At first, I think Gabriel is getting up, but then warm air brushes down the side of my exposed neck. “Would you like to know a secret, Wren?”
My stomach flip-flops, both from the intimate tone of his voice and the fact that he’s moved closer.
I’m not sure what to do about either of those things, so I exhale loudly. “Um... sure?”
A moment’s pause, and then he loosens the tie holding my hair in place, letting my curls fall free before he trails his finger down the length of my neck. His touch is at once barely there, a butterfly’s kiss, and as searing as if I were being burned by one of the suns’ rays.
The Hunter leaves a fiery trail in his wake. Goosebumps erupt on my flesh, and my pulse quickens. Everything that I am is focused on his movements.
He traces a pattern on my neck. “I couldn’t tell you half of what I’ve read today,” he rumbles, the low sound sending shivers coursing down my spine. “Something about magic being stored in tokens so it can be used for a later date.”
“Sounds... fascinating,” I reply breathily. Can he hear the way my heart is desperate to escape my chest?
A husky, deep laugh. “I forgot most of it the moment I read it.”
I swallow, the urge to move my head and look at him nearly overwhelming. “Oh?”
His finger continues around my neck, following the collar of my tunic. He moves slowly, purposefully, up my throat to my chin, which he raises. My head tilts backwards, the back of my neck resting on the couch, so I’m looking up at him.
Green eyes sweep over mine, filled with so much emotion my breath catches in my throat. “There was something else capturing my attention.”
“Really?” I lift my head, making a show of looking around the room. “What was it?”
He chuckles, sliding down beside me. “Not what.” His long legs stretch out further than mine, and he plucks the book off my lap, closing it and placing it next to me. “Who.”
My heart lurches at his nearness, and my headache is a distant memory.
It’s Gabriel. When he’s so close to me, it’s hard to think of anything else. He’s still as rugged and rough as he was the first day we met, but we are different now. We’re connected by more than the bond given to us by the gods. We have been through so much, he’s stayed by my side every step of the way, and I am finding myself more drawn to him with every passing day.
Gabriel reaches out, pushing the couch with one hand, shoving it out of the way. With the other, he cradles the back of my head and lowers me to the ground. I go willingly, my eyes glued on his. He rests his weight on his forearms, bracketing them on either side of me as he leans over me, caging me in.
I should probably consider how our study session turned into this, but I’m not bothered by this turn of events. Not. At. All.
“You’ve been distracting me, Birdie.” Gabriel’s voice is raspy as he leans in close, his lips ghosting over mine. It’s barely a kiss, and yet, tingles sweep through me. “Every day, you divert my attention.” Another kiss, this one lingering a bit longer. “The little sounds you make while you read.” Kiss. “Your huffs of frustration.” Kiss. “The way you roll your lip between your teeth when you concentrate.”
A strangled breath gets caught in my throat before it escapes me on a wheeze. I had no idea the Hunter had been watching me so closely. “I didn’t know I did that.”
He laughs as if we’re having a normal conversation and he isn’t lying on top of me, the evidence of his arousal digging into me. “No?”
“I never really paid that much attention to myself, I guess. I’m just me. That’s all. When most people look at me, all they see is my Mark.” And I suppose that for a time, that’s all I saw when I looked at myself, too. I was nothing but a Given, a gods-blessed waiting to serve her purpose.
Gabriel’s eyes darken, and he studies me more intently. I should hate the way he’s looking at me, as if I’m his prey, but I don’t. I can’t. His hardness is pressing into my thigh, proving that he’s as affected by this as I am, and it makes me feel powerful.
I might be his prey, but maybe, he’s mine, too.
“It seems as though there’s a more important lesson you need to learn today,” he finally says.
I glance at the discarded book. “Honestly, I’m not sure I learned all that much.”
An amused half chuckle, half growl emits from Gabriel’s chest. I didn’t even know it was possible for a person to make such a sound.
“I see. Allow me to take over your education for the day.” He leans in close, his breath warming my lips. “You’re going to be a good girl and listen to me, okay?”
I inhale sharply. “Yes,” I breathe, because what else can I say?
“Good,” he rumbles. “Now pay attention, Birdie, because I’ve noticed you. I’ve been watching you, studying your every movement.”
Maybe his statement should scare me, but it doesn’t. Instead, warmth unfurls within me. Heseesme. Has anyone ever done that before?
