It should have been just them, an intimate moment to be shared with no one else, but Anna sensed the vision coming just before it happened. Her mind blanked, and through a curtain of future shimmer, instead of green eyes, she was gazing into cobalt blue.Should we stop?Sean asked, his voice a husky blend of fatigue and desire.
Anna’s heart squeezed tight.
No.
What was that?
From far away, her own voice echoed.Please don’t stop.
As it dissolved, she succumbed to a moment of panicky denial.
That couldn’t have been what she thought. It couldn’t have even been real. Her mind was playing tricks on her, certainly.
To destroy the image, she pulled David down, capturing his mouth in a messy kiss, and when he finally pressed himself deep inside her, there wasn’t an ounce of pain, just like he’d promised. Only pleasure existed, mounds and mounds of it, paired with the sense of having found something she hadn’t realized she wanted. Something she needed. Something she might not be able to live without.
Something dangerous.
CHAPTER 29
SEAN
Sean rubbed his throbbing jaw where his trainer had landed a hard blow.
Get up, Cathaire Signed.
On one knee in the grass, Sean spit the blood from his mouth and threw a glare at him.
The pixie lifted both arms. “This is what you wanted, no?”
“I said I needed distraction, not a death sentence.”
Cathaire scoffed. “No such thing as a death sentence for the Savior.”
Sean’s eye twitched. He stood to face Cathaire again, diving deep into Lhynion’s memories to extract combat skills. The Blademaster struck, and Sean blocked him with one arm. A quick succession of kicks and punches ended with Cathaire on the ground, Sean digging a forearm into his throat.
Improvement, the pixie Signed with a grand smile.
Sean drew back and reclined on his elbows to catch his breath. He wiped the sweat from his brow, wishing it was so easy to wipe the anxiety from his mind.
The pixie mimicked Sean’s pose and snatched up a blade of grass.The vibrant green twisted in Cathaire’s thin fingers. “We have lingered too long here. My Leyla will be cross.”
Sean smiled at the way Cathaire said her name, alwaysMy Leyla, as if the possession were just a part of her. He’d noticed it among other bonded couples, too. One could always tell a pair of mated pixies by the lack of touch and the abundance of eye contact, by the way they revolved around each other yet remained entirely separate.
He’d never have that, Sean realized. And he didn’t want it. Not with Bel. Not after this.
Throwing a smile toward Cathaire, he said, “Will she forgive me for stealing you this afternoon if I bring her some of Aunt Blaire’s jasmine tea?”
Cathaire stood. “She does love that concoction.” He pointed toward the forest. “I believe your lady requires a word.”
Sean’s gaze landed on Isobel standing in the shadows of the trees. Her hunter-green dress blended with the forest, and her auburn curls were braided away from her face. Even from this distance, even in his anger, Sean sensed her allure. A sigh escaped before he could stop it.
Cathaire raised a brow. “Trouble?”
He offered a half-hearted shrug. “They say she’ll die for me.”
The Blademaster’s gaze dropped to his hands, where he busied himself loosening and retightening his leather belt. “Aye.”
“What lengths would you go to to keep someone alive if you knew you’d die when they did?”
