Page 82 of Bonds of Starfall

"He doesn’twantme," Rin stressed, "and he can’t know you’re here. Lucien’s done a lot for me, and I’m not going to get him in trouble by dragging him into this mess."

Cyrus’s eyes flashed with hurt, only briefly, before he covered it with a sensual mask. "I’m a mess, am I? I rememberyoubeing the mess when I was inside you, and you came around my cock."

Rin stumbled back. "Don’t talk about that," she managed lowly. She couldn’t meet his eyes. "Stay here. Let me deal with Lucien, and don’t make any more noise. If you’re going to live with me, there’s going to be rules."

Cyrus didn’t move, forcing her to squeeze by him to get to the door, her chest brushing his arm, his berry scent wrapping around her and making her nearly dizzy. Right before her fingers wrapped around the handle of the door, he grabbed her arm, stilling her. All her awareness honed in on the feel of his hand on her as he said, "I’ll always obey you, doll. I can be well-behaved."

Then, he let her go, and she stumbled out of her room and to the kitchen, where she opened the door and let Lucien inside, all while a stowaway, incubus Prince hid in her bedroom.

After Lucien left—witha soft touch to her cheek and a final worried glance—Rin had laid ground rules for the incubus.

The first, he was never to leave the apartment. Ever.

Second: he couldn’t leave her room unless she told him it was okay.

Xara had messaged that she’d be with Keir for the next few days, then off on assignment—so they were in the clear, for now. Except for Lucien and his cool observation. She had no idea how she was going to hide this from him.

And the third rule, most important, even as she had said it with burning cheeks and a flutter in her belly: he wouldn’t feed from her.

Cyrus had agreed too easily, which only made her wonder who he would feed from instead. She shoved down the jealousy at the thought of him being with someone else. What they’d done in the hotel felt like more than sex, more than feeding. It had been a claim, even if she hadn’t known it at the time. He knew who she was, then—thought she was playing some clever game of cat and mouse. Like she was that stupid. Or confident.

With the rules set, Rin left a few blankets and an extra pillow on her floor for Cyrus, her Echogun tucked under her pillow,hyperaware of the male lying on her bedroom floor. She heard every breath he took in the quiet.

She couldn’t sleep. Her mind wandered.

If he was… telling the truth, what did that mean for her?

She had a Soulbond. But she couldn’t remember—because of the accident five years ago. What if she had more? What if she had already met them and just didn’t know?

Her heart clenched, stomach roiling. Oh, god. Kit wasn’t her Soulbond. Neither was Lucien.

She knew them both before the accident, before the Nova had infected her body and changed her appearance.

It was that thought, that the two men she found herself dreaming of weren’t hers, that made the first tear leak from her eyes. Another soon followed. Silently, Rin cried. She mourned Kit, who never had her and never would be able to. And Lucien, whom she wanted—but fate kept them apart.

A part of her mourned the male sleeping on her floor. It wasn’t fair. She was destined to die; he was immortal. Fate was a sick, cruel joke.

Her thoughts drifted to the Celestials—the godly beings who had abandoned them long ago, said to be weavers of fate.

Rin’s lips formed the shape of words, not even a whisper, but a thought traced with the impression of her mouth, echoes of a curse drifting through her room, hoping that someone—something—out there was paying attention.

"Help us. Please. Let this all work out… in the end."

Livingwith an incubus took a lot of willpower.

On day two, Rin rose from her bed in sleep shorts and a rumpled shirt, hair mussed and eyes half-lidded as she stumbled to the bathroom. Only, when she opened the door, a half-naked incubus stood at the sink, toothbrush hanging from his mouth,water dripping from his lean torso into the towel slung low on his hips.

Rin was suddenly wide awake. "Oh, sorry," she squeaked, backing out of the bathroom. She tripped on the door frame and nearly fell, but strong arms wrapped around her waist.

Cyrus held her close to his chest, the water clinging to his body getting on her shirt and leaving a damp patch, sticking to her overheated skin. Droplets fell from the tips of his dark red hair, sliding down his exquisite cheekbones. He stared down at her. "If you wanted me to hold you, you could’ve just asked, doll."

Rin stepped out of his arms, locking eyes with him so she wouldn’t trace the shape of his body. "I tripped," she said curtly, turning to leave. "Hurry up. I have to get to training soon. I can’t be late." Keir was waiting, along with Wyla Iris, the only other girl on Alpha Team. Like everyone, she feared Rin—the Nova inside her.

Wyla was trained in sword combat, so they were going to meet and get in their training hours together. Rin had splurged on an Echosword, like Director Ilsa had mentioned once, and she wanted to get the hang of it before she took another assignment. She was returning to routine, even if a part of her hated that the world kept spinning. That was life. It went on. And would keep going, even after she died.

"We could always save time and shower together." Cyrus’s words cut through her melancholy, making her turn to him.

"Rule number three," she prodded, arching a pale brow.