Page 35 of Tender Thorns
That makes his lips pinch. “Did you kill anyone?” he asks again in a hushed tone.
“No,” I answer. “I thought you believed me.”
“I do, which is good. It means they will too, but I need to be sure. If you did kill them, just make sure they know it was in self-defense.” He reaches over and grabs a shirt without even looking and slips it over his head.
“Well, I didn’t.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“I don’t care if you kill the entire lot of them.” He grabs my face between his hands and stares into my eyes. “I just need to know so I can protect you.”
“I didn’t kill anyone,” I promise, though it sounds a little dreamy. No one has ever protected me, and the thought of it actually makes me all gooey with emotions I don’t want or need.
“Then I probably won’t need to kill anyone either,” he says conversationally.
“Probably?”
He shrugs one heavy shoulder, then leans forward. I know what he’s about to do, and my stomach flips in response. The urge to lick my lips becomes unbearable, so the underside of my tongue ends up swiping across his lip right before he places his mouth against mine. Neither of us move for a heartbeat. I think I surprised us both.
I open my mouth to apologize, but he chooses that exact moment to slide his fingers into my hair and slip his tongue into my mouth. My breath catches in my throat, but it’s nothing compared to the swarm of butterflies flipping in my stomach. When his tongue brushes over mine, a foreign heaviness settles low in my belly.
“I don’t have the patience for insolence,” Syrinx announces loud enough that I have to wonder if she’s standing right behind me.
Heeding the warning, Ziv slows the kiss I would have easily called desperate only seconds before, then he nips my lip. I findmyself lifting up on my toes to stay with him just a breath longer when he finally pulls away.
Opening my eyes feels like a burden, but when I find the strength to do it, I’m rewarded by the sight of Ziv. His silver eyes are bright and swirling with an intensity that matches what I’m feeling. His hands are still in my hair, holding me as if he doesn’t want to let me go.
“If I kill her, I will be obligated to take over Ivy, and I have no desire to run this school, especially now.” His words are spoken low, almost as if he’s speaking to himself, or maybe he’s concerned about her overhearing, but I nod in acknowledgment. “Answer her questions quickly, little flower, or I may end up slaughtering her for the interruption anyway.”
I place my finger over his lips, afraid the headmistress will hear his threat. “Don’t say that.”
His eyelids lower, and he nips the end of my finger, causing me to jerk my hand back. “She understands the magnitude of getting between a male and his mate, especially one that hasn’t yet fully bonded. Now go, little flower, before I decide to claim you right now.”
“Do you really think I’m your mate?” I ask, even though I know it isn’t the right time or place.
“I don’t think, Briar. I know.” He plants a hard kiss on my lips as if to punish me for even posing the question, then backs away. I feel discombobulated without his touch, as if he were the only thing grounding me. Seeming to understand, Ziv holds my hand again and pulls me from the room, just as Syrinx starts toward the door to come after us. It really wasn’t smart to keep her waiting.
ZIV
It goes against everything in me to allow Briar to be led into one of the rooms under the school. This is where we take our enemies, traitors, or novices who can’t be controlled. While I chose to place her in the upper cell, near the dorm, that was for her safety, but this is not. It’s meant to frighten her and break her down.
“She will be fine if she’s telling the truth,” Syrinx mutters while I watch Briar through a looking glass as Lindell directs her to one of the two chairs in the room—he’s the same male who accompanied the headmistress to my room.
“Shewill be fine no matter what,” I intone.
“Not all offenses are forgivable, Ziv, not even for you.”
“Says the female who killed her predecessor.”
“Strength justifies actions,” is her quick reply.
I feel her staring at the side of my face, but I don’t take my eyes off Briar, who’s now alone in the room. “I’m glad you understand that, Syrinx.” I don’t feel the need to add more. She and I both know who really has the strength and ability to act.
Eventually, the door to the room Briar is in opens, and Brone walks in. He’s always reminded me of a reaper—tall and thin with alabaster skin, boney features, and dark, sunken eyes. I know his magic is mental, but I’ve never cared to learn more about it than that.
Briar turns her head to look at the intruder and adjusts in her seat. When Brone speaks to her, his voice comes clearly through the glass as if we were in the same room. “Briar, is it?” His tone is soft and dulcet.
“Yes,” she answers without so much as a tremble, yet I can see the strain this is taking on her by the furrow of her brow.
“I hear you have a pretty special ability.”
