Chapter 34
A loud curse, a startled cry and a crash had Wraith instantly awake and out the door.
She burst into the living area at the same time as Elijah from the opposite end of the room.
Seori was pressed against the counter, wide-eyed, her breath coming in sharp, silent gasps. Shards of a broken teacup glittered at her feet like shrapnel.
Helios was standing in the living area, a good six meters away from her, but radiating menace and hostile intent.
Shit.
She surged forward, putting herself in front of Helios, blocking his view of Seori. She didn’t look back, but she felt the shift. The soft brush of Seori’s fear folding into Elijah’s arms.
And she knew his back was towards them as a shield.
She grabbed Kael’s face in both hands, fingers digging into his skin. “Major!”
She didn’t often use her command voice, but it was good to know it was still effective. His eyes jerked to her; the mental assault she didn’t think he was even aware of cut off like it had never been there. It was jarring. And terrifying.
She jerked her head back to her room. He tried to pull away.
“Now, Major.”
For a second, he deflated. She’d probably find that amusing later. Then he yanked himself back out of her grip and disappeared through the door.
She glanced at Elijah. She could just see the top of Seori’s head on his huge shoulder. Could feel his anger, which was growing. Her fear, which was slowly subsiding.
“I’ll deal with this,” she promised them, and followed Helios through the door.
“I don’t know if you noticed,” Kael snarled, “but that’s a fucking Other in there.”
Wraith’s eyes flashed as frustration and anger roiled through her. That he knew what she was feeling was less important than other factors at the moment.
He added it to the list of things to yell at her about.
“If you hadn’t just tried to murder her, Major, I would’ve introduced you,” she snarled back.
“I was nowhere near her, Captain.”
Her eyes narrowed at him, “You want to fight, Major? Fine. Let’s fight.”
She raised her voice and glanced towards the door, “Could you increase the size of the room a bit?”
The room shifted, doubling in size, and he jumped back in alarm.
“Thanks!”
She turned back to him, started stalking towards him.
He held his ground. “What the fuck is going on?”
She smiled with teeth, and not the nice kind. “Quit whining and fight.”
And she threw a punch at his face with more speed than finesse. He dodged, but she still caught him a glancing blow on the cheek and for a moment he saw stars.
All reason drained out of him as the need for violence overtook rational thought. He charged her, catching her around the waist and slammed her against the wall.
She chopped her forearm against his neck. Blackness threatened and he dropped her. She swept his feet out, but he rolled before her follow-up stomp could connect. Not that her bare feet would have done that much damage.
He hoped.
He grabbed her ankle and yanked her down with a crash and a curse. She landed on top of him, already swinging.
He took the first hit—let the momentum carry his head to the side—and smashed his elbow into her side, just below the ribs, knocking her off him.
Her oof of pain was deliciously satisfying.
He rolled to the side, on top of her, using his knees and feet to lock her legs down. He pressed his forearm down above her collar bone, pushing on the nerve, and slipped his other hand under her neck to drive a knuckle into the base of her skull, which he knew from experience caused disorientation.
She stilled, blinking at him. Bared her teeth. Refused to tap out.
He smiled. Fuck, he’d needed this.
As he looked down at her, something shifted.
The anger didn’t fade—it twisted. Coalesced into heat.
Wraith saw the second Kael’s cold anger shifted into something hotter and far more dangerous.
Much too tempting.
Felt the desire as it surged through him and slammed into her like a wave.
She didn’t resist. Didn’t want to.
Could do nothing but feel as he lowered his head, gaze fixed on hers, and claimed her mouth.
It was like being devoured by a supernova.
His grip loosened, and she raised her arm to hit him. Found herself grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling him closer.
Just one more minute.
She lost herself in him. In them.
But a cold, logical part of her waited. Watched.
Knew it had to end.
On a silent oath she bit his lip, hard enough to taste blood. He lifted his head, raised a brow, clearly undeterred.
And she smashed her forehead into his nose and pushed him off her.
She scrambled to the far wall. Heart racing, breathing ragged.
Feeling… she had no fucking clue what.
His nose was bleeding. His eyes were watering from the pain. And she watched as the man reemerged, confused and broken and bleeding.
He sat back against the wall, leaned his head back.
Pinched the bridge of his nose.
Eyes still wild, but his voice came out raw.
“What the fuck is happening to me, Ash?”