Page 67 of Briar

I peek up at him. His eyes tighten at the corners. “I seem to be good at making you cry.”

I swallow around the tightness in my throat. “Only when I deserve it.”

I shouldn’t have gone into that ring. And I shouldn’t have lied to him.

And it’s as though he can read my mind. “You shouldn’t have lied to me.”

Another tear. It looks as though he’s fighting with himself when he speaks again. “But I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

Jenson doesn’t touch my face again. But he reaches out, lifting a dark lock of my hair between his fingers. His steely eyes lift to mine.

“Will you come somewhere with me?”

Jenson

This time, I rest of my hand in the small of Briar’s back as I steer her around the edges of the Mystic crowd. Even through the shimmering fabric she wears, I can feel her heat soaking into my palm.

It’s surprisingly comforting.

Dove pops up in front of us. Her eyes move between Briar and I. “Boo, Briar. You chose Jenny over me?”

Mentally, I pray for patience. “We’re just talking, Dove.”

How the hell do they even know each other?

Beside me, Briar smiles. “I’ll be back if I can. We’ll try theI don’t knowthis time.”

No, she fucking won’t.

Dove beams. “Excellent! I have a new recipe you’re gonna love.”

And then she turns to me, her smile slowly vanishing as she raises a terrifying finger to point at me. “The eyes are watching you, Jenny Rogers.”

She vanishes into the crowd before I can ask who the fuck Jenny Rogers is, and I give Briar an incredulous look. “How do you know Dove?”

We start moving through the crowd again. Her laughter is quiet next to me. “I met her the first time I came. She invited me out with her. She’s – nice. Sad, though.”

Dove, sad?“You have a knack for cutting through shields, Briar Rose.”

“You make it sound like some sort of superpower.”

Me. Kai. River. Now Dove. The way that Briar sees people, understands them, reads them so easily, feels like a gift. She wears her emotions on her sleeve, completely open. Vulnerable.

And Ihurther. My lips press together. “Briar—,”

I see the hands first. They reach for me, tipped with long, scarlet talons, aiming directly for my face. I don’t have chance to move before they wrap around my neck, sharp edges digging into the skin as my head is yanked down.

Wet lips slam against mine, a tongue shoved into my mouth.

I freeze in place.

I don’t do anything. Can’t do anything. I can’t fucking move. Terror roots my feet to the floor.

There. The voice purrs, high and throat and full of venom.I know what you need.

My body breaks into a cold sweat, beginning to tremble.

Hands over my skin. Touching, everywhere.