ChapterTwenty-Six
THORNE
My skin crawled with unease. Everything felt off, like a song just slightly out of tune, my world disrupted by the lack of... something. No. Not something.
Someone.
My return to Ravenscroft was met with little fanfare. Not that I’d expected any. After dropping off my luggage in my room, I immediately set out in search of the one person I wanted to see more than anything. My Sunday.
This time of night, there was only one place she’d be, so I followed her scent deep into the part of the forest she preferred to use for her midnight runs. The time away had dulled my connection to her, raising a barrier between my thoughts and hers. Necessary, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
When I found her, she stood bathed in moonlight, the wind blowing tendrils of her hair free of the bun she’d piled on top of her head. Even with a diminished bond, I could sense the heaviness of her thoughts and taste her sadness in the air. I wanted to lick a line up her nape before dragging my teeth across her earlobe and whispering my devotion to her. To tell her exactly what I’d done for her.
As I neared the clearing, I purposely allowed my arms to brush against some branches to give her notice of my approach.
“Is that you, Caleb?”
My anticipation soured, coiling into jealousy.The priest?Just what has my little dove been up to while I’ve been off burning bridges and ensuring the matter of our future was settled?
“I’m about the furthest thing from a man of God you might find, I’m afraid,” I said, stepping out into the soft moonlight.
“Noah.” The elation in her eyes didn’t last nearly long enough for me to appreciate. Those ocean-blue orbs narrowed, flashing with anger. “Where the hell have you been this past week?”
The venom in her tone took me aback. So my wolf had found her claws. “I had some important business to take care of. Unavoidable, I’m afraid.”
“And you don’t know how to pick up a phone? Or use a pen? Or a computer? Or fucking smoke signals? Maybe even a carrier bat... I think that’s more your style than a pigeon.”
I smirked at her undisguised jab. “Your tongue is sharp when you’re angry.” Crossing the clearing, I closed the distance between us, giving in to the itch under my skin, the need to touch her. “I’m sorry. I never intended to upset you. I had to leave unexpectedly, and telling anyone where I was going was out of the question.”
“Oh. Well... is everything okay now?” Her body language and tone changed, softening as if my apology had taken some of the wind out of her sails. She’d obviously been prepared for a fight and hadn’t expected it.
Even though she was no longer on the offensive, there was still some residual anger in the furrowed cast of her brows and lines bracketing her full lips. It was obvious my disappearance had hurt her, leaving a mark that would require more than words to soothe. The realization bolstered me because it meant she cared, making me even more confident I could repair any damage I’d inadvertently caused. Especially once she knew the reason I’d been away.
“It will be. But I have to do something first.”
“What’s that?”
Locking gazes with her, I cupped the back of her head and pulled her into me before bringing our lips together. The contact set my body ablaze with need and the powerful sense I was home. Right where I belonged.
Her palms rested on my chest as she moaned into my mouth, opening for me, letting my tongue dance with hers. I kissed her like a man might kiss the love of his life before going off to war, like she was the only thing keeping me alive. Because after what I’d done while I was gone, nothing was ever going to be the same. Life as I knew it was over, but life with Sunday was just beginning.
“Noah,” she whispered, pulling back. “What’s going on? You’re so intense.”
I laughed, feeling practically euphoric now that she was in my arms once more. “Comes with the territory. Vampires aren’t known for their warm and snuggly personalities.”
She shoved at my chest, but I didn’t budge. I had no intention of letting her go any time soon. “You know what I mean. You’re evenmoreintense than usual. What has got you all riled up?”
Her fingers trailed up my arm, hand resting over the traitor mark cuffing my bicep. The burn was deep and searing as the silver embedded in my skin shifted. One day, it would be nothing more than an annoyance, but as of now, it felt akin to a branding iron digging into my muscle. I hissed involuntarily and pulled back.
“What was that?” Her eyes widened, concern flashing in her gaze. “Are you hurt?”
The only way I could explain was to show her. With nimble fingers, I unbuttoned my shirt, deliberately keeping my movements slow because I’d never been so nervous. As certain as I was in my actions, I had no way of knowing how she’d react to the news.
My impromptu striptease also had the unintended side effect of distracting Sunday. Her eyes were drawn from my face to my chest as my shirt peeled away. Heat sparked in her expression. Hunger too. My body responded in kind. There was no universe in which I wouldn’t want her, especially not when she looked at me like that.
“Right here? Now?” Then, instead of lodging the protest I’d expected to follow, she asked, “What if we get caught?” The excitement in her voice had me tucking that little display of kink away for later use. She wanted to be watched. I could make that happen for her. But now wasn’t the time for sex.
“No, dove. I’m showing you why I was gone.”