Page 102 of Vervain

Serun breathes a laugh. “I knew that comment bothered you.”

Removing my hands from his, I lift the washcloth and wipe away the blood staining his jaw. “You don’t see me as merely an object of desire. You’re careful. Attentive. A little creepy in the way you watch me, but I like that you do.”

“Is this a declaration?”

“Almost.”

He bends on one knee, his hand slipping into his pocket and taking out something shiny and silver. “I don’t kneel, but for you, I’d do so for eternity.”

“What’s this?” I breathe, my voice lost to the pounding of my heart.

Serun takes my hand, slipping the silver band onto my ring finger. “A gift. Whether you want to see it as just a piece of jewellery or a wedding band is entirely up to you—but I will wear mine with pride knowing I gained an almost declaration from the one being I wish my heart could beat for.”

“Serun…”

He rises, sliding on his own silver band.

I lower the cloth, then gently touch his chin with my other hand, the silver band glistening in the warm light. My long nails scrape across flesh as I guide him down to me. “Seal it with a kiss, nightwalker.” Our mouths have barely touched when a thought slams into me. “Where’s Olivia?”

Serun’s brow twitches. “I am wounded that your thoughts went to your servant when you were about to kiss me. I deserve all your thoughts.”

“Focus, Serun,” I say, swaying his head from side to side. “Is she okay?”

His hands rest on my cheek and he says, “She is in the other room and fine.”

I want to ask more about her. My last memory was when she ate the slayer and then passed out. However, his greed collides with mine. His mouth tastes my flesh, and his tongue dances with mine attentively until another thought derails me.

“The dog? Have you seen it since the fight?” I say, pulling away.

Another irritated sigh comes from him. “You cannot ask for a kiss and then evade it. I’m greedy. And this word jealous, as many have called me as of late, gets underneath my skin.”

I blink slowly. “But you are jealous.”

“I do not understand the terminology. It doesn’t seem to be in the book I was reading. What is jealous, and why does it sound offensive?”

Bubbled laughter escapes me, breaking through the hard shell I try to hide within. I rest my body against his, and Serun stiffens, his hands hovering as though unsure if he should embrace me.

I place my hand on his chest. He grunts, muscles tightening beneath my flesh. “Worry, fear, sickness, and irritation when you think of my Blessed, Jaxton, and strangely, Olivia—this is jealousy.” My lips brush against his marble chest, and then his hands finally understand what to do, and they wrap around me. “You want my attention. You want me to only yearn for you, just as I only want you to yearn for me.”

“What have I become?” he says with disgust.

“My cute plaything,” I say.

“Cute,” he drawls, now even more offended.

I ignore his prickling annoyance as I touch the scar that seems to cause him to turn to stone, my mind going elsewhere. “The slayer’s dog defended me. I don’t know why, but before the slayer could shoot me, the dog attacked him.”

“Fascinating,” Serun says, his breath tickling my hairline. “Is it because you’re a vegodian?”

I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. Perhaps it’s something to ask my mum when I see her again.”

“You should write a list. I want you to get every answer you need.”

I bite my lower lip and nod. “I will sleep on it. I’m still tired, Serun.”

“Then let us rest.” He faces the bed and grimaces. “It is no deathbed, but Sancliff is safe and clear of slayers.”

My frown deepens, and I step away from his embrace, place the cloth on the bedframe, then crawl over the covers. “How are we in here without an invitation?”