Page 65 of Lost and Bound

Arlan doesn’t seem to have the same control. He scoffs loudly. “Enough of the world according to Maya.”

I shift my gaze, not hiding what I think of him, before I turn my attention back to Cane. “The vision took me back to the place where the attack happened, and where the Legion appeared. There’s a large spruce on the edge of where we were standing. There’s something hidden near the base of the tree.”

“What was the item?” Cane pushes, his skepticism makes the green of his eyes harden like emeralds again.

I look down and take a calming breath because he won’t be happy I don’t have the answer.

Bael interrupts. “Her vision stopped before we saw what the object was, but I know where it is.”

“Good. Take Arlan and Emrys with you and retrieve it. In the meantime, I’ll finish the test we obviously need.”

“Obviously?” I ask, no longer able to hide the contempt these men continue to conjure.

“Some Noms have a few visions, Maya. A few, but that’s it. And they don’t have the ability to share visions with other beings. No one does. So, yes, the test is obvious because we’re at the point once again where the questions about who you actually are and why you’re here are piling up. I’m thinking of locking you in here to protect all the other students at Thales.”

I burst out laughing at the absurdity of his explanation. Then my laughter keeps going until I’ve got tears wetting my cheeks at how offended he looks that I’m not taking him seriously. It takes a few minutes to pull myself together.

My giggles stay with me as Cane sets everything up for the test, even when the others leave us. Of course, my frame of mind dips dangerously close to hysteria when he reaches for my hand.

“Ready for the magik?” He doesn’t wait for a response; Cane uses his shifter speed to nab my finger.

There’s a pop in my ears one second, then a sharp, sudden pain the next. It makes me try to rip my hand away from him, but he holds it so tightly that it makes escape impossible.

“Don’t faint again, will you?” Cane says it is like a challenge.

Using his supernatural speed, and before I can catch the scent of iron or see the result of his jab, he puts my damn finger in his mouth.

“What the fuck… Professor!” I screech.

I thought I knew conflict, but here I am with Professor Cane’s lips curled around my finger. The small tug of him sucking on it blitzes through my body and scrambles my brain. Then my brain loops again. He’s got my finger in his mouth, and the torment grows but gets diverted and lost in the sensation all over again.

I want the world to swallow me whole because I should be incensed. He doesn’t trust me, he cut my finger, he’s locked me in the house, and he talks like an asshat to me all the time. But his eyes are like golden orbs as they watch me closely. It’s disorientating and doesn’t help my thoughts right themselves because I know what he’s doing is wrong, but it feels so very right. Then throw in that his unique, and slightly addictive, scent is all I can breathe. I’m so lost, but happily so.

“It’s Cane, Maya,” he says softly, his voice vibrating through my senses. A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth as he continues sucking on my finger while he talks. “And there’s no need to swear.”

“I’m pretty sure this is a great time for profanity, Professor. You’re not exactly consistent in the personality stakes, and right now I’m very confused.”

He growls and does something with his tongue that echoes through my soul. “You keep forgetting I have two very distinctive sides to who I am.”

“Maybe,” I squeak, finally finding the strength necessary to pull my finger free.

Then I wish I had the courage to push it back between his lips, which are outrageously soft. To make things even weirder, I then talk to Cane as if he’s someone I can rely on, trust, even.

“Honestly, I don’t understand anything in my life. Not since I had to climb the fence to escape. Nothing makes sense.”

A rumble spills from him and I’m thrown again, not knowing why he’s upset until I see his eyes and know the wolf is receding.

I figure we need a distraction before we both start offending each other again.

“How long does the test take?”

“A few minutes.”

“Why did the Legion attack?”

“Perhaps to test our defenses.”

“To what end, though?”