“Maybe because I felt guilty for drenching you,” he responded light-heartedly. “Or because I didn’t want you walking home in the dark while it was pouring rain?”
I stared up at him, water dripping from my curls as I studied him closely, not entirely sure how I felt at the moment.
“You need to stop appearing everywhere I am,” I admitted into the night air after a few moments.
“Is that what I’m doing?” he asked, not missing a beat. “I thought we agreed it was you who was stalking me.”
I huffed a breath of air as I stepped up to the door of my building. “No.” The word was more of a whisper as he stood over me, rain hitting us from all angles. “I’m definitely avoiding you.”
“If you say so,” he replied, his voice taking a more serious tone as I stepped up to the door and he followed suit.
“Nope. This is where I leave you,” I stated as my arm darted across the entrance to the apartment building, blocking his advance.
Amber eyes lit up as he looked down at me.
“You sure about that?” he asked, his voice dark as his eyes tracked me.
I took a deep breath, which was a mistake, as I inhaled a lungful of his scent. Amber and leather flooded my system as my eyes narrowed at his proximity.
“Yes.” I nodded.
He reached out, tucking a wet strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers were slowly tracing down the column of my neck in a movement that had my body involuntarily shifting closer to him. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, as I stared into his eyes, loving the feel of his fingers on me.
He leaned forward, his breath caressing the shell of my ear as he whispered, “Until next time, starlight.”
“There won’t be a next time, Sergeant,” I replied.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” The words fell in the minimal space between our bodies as I looked up at him, tracing the outer edge of his lips. Lips that were so close to mine. Lips that?—
I shook my head, taking a step back from his towering frame as my finger pressed against the keycard access and a faint buzz filled the space, before the front door to my building slid open.
“Good night,” I answered breathlessly as I forced my body to step backward, into the foyer.
20
RAELYNA
We stoodat the back entrance of the Solis Library, cloaked in the shadows of darkness as we waited for Sage to let us in.
“Ready?” the question sounded from a far too familiar feminine voice, and I whirled in the night, findingbothof my sisters standing before me.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, my eyes focused on Kira, before turning to Orela. “And you certainly shouldn’t be breaking any rules tonight, not with Lucanus being the way he’s been.”
Both of my sisters rolled their eyes at my words.
“You’re not in charge of us, Rae. Wewantto be here with you,” Kira replied.
“And you can’t protect me forever,” Orela added. “It’s just research . . . I want to help in some way.”
My eyes darted between both my sisters, and I could easily read the looks of pure determination written across their features.
“Fine,” I replied eventually. “But it goes on record that I don’t think this is the best idea.”
“Just add it to the ever-growing list of things our older sisterdoesn’t approve of,” Kira joked as she tugged her dune wrap up higher.
A puff of air slipped from my lips in amusement, right before we heard the back door click open, and Sage was urging us through the entrance to the library.
She motioned for silence as we snuck past the metal door. The libraries were once public access, and although they were still technically considered public, you now had to make specific appointments to access the records stored within these buildings. Access was not granted to those with lower affinities in any way. Which meant that I hadn’t set foot inside these walls in over a century, and neither Orela or Kira had ever been given the opportunity to view the libraries.
