Page 51 of Jinx

Alaric made a threatening sound. “If he finds out. There are still too many unknowns to cast a light on her now.”

“She was raised by a witch,” Quinn said. “It’s probably her spell.”

There was a thoughtful hum. “In her dreams, if she tried to tell me anything personal, anything that could identify her, it caused her horrible pain. I didn’t even know her name until two hours ago.”

Another moment of pensive silence before Quinn offered a heavy sigh of surrender. “If I didn’t know you were finally being honest, I’d kick your ass for lying in the first place. I still might.”

“You can get in line behind me,” I grumbled and shifted, ready for some face-to-face answers. I pressed myself up, but Rami didn’t let me go far. He cupped my face between his palms and some of the anxiety that had been tying knots in my chest unwound.

“Hi,” I whispered, nuzzling into his hand. “You look better.”

He swept a rough thumb over my cheek. “Thanks to you.”

I huffed a short laugh. “Pretty sure I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

“On that subject.” A body moved to stand behind me, and I tipped my head back to find my Prince. He didn’t look angry, but he definitely wasn’t smiling. “I think we need to talk.”

“Damn right we do.”

Rami’s hands moved to my waist, and he helped me to my feet. Once I was steady, Alaric turned me to face him. He was freshly showered, his dark brown hair still damp. The overgrown beard that had gone wild during his ordeal was neatly trimmed to its usual dark shadow. His hazel eyes were bright and clear of the pain that had clouded them, but still I was gripped with a need for more.

I twisted the hem of his clean tee in my hands, and it was like he could read my thoughts. A knowing, sad smile and a short nod were all the permission I needed. Heart pounding, I dragged the fabric up, revealing the taut ridges of muscle in his abdomen. The bruising really was gone. I lifted further to where those gashes had been sliced through his chest and found nothing but smooth, perfect skin. I exhaled a breath of relief and pressed a kiss between his pecs before lowering his shirt.

“You could have died.” I collapsed against him, needing the solid feel of his body. “Don’t ever do that again.”

He gave a wry chuckle. “I’ll do my best.” He lifted me then, and I wrapped my arms and legs around him, pressing my face into the crook of his neck. “Gods, you feel so good in my arms.” As he held me, the mossy green heartstring bound us even closer.

“Don’t ever let me go.” I clung to him, cataloging everything. The warmth of his skin and the strength of his embrace. The sound of his voice and the richness of his scent. It was like seeing color for the first time when all I’d ever known was shadow and shades of gray.

His arms tightened around me, and he buried his face in the cradle of my shoulder, each of us just breathing the other in. “Never,” he whispered. He held me for a few more minutes, delivering soft kisses to my neck. I knew the other guys were there, watching silently, but somehow I could sense that they understood the complexity of my history with Alaric.

He lowered us back down to the couch and let me curl up between him and Rami. When I lifted a shy gaze to the others, I was surprised by the range of emotions I found in their eyes. Sadness and hope. Longing and satisfaction.

“So.” I rubbed at my chest, feeling the nearly complete collection of heartstrings there. “You guys have some explaining to do.”

34

CORDELIA

“Why don’t we start with what happened at the library today?” Alaric took control, and irritation pricked at me. I knew I was going to have to tell them eventually, but I didn’t appreciate being side-stepped. It didn’t work in the dreamworld, and it definitely wasn’t going to work here.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why don’t we start with whatever you guys were discussing about me when you thought I was asleep?”

Alaric’s eyes flared like he was surprised that my sass lived in the waking world too. I just quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Please, kulta,” Rami intervened before an argument could break out. “Someone hurt you. Badly. We need to know.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” I muttered, feeling mulish. Rami reached over to take my chin in his hand and forced me to look at him. His pale eyes were haunted.

“The bones in your forearm were snapped in half,” he growled like it pained him to describe the injury out loud. I thought that was the end of it, but he continued. “Three dislocated ribs, one of them cracked. Damage to your lower spine that could have left you paralyzed if Bellamy hadn’t gotten you to me in time.”

I couldn’t find my voice at first, stunned by how extensive the injuries were. No wonder he’d been exhausted.

“Rami.” I took his hand from my chin and kissed his palm. “I’m sorry.”

He shuddered. “Who hurt you?”

“You may have already figured out that my brother is a lie-detector,” Bellamy chimed in. He was sitting in one of the armchairs, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “We just want to keep you safe, Blue. Please tell us what happened.”