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“Oh, no you don’t,” I warn, digging my fingers into his hair as a war builds within me. His touch makes all of my nerve endings tingle, and the smooth sound of his voice causes a hot, molten feeling to stir low in my belly. However, my brain is shrieking about how mortifying it would be to be caught like this, and so far, I still haven’t found any evidence of the mole people to escape to. “Your grandmother is here to help you get better, remember? Also, I want your family to like me.”
He sighs while looking up at me, resting his chin on my belly. “My parents already like you, and if the Lannister twins are any indication of the rest of my extended family, I’m not sure I give a shit what they think.”
I try to use Connor’s trick of silence to get people to do what he wants by giving Nolan one of my no-nonsense stares. He attempts to fight the stare with one of his own, but I win with pure stubbornness.
Nolan groans as he climbs out of bed. His sweats ride low, showcasing the birthmark on his hip, and his hair somehow looks sexily mussed as he makes his way to his walk-in closet. He’s lost weight, his skin appearing taut over raw muscle, and it makes him resemble some fae creature from the deep wilds, both willowy and strong.
“I can feel you undressing me with your eyes,” he teases, glancing at me over his shoulder. “You’re welcome to join me in here and see it for real.”
“Rain check,” I reply, attempting to sound breezy and unaffected, while I get out of bed to retrieve a change of clothes from my backpack that lies abandoned near the top of the stairs.
He doesn’t respond. I look over at him to find him leaning against the closet’s entry, his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze stuck on my bare legs.
“What?” I chirp, self-consciously rubbing the top of my left foot along the back of my right calf.
Shaking his head, he offers me a sweet smile. “You’re beautiful. Sometimes it’s hard to keep my eyes off you.”
I smile shyly back while tucking my hair behind my ears. It’s these moments when he’s earnest in his compliments that truly make me feel undone.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
As if my body has a mind of its own, I walk to him, my bare feet silent on the carpeted floor. He stands up straight as I approach, opening his arms to wrap around me when I reach up to hold his face between my hands. As I pull his face down to mine, my heart dances in fluttery beats as I press my lips to his. With a slow, lingering kiss, I show him all that I feel for him—all the joy and love he inspires within me—and how grateful I am that he’s now mine.
When the kiss ends, he leans into me, appearing a little dazed. “Remind me to compliment you more often.”
I grin. “Now go get dressed.”
“Beautiful and cruel,” he murmurs with humor and then releases me to go make himself presentable for his mysterious grandmother.
∞∞∞
The twins silently escort us to the sitting room where the rest of Nolan’s family waits, straightening hair and clothes that were already immaculate. I start mimicking the gestures, wishing I had something nicer to wear than jeans, a T-shirt, and my favorite red hoodie. When I touch my hair for the third time, Nolan steals my hand and laces our fingers together.
He looks tired, his shoulders sagging and eyes drooping with purple smudges underneath. His outfit choice of well-worn jeans and a thick, gray hoodie heightens his overall aura of weariness. I can’t tell if it’s from illness or because he’s awake before noon, but his hands are cold. Harnessing trickles of my magic into our clasped hands, I will it to travel up his arm and over his body, replacing the cloak of heat from earlier with one that more tightly skims his body. He gives me a twitch of a smile.
As we approach the familiar sitting room where Nolan first told his parents about the curse, I overhear Nolan’s mother, Lillian, state with a voice infused with strained patience, “I would have preferred for you to leave your thralls at home. We have more than enough blood to sustain you all, and we have human servants who work in this household who are ignorant of our ways. You’re not in Prima anymore.”
“Drink cold bagged blood? You must be joking,” a cutting, feminine voice replies with disdain. “The blood is weak, and the anticoagulant citrate has a horrid aftertaste. I’d rather drink fresh animal blood than that swill.”
“That could be arranged,” Nolan’s father, Robert, drawls with barely hidden frustration.
“What did you say, you poltroon viper?” the cold, feminine voice seethes. “I’ll have you know my Lillian was a proper lady who knew her duties until she met you. What a waste of potential. She could have been—”
“I promise we’ll be discreet,” another feminine voice, this one soft and breathy, interrupts gently. “We take Martin and Maria with us for all our travels. They know how to blend in.”
With the entrance to the room in sight, Ellessa smooths out her skirt and twists her hair over one shoulder. Whispering under her breath, she advises, “Grandmother appears to be upset. I suggest you speak only when spoken to, keep your answers concise—she hates when people ramble—and perhaps try not to draw attention to your… girlfriend.”
“Should I leave?” I ask, wanting to support Nolan but also not wanting to make his first visit with his extended family difficult.
“It might be best if—” Kaven starts but is immediately cut off by Nolan.
“I want you here,” he states bluntly, giving my hand a tight squeeze. “If they have a problem with you, then they can leave.”
“But your grandmother is here to help you, and I don’t want to be…” I argue, starting to pull away.
“Don’t just hover at the door, children. Come in,” the harsh voice of their grandmother intones, eliminating my chance for a graceful escape.
The twins square their shoulders, holding their chins at a slightly upward angle, and plaster a neutral expression across their faces before entering. Nolan strolls in after with an iron grip on my hand, ready to drag me into the room if I try to flee.
