No doubt, he planned to have her in his bed,but what would the aftermath be for her? She was an innocent; hecouldn’t deny that. After hundreds of years, he knew how to spotone, but so what?
She wouldn’t be the first woman whoseinnocence he took, and she wouldn’t be the last. Something insidehim recoiled at the idea of taking another woman to his bed, but hewas dark fae, and that was what they did.
It’s what he’d done his entire life, but evenafter he moved on, he would make sure she stayed safe fromMalakai.
“I’m enjoying this book,” Brokk said.
“I told you it was good,” Cole muttered ashis attention shifted back to his brother.
“These witches and wizards are much morelikable than our witches and warlocks, though.”
This time, Cole did laugh. “That theyare.”
CHAPTER 42
The howling wind rattling her windows woke Lexi. Sheblinked into the darkness before rolling over to stare at the nightpressing against the glass.
Rain plastered the window as the wind blew itagainst the panes and whipped it across the land. Normally, sheloved the sounds of a storm, but there was something about thisstorm that made her feel lonely. It was as if the world beyond thatwindow had ceased to exist and only she remained.
Pushing aside her blankets, she rose andwalked over to the glass. She rested her fingers against the coolsurface as a rolling wave of thunder built to a crescendo thatshook the manor. In the distance, lightning pierced the earth.
Electricity crackled the air as more boltsilluminated the scorched earth beyond the glass. The broken andbarren landscape didn’t help her feel less alone in the world. Sheturned away from the window.
She eyed her bed, but sleep would elude herfor as long as the storm raged. She grabbed her robe—her adultone—pulled it on, and tied it. Leaving her room behind, she paddeddown the hall to find something to munch on while watching thestorm.
She was almost to the end of the hall when amuffled shout halted her. Straining to hear over the rain beatingagainst the roof and the howling wind, she listened for anothersound but didn’t hear anything.
Had she imagined it? Did the storm create thenoise?
Turning, her eyes fell on Brokk’s door, andshe crept toward it. Had he experienced a setback?
Her hand fell on the knob, and she hesitatedbefore starting to turn it. She didn’t want to knock and riskwaking him if he was sleeping, but she couldn’t just walk inthere.
When the thunder faded away again, anothermuffled shout sounded, and she realized it wasn’t coming fromBrokk’s room. She retreated from his door and retraced her stepsdown the hall until she stood outside the room she’d given toCole.
She rested her hand on the knob but didn’tturn it. However, when another muffled shout started seconds beforeanother clap of thunder boomed through the night, she knew shecouldn’t walk away without checking on him first. For all she knew,someone had broken into the manor and was attacking him.
That possibility speared her into motion, andbefore she could think about it anymore, she turned the knob andinched the door open. If someone was attacking him, then shecouldn’t alert them to her presence.
The element of surprise was her biggestadvantage here. And if no one was in the room with him, then shedidn’t want to wake him.
However, when the door was open enough forher to see into the room, she realized he was alone. Flashes oflightning revealed the small dresser, fireplace, and bathroom dooracross from the king-sized bed. Dark blue curtains framed thewindows.
On the bed, Cole lay entangled in the darkblue comforter. His face was turned away from her, and his handswere twisted into the sheets. The corded muscles of his arms andneck stood starkly out.
Black ciphers ran from the tips of hisfingers, up his arms, across his shoulders, and a few of the flameslicked at his chin. She couldn’t tell if they went down his back,but there weren’t any on his chest.
When his head turned toward her, Lexiprepared to bolt. She was about to be caught entering his room.However, when his eyes remained closed, she realized he was havinga nightmare.
Some of her tension eased, and she started toretreat, but a muffled sound of anguish stopped her. She’d heardsounds like that coming from wounded animals before, and it tore ather heart.
She couldn’t walk away from any creature indistress, let aloneCole.
Knowing she was playing with fire, shestepped away from the door and closed it behind her. She stared atit for a second before taking a deep breath, gathering her courage,and cautiously approaching the bed.
Uncertain of what to do, she stood beside himas thunder boomed and lightning illuminated the room. This close tohim, she couldn’t help but marvel over the power he emanated.
He was nearly twice her size, and though hewas also a half-breed, he was a combination of two of the mostpowerful immortal creatures in existence. His half-breed statusmade himmorepowerful, unlike her.
