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“I tried,” he growls. “Fuck knows I tried to resist, but…”
“Resist me?” The idea seems ludicrous, laughable even, when all I want is to be devoured by those lips, by him.
“Want to worship you,” he murmurs, his voice ragged with need. “Would do anything you wanted. Anything.”
Heat pools low in my belly at his words. Worship me? That’s a power I’m not sure I should wield, but oh, how I want to test it. My breaths come quick, stolen in the space between temptation and reason, as Luka’s hands move to my waist, pulling me toward his lap.
And then I remember what’s stopped me this whole time.
Oberon, tied to a bed so he couldn’t stop me.
Gunnar, going crazy because he thinks I’m gone for good.
“Stop,” I choke out, the word a bullet fired into the thick tension between us. My hands press against his chest—not pushing him away, but not pulling him closer either.
Luka freezes, his arm still looped around me. The cliffside air is cool, and it bites at my flushed skin. “Aisling?”
I shake my head, trying to clear the fog of desire that’s clouding my judgment. “I can’t. This—us—it’s playing with fire.”
“Isn’t that what you want?” His voice is raw, like gravel dragged over bare emotions.
“Yeah, I do.” The truth burns on my tongue, hot and undeniable. “But not like this. Not when everything’s a mess, Luka. We’re a mess.”
“Since when are you afraid of a little chaos?” There’s a challenge in his eyes, a spark that threatens to reignite the flame he’s just kindled.
“Since it could burn the people I love.” I pull myself out of his embrace, a move that feels like tearing a part of me away. “This isn’t just about what we want. It’s bigger than that.”
He goes still. “It’s about Gunnar and Oberon.”
“It is,” I nod. “And all the omegas trapped here. I need…I have to focus, Luka.”
Luka’s silent, but he nods—and I have to hope that means he understands, since I’m already running back across the island toward the temple.
I can’t be in his company any longer if I want to keep resisting.
And I have to keep resisting when there’s so much at stake.
Chapter twelve
Luka
I slide a charcoal pencil across the rough paper, my fingers smudging the lines into shapes that resemble the twisted streets of this godforsaken island. It's late, and the only sounds are the scratch of my makeshift cartography and the distant crash of waves against the shore. The map takes form, alley by alley, building by ruined building.
"Rook, you there?" my voice is a whisper as I press the talk button on the radio.
I think I’m alone at here in the dark by the cliff, but I can never be too careful when there are enemies everywhere—and when Aisling’s life is on the line. Rook takes his sweet time responding, though his voice finally crackles to life.
"Not getting much sleep these days,” he mutters. “Just waiting for more information from you. So what’s up?"
"Sending you another piece of the puzzle," I say, eyes scanning the map for any missed details. "North side’s mostly residential, bunks for initiates and the like. South side is where the dock is located, that’s our escape route. But at the center is the temple…and that’s where Ais thinks they’re keeping the imprisoned omegas."
"Got it." There's a pause, the kind that tells me he's mulling over every word. “Any way you can get me a copy?”
“I’ll see if I can get enough of a signal on my phone anywhere on the island, but I doubt it,” I mutter. “They run a tight ship around here.”
"Understood.” He pauses again, and I can hear the concern in his voice when he pipes up. “Keep your head down, Luka."
"What do you think I’m gonna do?” I chuckle. “I’m not the biggest troublemaker, Rook. You know I’m professional.”
