Chapter 7 #2
Wald licked his lips, as if he had an interest that had nothing to do with snakebites. If only I could see his damned eyes.
“React how?” I asked. It came out far too breathlessly.
I bit my lip and hoped he didn’t notice.
He had all the sharp lines of a guy who worked out without the bulk.
One hundred percent my type. Lean and dangerous.
I should be terrified and plotting escape.
Instead I was considering his bed-ability. Jeezus.
“It would cause me distress. I will leave it at that.” He fiddled with the end of the zipper on his leather jacket. There was something soothing about his gravelly voice.
“Okay, then let’s go back to the forests of Washington since we’ve time to kill—oops, bad choice of words.
Why don’t you tell me the story? I like stories.
” I laughed. It was a broken kind of laugh.
I was not broken. I was sad Gentry was dead.
I was going home as soon as I could figure out how. Going home alive.
“No.”
“I insist. Or when I get home, the charges pressed will be… Unpleasant, Mr. Velvet Trunk.”
His jaw set tight, making his face even more marble-like. There was a little dimple in his chin. He had not once approached me with anger, and I was taking that as a good sign despite having no clue if it was or not.
“How about, no. Once you are healed, then you will leave, and the less you know the safer you will be.”
“Did you forget someone killed my ex? He wasn’t a safe man. Believe me, I understand danger.”
“I don’t think you do.”
That line drawn made me want to smack him. “How about you let me fucking decide what I can handle?” I crossed my arms.
He cocked his head. “You have no idea what you are dealing with.”
“I bet I fucking do. Want me to come over there and show you how much I can handle?” I stood up.
“One more step and I will leave you.” He tensed to leave, and the smile that curved his lips reminded me that I wasn’t going to win a physical fight. Besides, he’d be out the door before I’d get halfway to him.
“Fuck you. It was my ex who died. I need to know why he’s dead. You know. Fucking tell me. Tell me what the hell is so damned dangerous.” I wanted to add, “other than you.”
He pursed his lips, considering me. “All right, I will explain a little more, but don’t say I did not warn you.”
My maniacal laugh answered more honestly than I intended. “I think I can handle it.” Maybe I was losing my mind. Gentry was dead, and there was no way to tell if this guy was trustworthy. But for some reason, I didn’t think I was in danger from him.
“A month ago, my family received a letter, but it was unsigned. It demanded a family heirloom be delivered to a specific spot, or a family secret would be exposed. My father refused to meet the demands and burned the letters as they arrived without opening them. My mother saved the last one. It outlined how the blackmailer had sent a letter to a police informant with information on a chip. If they didn’t hear from us within twenty-four hours, the information would be taken to the police and the newspaper. ”
“Oh my God. That was Gentry, right?”
Wald shifted, crossing his boots at the ankles. “Yes, he was the informant.”
“So you killed him?”
“No, I had no part in it.” His chin raised with displeasure.
“If you didn’t kill Gentry, then who did? I’m so confused. Unconfuse me. Time yet?”
He shook his head. “Trying to protect the ring, I accidentally killed my sister, Donia.”
“But she isn’t dead?”
“No.”
“Explain how you kill someone and not have them die?” I rolled my eyes. “Right, I bet it’s a family secret.”
He smirked his silent reply as I put the puzzle pieces together.
“But you must know who killed Gentry because you said he was killed by the same venom I was dying from?” Dying?
I’d been dying. That sank in like teeth into a peach.
I could be dead right now, like Gentry, if I believed him.
I kind of believed him. Wald had saved my life. Holy crap. “Who killed Gentry?”
“I do not wish to tell you, as it would incriminate them.”
“You know who, though? Is it a family member? That doesn’t even make sense to me, but I’m going with it.”
“Next question.” He flicked dust off his sleeve.
“Fine, but we are coming back to that. The ring is the artifact mentioned in the letter, right? But how did Gentry know about the ring?”
“Yes, and he didn’t.”
“That doesn’t make sense. And you aren’t going to explain it, are you?”
His sly grin and tilted head was his reply.
I flexed my fingers. Time was literally my nemesis.
I hated waiting. “It has to be twenty minutes by now.” I still had to figure out how to get him to open the door and get by him without him catching me.
For a split second, I imagined his arms pinning me to the wall.
I’d been reading too many dark romances.
The desire creeping through me was ridiculous in the present circumstances.
“I can check your symptoms, but you must be very still and not touch me. Do I have your promise, Tails?” He uncrossed his arms and straightened up.
“Tails?” I snapped.
“Like a kitsune with nine tails, like your nine hells. You’re chatty like a fox and the color at the ends of your hair reminds me of a reverse foxtail. Tails seems fitting. Your promise?” He undid a cuff and slowly rolled up a sleeve, revealing a pale and powerful forearm.
“Yes, fine. Whatever.” The air caught in my throat as he moved across the floor toward me like a panther. Primal. Dangerous. Lethal.
I stilled as the heavenly scent of a musky forest blanketed me. He settled on the mattress edge. I swallowed. When he leaned forward, I closed my eyes, fighting a losing battle of not rubbing my face in his hair.
Then he sniffed me.
The suck of air into his nostrils sent a tremor through me.
I slid one hand around his neck and dragged my lips over his velvety ones.
His lips parted. Wet. Warm. Musky like aged wine.
His mouth a carnival of delights that I could not get enough of.
Sweet Jeezus, his tongue was like soft ribbon candy and tasted like caramel sugar.
I licked and sucked and wanted it all. I fumbled with his belt buckle.
He straddled me as I clung to him, his body caging me under him.
In one fluid move, he immobilized my wrists while I wildly struggled to get back to his lips.
I throbbed everywhere, desperate to merge with him.
Then like I was a tiny creature at his mercy, he disentangled himself impossibly fast and retreated to the door.
I gasped at the loss of heat searing through my bones.
“I’m sorry, that should not have happened, but I did tell you not to touch me. It is concerning.” His voice, a cross between a hiss and a purr, reverberated in my head. “Put yourself together. There are things in the bathroom. Use what you need,” he said, closing the door. The lock clicked.
“Don’t you fucking dare leave me,” I shrieked and whipped the remaining pillow in the direction of the door.
My lips were bruised, and my skin hot and dry as I leaped up from the bed.
“Open this damned door!” I shouted. Pushing back my drunken-bordello-scented hair, I paced.
Wald-the-asshole was going to die for locking me in and leaving me with the taste of him in my mouth.
What the hell did he mean, it was concerning?
Was I going to die? I didn’t feel worse than I had before.
That was it. I was getting out of here .
I picked up a wooden side chair and hammered it on the window glass, bracing for the shatter.
A chair leg cracked but otherwise it bounced off the glass.
By the time I was done pounding on the glass with both fists, they were numb.
I slid to the floor and seethed into my crossed arms. His scent was all over me.
It was time to pull my shit together and get the hell out of this.