Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Feeling his lips twitch, Cain swept a hand up her sleek back. “And to think I almost had Dantalion cover for me that day you came to the mansion looking for residency.”
She lifted her head to meet his gaze. “You did?”
Cain nodded. “My mood was … not good. I was tempted to retreat my garden for a few hours. If I had, it would have been him you made a deal with.” Cain twisted his mouth. “It would not have been easy to convince him to give me his rights to your soul, but I’d have somehow managed it.”
Her brows snapped together. “Wait, give them to you?”
Cain felt this brow arch. “You think I’d have allowed anyone else to own any rights to any part of you?”
Sitting up straighter, she gave her head a little shake. “I mean, how could he have given them to you?”
“Ancients can trade souls, or even the partial rights we hold to them. Dantalion doesn’t have an undead soul in his collection, so he wouldn’t have parted with half of yours easily no matter what person in my service I offered him in exchange.”
“Wouldn’t I have had some say in the matter?”
“No, because once you give up that half of your soul, you no longer have a say in what happens to it.”
“You never mentioned that before.”
“I figured it was obvious.” Cain used his thumb to smooth away the line that furrowed her brow. “Don’t worry, sweet witch, I’d never give away my rights to your soul. They will never belong to anyone but me.”
She swallowed. “Even if this thing we have ends?”
“Even then. But it won’t end. I won’t let it. I thought I made that clear.”
“You did,” said Wynter, putting a placatory hand on his chest, not liking how his expression had hardened. “It’s not that I doubt your honesty. It’s just that, well, things don’t always work out the way we want them to.” It was a lesson she’d learned early.
“But sometimes they do. And this will.”
He said it so simply, so resolutely, it made her chest ache. Though she believed he meant every word, she couldn’t quite conjure up enough faith to also believe that her secrets would change nothing between them. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am. So often that it’s irritating, according to Seth.” His eyes flitted over her face, warm and intent. “Too beautiful for words.”
“That was a nice thing to say. You’re quite the looker, too. For an old guy.”
Humor lit his eyes. “An old guy?”
“Well, you do predate the Bible.”
“As does your soul. It has led many lives. And no, I cannot tell you about them—I have no access to such details. But I have enough knowledge of souls to sense that yours is very old.”
“You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Using that weird tone when you talk about my soul. Like it’s a shiny toy.”
His lips quirking, Cain pressed a kiss to her neck. “I do enjoy playing with it. You enjoy it just as much. I’m planning to play with it some more while we shower.”
Her body stirred. “I look forward to it. But I gotta warn you … it won’t matter how many more monumental orgasms you give me tonight, or how sweet and complimentary you keep being, I’m still gonna be on the proverbial battlefield.”
His hand gently delved into her hair and combed his fingers through it. “Understood,” he said, sounding oh so agreeable.
She bit back a snort. She didn’t doubt for a single moment that he’d try to keep her out of harm’s way. Wynter wasn’t too worried about it, though, because he had no way of truly confining her anywhere. He simply didn’t know it yet.
Bracing her elbows on the dining table, Wynter rubbed her temples. “Xavier, I can’t keep doing this with you.”
“You wouldn’t have to if you’d only shove logic aside for a minute,” he said, leaning forward in his seat. “In the grand scheme of things, what does it really matter if an Alpha lycan goes ‘missing?’”
Wynter dropped her hands to the table. “It will matter to his pack. A lot.”
“Or they’ll be thrilled that someone else gets the chance to be Alpha. Did you ever think of that? I could be doing them a favor.”
“A favor?” echoed Delilah in a mocking tone. “Really?” Stood at the stove with Anabel as they worked on a new batch of a particular potion, Delilah shook her head and gave him her back.
“Yes, really,” clipped Xavier.
Wynter sighed. Getting through to the guy could sometimes be a trial. “As I’ve said before several times, whatever Ancient has rights to Elias’s soul wouldn’t be happy if anything happened to him. The Ancients don’t take kindly to anyone screwing with their ‘property.’”
He snorted. “That didn’t stop you from trapping two berserkers in the netherworld.”
Yeah, well, they weren’t talking about Wynter.