It’s another invitation, and this time I accept, pulling her into an embrace, my wings curling around her protectively. “You’re fuckingbeautiful, Wild West. I could watch you every night, with or without the full accompaniment.”
“Are you… okay?” she asks, gazing up at me with a tentative hope in her eyes. “I’m guessing you came up here for a reasonnotrelated to our little… ménage à gargoyle.”
“Your guess is correct.” I push my glasses back up my nose. “But I’ll be the first to admit… As much as I would’ve loved the video, I’mveryglad I didn’t miss the live show.”
At my admission, her smile brightens. “I’m glad, too.” She stretches up on her toes, fingers curling over my shoulders. “What did you come to tell us, anyway? Were you able to crack the encryption?”
“Not yet. Whoever left it for you wanted it to be kept safe from prying eyes, but that’s a good thing. Makes our job a bit harder, but I’ve never met a password I couldn’t eventually crack.”
She nods, her smile falling just a bit.
Tucking a finger under her chin, I say, “I came up here to tell you I found some more demon intel in one of the occult journals we nabbed from Forsythe’s library.”
“Yeah?”
“You up for hitting the books with me tonight? The last couple nights haven’t been the same without my research assistant. I’ve missed your… input.”
West laughs. “Input? Is that what we’re calling it?”
“It’s true. Your observations and analyses have been spot-on. And your questions always leadmeto dig deeper, and that’s an important quality in any—”
“Rook?” She presses a finger to my lips, silencing me. “It’s totally okay if you missed my sparkling personality and great ass, too. I know I missed yours.”
“Oh! Fishing for compliments, are we?” Laughing, I slide my hands down to cup the aforementioned great ass, lifting her up and wrapping her thighs around my hips. She’s still naked, heat radiating from her core, her skin slick against my stomach. My cock twitches, and I sigh, my mind already replaying her soft moans, her fluttering lashes, the blush on her cheeks as she came for us tonight.
In a low voice, I say, “I think even a casual observer untrained in the methods of scientific inquiry would know I missed more than your academic input, Wild West.”
She beams at me. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“You know I love secrets.”
“I’m still thinking about kissing you, Professor.”
“What a coincidence,” I say. “I’malwaysthinking about kissing you.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Well.” She threads her hands into my hair, her touch warm and electric. “No time like the present, I always say.”
“AndIalways say the best things come to those who wait.” I draw her close, the mist of her warm breath tickling my lips. “I’ve been waiting for you my entire immortal life, Westlyn Avery. And when I finally kiss you, you’redamnwell going to remember it for the rest of yours.”
Chapter Fourteen
WESTLYN
After a quick shower with my new Sephora bath goodies from Jude, I meet the boys and my ravens in the kitchen for an epic snack break featuring a mountain of sliced fruit and veggies, apple-cinnamon scones, and my favorite—almond joy latte chasers. Refueled and refreshed, Auggie and Jude decide to head into Kingston on a food and supply run, leaving me and my naughty professor to hit the books.
I didn’t realize how much I missed the library—I’ve only been away from it a couple of nights. But stepping inside the barn now feels like reuniting with a long-lost friend, and for a minute I just stand there in the middle of the main floor, eyes closed, breathing in the comforting scents of wood, leather binding, and old parchment.
“Goddess, I love this place,” I whisper.
“Same.” Rook tosses another log on the fire and stands to dust off his hands. “I’ve come to appreciate it a hell of a lot more since the big storm, too.”
“I still can’t believe that happened.”
Iwouldn’thave believed it, either—if Rook had simply told me the harrowing tale himself, I would’ve sworn he was trying to cheer me up with some half-baked story about books coming to life in the library. But he showed me the video on the security feeds. The entire thing was captured in detail—the crazy violet light, the sparks, the tornado.
