Page 49

The man sat on the boxes, took a deep drag, pocketed the packet of cigarettes, and then produced a phone. I couldn’t see what he was doing from here—maybe dealing with messages to or from his superiors, or using an app on the phone to monitor cameras for activity around the building.

When I saw him chuckle, I realized, he was scrolling.

“What was it you just said about not underestimating these people?” Lucien asked.

He was right on top of me, we couldn’t have been pressed any closer together. All the guy in the alley had to do was look up, and he’d see us. If we stepped out to leave, there would be no avoiding it; we would get spotted immediately.

“Maybe he’s just a… low level Recondite,” I said.

“Or maybe they’re all morons.”

“I doubt it. Just because this one’s watching cat videos or something like that to blow off steam doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous. You should know that better than anyone.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

I looked up at him. “That’s the second time you’ve said that to me.”

“What?”

“That I’m right. I must be a natural at this spy business.”

“Shhh, be quiet before he?—”

Lucien didn’t give me a warning. Before I knew it, he had cupped my cheek, turned my face up toward his, and pressed his lips against mine. My eyes widened, my heart surged into my throat, and my entire body tightened. I didn’t know what to do with my hands, what to think, or where to look—until I glanced over, wide-eyed, at the guy on his phone.

He was looking right at us.

Without another second wasted, I shut my eyes and wrapped my hands around the back of Lucien’s head. My heart was pounding, my limbs were shaking, but I hadn’t opened my mouth, and Lucien hadn’t tried to make me. We were simply standing there, our lips pressed together, gently swaying like we were deep in a lover’s embrace.

I couldn’t bear to admit even to myself how incredibly turned on I was.

Look at where we were, in an alley around the side of a heavily fortified fortress belonging to another magical family; a fortress we were about to break in to and steal from. And I’m kissing Lucien Diaboli.

Or, at least, I was pretending to kiss him.

Until the heat levels in my chest rose to fever pitch, and I found my lips gently parting all on their own. I turned my head slightly to the side, opened my mouth, and delicately flicked his lips with my tongue. Lucien sucked in a deep breath. I pushed my hands further into his hair.

“Play the part,” I whispered against his mouth. “He’s going to think you’re a terrible kisser if you don’t move.”

In an instant, everything changed.

Not only had I given him permission to kiss me, I had also dared him to kiss me properly. His hand slid from my cheek to my neck, his lips parted, and his tongue came in search of mine. My entire world suddenly tipped upside down.

There, in that quiet alley, our tongues met and danced, his hand wrapped gently but firmly around my throat. Holy hell. I felt him squeeze, ever so slightly, and my heart went into overdrive.

“Better?” he whispered against my mouth.

I was panting, my lips desperate to find his again. “Yes,” I breathed.

“That’s enough.”

“What?” I asked.

“He’s not looking anymore.”

Lucien turned my head to the side. The man in the robe had clearly lost interest in what we were doing. I was torn. I wanted him to kiss me again, but with the Recondite’s attention now away from us, we could leave without it looking suspicious.

I grabbed Lucien’s hand and made a break for the street, then I turned the corner, and pulled him away from the Recondite temple. When I didn’t stop at the crossing that would take us back to our hotel, Lucien asked.