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He smiles, then, and I catch another glint of silver on his tongue before he splays his hand out on my chest…
…and pushes me gently away.
“I haven’t decided yet,” he says with a smirk.
My lips part in realization as he hoists Penn’s bag over his shoulder.
“Alright,” I say. “Then let me show you the rest of the way to her room.”
We make our way through the courtyard, then I hop the railing on the other end. Shayd looks at me curiously, but follows me when I leap up to haul myself over a balcony. I dust myself off and reach for the door, and it opens when I send a stream of sparks through the locking mechanism.
The doors open up into a white and gold room with soft, sheer white curtains on every window: the villa’s master suite. Atlas had it made up for Penn, and it’s clear everything is freshly cleaned and laundered, a floral scent drifting through the air.
“Lot of work to get inside a room with, you know…a door,” Shayd says, his brow raised. “I’ll just put this down here.”
He places it next to the door, then eyes me. “And then I suppose I should go look for her. It’s my job to protect her, after all.”
“She’s with her husband,” I say. “Andyouwork too much.”
I stroll toward him, keeping an eye on his movements and reaching out with my Gift. He doesn’t move, leaning back against the wall and watching me the whole time, his eyes a pale silver that seems to glow in the dim light of the room.
“You know it wouldn’t be wrong,” I say. My Gift slides from his right hand up his shoulder, and he cranes his neck and moves his shoulders at the sensation. I know exactly how it feels; I’ve done this to myself enough times to know what hits right. “Atlas gave you the go-ahead. And we have time while they get to know each other.”
“It’s a distraction,” he says, his voice deep and throaty.
But he doesn’t tell me to stop.
“And isn’t that what you need? To stop you thinking about Penn and Atlas getting it on,” I say. My Gift drifts over his collarbone, under his high-necked black shirt, down his sternum. His lips part. He isreallypretty. “There’s a reason I have so many lovers.”
“Because you’re a horny bastard?” he asks.
I scoff. “No, because I’m good in bed.”
I pull my Gift away and Shayd sags against the wall, slowly standing upright again. He licks his lips, giving me one more glimpse of that silver tongue ring.
“If I don’t…” He pauses, his brow furrowing. “If I don’t get waylaid with other duties, tonight.”
I don’t quite register what he’s said for a moment, but it dawns on me quickly enough. I grin, letting out a short laugh. “It’s a date, then.”
He stands back and lets me exit first, and I brush my knuckles over his as I walk by. Our eyes lock, and I see a confusing combination of colors—like everything all at once, melding together in dizzying flashes of light. Soon, though, his eyes are colorless again, and he grabs me by the arm.
“Where will you be?” he asks.
I grin, flitting my eyes to my left. “Right next door.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
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PENN
I expected I would meet my future in-laws eventually, but I thought I would be able to put it off for a little longer. It's definitely easier to kill someone without knowing their parents.
Atlas looks at me, his brow furrowed. It's annoying that he seems to be able to read me so easily. "I didn't mean to spring this on you," he says. "I simply thought it might be easier to have you meet her as soon as we arrived back home. Like I said, she's very eager to meet you."
"I want...I don't know," I say, smiling up at him. "I just wanted to be a bit more prepared."
And you know…for some reason, you never think about the fact that even big scary mob bosses have moms.
