Page 41 of Pucked Around and Found Out

And I have no idea how to fight something that's already burrowed so deep inside me I can't tell where she ends and I begin anymore.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

TOREN

The look in his eyes is one I have never seen before.

He's looking at me, but for the first time, it's like he's actually seeing me. Not the daughter of the man he hates. Not the sister of the guy who ruined his life.

Just me.

Toren.

The girl he refuses to admit he feels anything for.

I steel my spine and hold his gaze, refusing to be the first to look away. I need his help. Without it, that bitch wins and I refuse to allow that. She used my friends for her own gain, and that is not something I will stand for.

The fact that I'm hiding the truth about Cas from Xaden sits like a stone in my gut, but I won't rat him out and sign his death warrant. Xaden needs Cas. Without him, I fear Xaden would lose what little humanity he has left.

“You know that Meekan covered up that night in order to protect our fathers.” My voice is steady despite the fear thrumming through my veins. “What you don't know is that Meekan wasn't the only one covering it up.”

His face slackens. He stands there immobile, staring at me with an intensity that makes me want to squirm, but I don't.

I won't give him the satisfaction.

“There is another player in this war. One neither of us knew about.”

“Who?” His tone is harsh and commanding, but I ignore it and push on.

“You once told my brother that you'll always be ten steps ahead, and I believed that.” I take a breath. “Until a few nights ago when I met the bitch who rivals the devil himself. She isn't like you, Cas, Masen, or even our fathers. She plays between the gray areas of the law, bends the rules enough that she can never be charged, but make no mistake, Xaden, she is fucking dirty.”

“Who the fuck is it?” he grits out through clenched teeth, taking a step closer. “If this is some fucking ploy to keep me distracted while your masked freaks and new lover boy try to take out my men, I'll slaughter you, Toren. Right where you fucking stand.”

The fact that he called me by my name—not Tink—means he's serious.

And I believe him.

Because the dark look in his eyes promises so much pain.

“Deputy Director Fiona Williams of the CIA.”

The transformation is instantaneous and terrifying.

Pure malice shadows his features. The shadows he loves so much encircle him, shrouding him in their darkness. His eyes burn with the promise of pain and vengeance, cold and calculated.

I can see the cogs in his mind whirling, working overtime, trying to formulate a plan without knowing all the details.

“Get in the car,” he grits out, then tries to move around the hood.

I reach out and grip his arm. He yanks it free and whirls on me. I brace for him to try and choke me.

Instead, he uses his body to pin me against the front of the car.

Memories of the night at the cemetery flash through my mind and I begin to ache for him. I slam the lid shut on those thoughts, knowing this isn't the time to be thinking about how amazing he feels inside me.

He dips his head down until we're eye level, leaving barely an inch of space between us. I can feel the heat of his breath on my lips, taste him on the tip of my tongue.

Suddenly all thoughts flee. I can't focus on a single thing except for him.