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He clasped his hands at his back. Not long ago, he would have simply turned and left, but he wanted to try and be more open, even if he was struggling with the concept. “It went as well as could be expected.”
She cocked a brow. “I expected her not to wish to speak to either of us anytime soon,” she replied in earnest.
It seemed she’d assumed as much as he had. That Gwendolyn would be leery of their kind after what she’d experienced. Niah twisted her lips, as if she were not sure she should speak what was on her mind.
“She likes you, you know.”
His spine straightened.
Niah smirked at his physical response. “I don’t understand it either,” she added. “Just don’t fuck it up if you can help it.”
Sirus bristled at that. “What?”
Niah sauntered closer and crossed her arms over her chest, looking at him as if he were the one in need of training. “It’s clear you’re interested in her as well,” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You cannot help but stare at her every chance you get. And there’s no mistaking that dark look in your eye when you do.”
Sirus scowled down at her, which only seemed to amuse her that much more. It was true that if anyone would have noticed his attentions toward Gwendolyn, it would have been Niah. He feared Levian and Barith were beginning to suspect as well.
“There’s nothing to fuck up,” he made clear. “Gwendolyn is my charge. I will see this through.” It was just as he’d told Rath.
Niah raised a skeptical brow. “So you didn’t kiss her?” A flash of raw surprise flared, and he tamped it down in an instant. But not fast enough. His sister’s eyes widened. “You did kiss her.”
There was no way she could have known such a thing, unless Gwendolyn had told everyone, which Sirus doubted. She’d been regretful of their embrace, not boastful. Which meant Niah had been simply guessing, and he’d thoughtlessly let the truth slip out. Sirus turned on his heel, frustrated at himself for being so careless.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, brother,” she called out behind him with satisfied amusement. “Or anytime you’re ready for advice when it comes to the fairer sex.”
Her words were like nails in his ears, and he began to second-guess the benefits of this whole peacemaking business. He did not much care for the haste with which Niah felt comfortable doling out playful, sisterly prodding. He needed no advice. Especially not in regard to Gwendolyn. No, what Sirus needed was to rid himself of these thoughts and desires. To purge Gwendolyn from his blood, once and for all. For her sake and his own.
Now all he had to do was sort out how in the hell he was going to accomplish such a thing when she was living under his roof. Only 637 paces from his own bed.
Chapter Six
Of course they had to keep all the books in English that she might actually want to read on a shelf out of her reach. Gwen stretched her fingers as far as they would go trying to nab the binding of an old copy of Wuthering Heights, which, by the look of it, was probably a first edition. Most of the books in the library were first editions.
Gwen scrunched her face, straining on her toes as she leaned off the ladder. Her fingers grazed the edge. Almost there.
A ripple of chill flushed her skin, and she shuddered. That’s all it took for her precarious balance to give way. With a half-spoken curse, she went hurtling helplessly toward the floor, bracing herself for the impact. There was a blur beneath her, and instead of smashing into solid wood, she smashed into solid, warm muscle, the scent of Sirus wrapping around her even more tightly than his arms. With heavy breaths, her eyes shot up, and she found herself staring into his dark, beautiful face. His black curls were damp and tousled around his ears.
There was a rawness in his expression that sent a little flutter through her stomach. Only then did Gwen recognize that the entire front of her body was pressed firmly into his. She tried to speak, but her head was blank. All she could think was how good it felt to be pressed against him. How warm he was.
She hadn’t even realized he was holding her up until he leaned forward slightly and her bare toes touched the cool surface of the hardwood. “Thanks,” she managed to say, finally collecting herself. Or at least, she thought she’d said it. She wasn’t entirely sure she’d said anything, actually.
He nodded, releasing his grip slowly, as if he were afraid she might topple over again. She felt the absence of his touch and had to keep herself from leaning back into him.
Sirus was oddly still and silent, even for him, as his eyes locked on hers. Like he was trying very hard to not look elsewhere. Heat flooded her cheeks when she remembered what she was wearing. A skimpy silk nightgown Levian had given her. She’d given her several others too, but this one was her favorite. The color was a deep gray that brought out the green in her eyes. Gwen reached down and cinched together her open robe. Sirus blinked the moment she was covered, and she could have sworn a flicker of disappointment flashed over him. It made her skin burn that much more.
“What are you doing here?” she questioned him, her voice husky and harsh.
He leaned back on his heel. Gwen couldn’t help noticing that his entire body was tensed. Even his neck was strained. She shifted away from him, needing to clear her head. Needing air to breathe, since it seemed like all the oxygen had been sucked out of their immediate vicinity.
“I came to speak with Levian,” he replied. His voice was cool, but there was rasp in it that sent a skitter of electricity over her skin.
“She’s not here,” Gwen half stuttered.
He cocked one of his thick black brows. Obviously the mage wasn’t there. The library was giant, but it wasn’t so large that he wouldn’t have noticed her absence. That, and the fact that Levian wasn’t tucked into her usual spot between a giant pile of books stacked on the table nearby.
“Why are you here?” he countered with much less bite than she’d delivered. “It’s late.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Gwen stammered, barely controlling the rise of heat in her cheeks. It was the truth, but she didn’t have to share all the details. Particularly the part about how she’d woken up all sweaty and panting from a dream where Sirus had the shadows wrapped around them, her back pressed against a tree, and his tongue working over her like she was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted. She’d finished her last book this morning and thought maybe a bit of reading would help distract her sex-crazed mind. “I came to find a book,” she added.
