt he'll do me any good. I might have finally pushed Kane too far.
I walk in without further argument, and he shuts the door behind him as Zee sits down on the couch just behind where I stand.
"What will they do to you for taking this out of the light?" he asks, surprising me a little.
"That's my problem. I need to get back. I've got my own shit to deal with right now. You're welcome, by the way."
I start to barge by him, but he stops me again, moving into my path.
"Answer the damn question. What will they do to you if they find out you brought this?"
He holds the book up, his eyes burning against me.
"I don't know. Like I said, don't worry about it. It's not like you really give a fuck," I growl.
His eyes flicker humanity for a fleeting second, and then the coldness resumes.
"You're right about that. I just need to know what to expect if they find out I have it."
This whole inquisition makes sense now.
"They won't do anything but demand it back, as far you're concerned. Their people receive-"
I feel dizzy suddenly, my whole body flaming with the torturous heat. The close proximity to him is growing painful right now. I only thought it was bad around Gage. It's excruciating around Kane.
"Alyssa?" Zee prompts, noticing my paling appearance.
"I'm fine. I need to go," I murmur while trying to push past Kane again, staggering in my attempt to walk a straight line.
"Finish your sentence before you go. Their people receive what?" Kane asks while pulling me back.
The skin-on-skin contact eats at me like a lusty demon. Without any regard for my safety or sanity, I'm suddenly hurling myself at him.
I shock the fuck out of him when I rip his head down to meet mine, and my tongue forces its way in before he can fully process what's going on.
He quickly withdraws with his hands gripping my sides.
"What the hell?" he asks as he stares at me.
But I pull him back down, devouring him with the passion I can't control. For a second, he returns the fueled, torrid attack, but he regains his composure and pulls back once more, holding me in place so I can't launch mys
elf at him again.
I'm swaying like I did the night of the ball. It wasn't the succubus and incubus air that left me so fucked up, it was him. At least, part of it was him.
A ringing of a doorbell draws his attention. Thad is in front of the glass door, smiling like a boy with a secret.
Zee opens the door, but holds his hand up to stop his entrance.
"We're not hurting her. She just got-"