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“The witness said nothing about seeing a wolf run away, and it’s very rare a lycan would attack in human form like that.”

“What are you suggesting then?” I asked. “Who could’ve caused it? A vampire?”

He shook his head. “There was no mention of blood being drained nor any fang marks, so improbable.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, and I tracked the motion. “Noble of you, but vampires can be deceptive.”

“Anyone can be deceptive, Aura.” We looked at each other, a long pause in which all I could hear was our even breaths. “Your heart is racing,” he whispered.

“I know who they’re talking about. His name was Devlin. He was a bit of a legend, myth, some believed, but he was very much real.”

A deep line formed between his eyebrows.

“I hired him to fetch samples for me. It’s my fault he’s dead.”

“He was a hunter—an assassin. He would’ve gotten himself into danger, whether with an enemy or the authorities. You can’t take on the weight of something that would’ve happened anyway. Hiring him to fetch samples wasn’t hiring him to kill, was it?”

I shook my head. “I offered him sedation potions to subdue the lycans before getting a sample. He was specifically ordered not to kill.”

Sylvan placed a hand on my shoulder, and I made to bat it away, but my own hand didn’t comply.

I was too aware of how good his blood smelled. It was stronger than the soap on his skin, like teakwood and something I could never describe that smelled specifically like Sylvan. A comfortable warmth grew and wormed its way into my mindfulness. I stopped breathing, not wanting to scent him anymore, not wanting the rush of emotion to take hold as it had before.

Sylvan’s hand on my shoulder squeezed firmly, and the air rushed out of me. Longing funneled into my body, the emotions swirling around my navel. I wanted more of his touch. I wanted him to hold me as he had in the library. As he had in my office.

“I … I need to⁠—”

I didn’t finish my sentence before practically running away from him. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I had to go. I’d backtracked, and the next thing I knew, I was letting myself into my office. I should’ve gone outside to breathe in the fresh air and scowl at the sun.

Instead, I found myself surrounded by books, by his scent, by the memories of his poetry and his touch, and his⁠—

“What do you need?” he asked, lingering in the doorway. Of course he followed me.

“I need you to get the hells out of my office.”

My gaze swept from his soft brown curls to his amber eyes and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. He stepped into my office instead, nudging the door closed behind him. I turned away, desperate to gather my composure, to shove all the feelings away. I was scared. And my fears led to me needing comfort. And my need for comfort led to … whatever this was.

Something low in my stomach clenched, and the cramping pain left me momentarily dazed. Damp heat pooled between my thighs and sweat dripped down my back. If this was supposed to be arousal, it surely didn’t feel like it. It felt like my body was trying to tear itself in two. Like something was clawing to get out from within.

I clenched my muscles until they trembled, until it felt like my skin would burst. The bones in my hands cracked, claws fighting to break through. My eyes burned.

“Please, stop fighting it,” Sylvan said, pleading.

His warm breath tickled my neck, though I had no idea when he’d gotten so close.

“You control it, but only if you stop fearing it. Embrace the feelings, don’t fight them.”

I opened my mouth to tell him to shut up, but a pitiful whimper left my lips as I wrapped my arms around myself. I was still facing away from him, refusing to look at him.

“Exhale slowly. I’m going to touch you right at the top of your spine. Deep breath in and out.”

I was exhaling slowly when he pulled down the back of my dress. The moment his fingers stroked down from the top of my spine, I arched back into him with a soft gasp. The tension in my muscles deflated, and his free arm wrapped around my waist.

“Do that again,” I whispered.

His breath was warm against the side of my neck. “Do what?” The feel of his lips grazing my skin was divine. “This?” he asked as he reached around me. His palm settled on my sternum, his thumb circling over the hollow of my neck.

It tingled. Everywhere.