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I sighed and threw a leg over his, selfishly soaking up his warmth like a sponge. “It’s just that life has gotten…strange. Well, stranger than usual.”
His fingertips stuttered before they continued tracing a random pattern over my naked thigh. “What do you mean?”
I mimicked the designs on his chest while I considered how to answer with enough ambiguity to avoid a crushing headache. “I’ve met some people. It scares me.”
Prince tensed beneath me, his heart stuttering beneath my ear. “They scare you?”
“No, not them.” I shifted to nuzzle my face into the crook of his neck, and he relaxed a little. “My…issues have always made it hard for me to get close to people. Once I came to terms with that, it was easy to be alone, but they…I don’t know. They’re just different. They make me feel different.”
“Different how?”
I chewed my lip while I tried to sift through my thoughts. “Confused,” I finally answered. “With other people, I’ve always been frightened of what I could do.”
“And with them?”
“I’m afraid of what I want to do.”
14
CORDELIA
I woke up in the morning with Orion in my face and a deep ache in my chest. The furry beast licked my nose again, and I whined in complaint before scooping him into a hug.
“What is happening to me?” I mumbled into his soft coat. The rest of my sleep last night was fitful at best, haunted by the growing number of men my magic kept trying to collect. The box in the back of my mind labeled ‘unpack later’ was starting to overflow. My magic was changing, and sooner or later I was going to have to figure out why.
Around these men—Bellamy, Lucian, Quinn—it’s become less a reaction and more an active participant. It was as if there’d been a sleeping entity in my soul and now it was awake, driving me toward them, whispering in my ear. The more I fought against it, the worse it got. My heart twisted in agony when I denied the impulse and tried to smother the desire running through my veins. And with each encounter, the craving grew.
How long would it be before my magic shoved me out of my own body and took over completely?
“Can you fix it, sweet boy?” Orion revved his motor, the vibrations sinking into my ribcage. It was a valiant effort, and I loved him all the more for it. His purr could make almost anything better. He let me snuggle him for a few more minutes, fingers buried in his charcoal fur, before he decided he’d waited long enough for his breakfast.
I grabbed my phone off the side table. “Ten-thirty?!” I launched out of bed and tripped over my feet to the cupboard where his food was stored. “I’m sorry, baby!” I grabbed a can and made a mental note of the dwindling stock.
Once he was settled, I started the kettle and made my way to the bathroom. It was my day off, and all I really wanted was to curl up with the next book in the sexy shifter series I was binging, but life persisted. And I needed groceries. There weren’t even fruits or veggies in the fridge, unless…
Did maraschino cherries count as a fruit?
The lonely jar of bright red orbs was all that was left from a night of crushing grief when I was sure that an ice cream sundae was the only thing that would keep me alive. I rubbed at my sternum, suddenly craving ice cream.
“No, Cordie. Bad.”
I’d just finished pulling on a pair of dark gray joggers and had my head halfway through a long-sleeved top when there was a loud banging on the door. I jumped, and Orion scampered behind the futon. Who the hell would pound on someone’s door like that?
With the back of my neck tingling, I crept over to look through the peephole. A very perturbed-looking landlord was waiting on the other side. I slid the chain off and twisted the deadbolt, pulling the door open with an abundance of caution.
“Good morning, Mr. Mason,” I said, willing my voice to stay steady. “How can I help you?”
The cantankerous old man’s mouth turned down in a scowl. “You can start by paying your rent on time, Ms. Grace.”
My stomach dropped. “Oh, no. I’m so sorry. I completely lost track of the days.”
“Clearly.” Mr. Mason didn’t look impressed by my apology.
“I’ll turn it in today,” I rushed to assure him. “I promise.”
Mr. Mason narrowed his dark eyes at me. “Yes, you will. And you’ll include a late fee.”
“Of course.” I dipped my head as my cheeks burned with anger. It didn’t matter that the windows wouldn’t seal and the water heater was always breaking, as long as he got his rent on time. I bit my tongue before I could point that out. After another three seconds of silent intimidation, he huffed and stomped away.
