Page 150 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

“Now that we’ve cleared everything up…” Mikhail grabbed her by the waist and drew her into his lap.

Her knees collided with the bench on either side of his body. She raised her hands to steady herself on his shoulders, dropping her glass on the floor. It shattered, yet no one paid it any attention. Her body was trapped between his solid muscles and the wooden edge of the table behind. “What the hell?”

“You’re not in love with me, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re still attracted to me,” he said, his tone sharp, as if he were angry, though the way his gaze devoured her implied otherwise.

Her heart raced, much like it had on the battlefield earlier, but this was a different battlefield – one where she… Actually, she didn’t want to fight.

“You’re attracted to me, too,” she said.

His grip tightened on her hips, and he kissed her. His warm breath, tinged with the scent of red wine, flooded her mouth. Every nerve ending on her skin sparked to life. Despite everything… this was Mikhail, and for some annoying reason, her body still craved him.

Her nails dug into his shoulders. Pain seared through her lips as the wound from earlier reopened, the metallic taste of blood flooding her mouth. Their kiss morphed into something raw – biting, scratching, breathless sounds tangled betweenthem. Mikhail’s hands gripped her backside, and the heat building between her thighs pressed hungrily against the hard line of his arousal.

He grasped her thighs and began moving her over his length.

Amelia suppressed a moan. “Somebody could come…”

“I couldn’t care less. In any case…” Mikhail licked the wound on her lower lip. “We’re merely smoothing over the differences between us.”

He found the spot between her legs at a precise angle that sent a surge of electricity coursing through her body…

The sound of the door made her freeze. She jumped off his lap and moved to the bench beside him, fixing her hair. Presiyan and Viktor walked in a few seconds later.

“What’s going on?” Viktor’s face tightened with anxiety. Amelia followed his gaze to the shattered glass on the floor.

“Nothing that a bit of broken crockery can’t fix, I suppose?” Presiyan winked at her.

“She dropped it by accident. We weren’t arguing,” Mikhail said, then turned to her, clearly unfazed. “Do you need some fresh air?”

Amelia looked at his cold, composed face, with not a trace of what had happened moments earlier. Swallowing the retort that threatened to escape, she stood up and walked out.

***

Mikhail

The battle had ended hours ago, but the echo of adrenaline kept him alert. Now, with the immediate threat to his life gone, his instincts guided him in a different direction.

No matter how hard Mikhail tried to blame his weakness on his inner beast,hewas drawn to Amelia. He was the one who claimed to care little for her opinion, yet her assumptions abouthim infuriated him. He was the one who despised the magic in her blood, yet he found great pleasure in watching her learn to control it. He was the one who wanted to unlock her full potential, to harness it, and yet he believed it was his duty to protect her.

“You let Amelia go out during the battle today,” he said to Viktor as they walked through the back garden. It was just before dawn, but only now had they found the opportunity to speak in private.

Viktor’s eyes widened. “She wanted to fight. I couldn’t stop her.”

Mikhail studied the lycanthrope with suspicion. Had the lines around Viktor’s eyes become more pronounced?

“I warned you to stay by her side. She went out alone, and you weren’t anywhere to be found either.”

“I was looking after Alex…”

Mikhail stopped dead in his tracks. “No, you weren’t. I spoke to her after we arrived, and she told me you had disappeared for a while during the battle. You weren’t on the battlefield, so where were you, Vik?”

Viktor’s eyes flicked to the side before he looked back at Mikhail.

“Is everything all right?” Mikhail insisted. It was only now that he noticed the white strands in Viktor’s raven-black hair. What else had he missed?

“I…” Viktor furrowed his brow. “Broke my vow again. I hid in one of the rooms to transform… without Alex seeing. But I quickly realised I couldn’t control it, so I reverted to my human form.”

Guilt settled heavily over Mikhail. “We agreed you wouldn’t transform anymore, didn’t we?”