Page 40 of Entwined
“Are you okay?” I whisper, and he looks up, glowing eyes locking with mine. Even as a wolf, his irises are a bright green and all Connor. “Are you hurt?”
If a wolf can scoff, that’s what he does, his annoyance filtering into my chest so sharply that I gasp, pressing a hand to my sternum. “What the fuck?”
Vaelor chuckles, a satisfied sound that tugs at something deep in my belly. “You opened the bond between us.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
There’s a burst of air, hot and crackling with electricity, and then Connor’s towering over me—completely naked and covered in blood, his clothing lying in scraps on the ground where he first shifted. I can’t stop the low noise that escapes, hands fluttering over him, but not quite touching.
“I’m fine,” Connor reassures me quickly. “She got in a few lucky hits, but they’re already healing.”
I scrunch my face up. “I shouldn’t have…I didn’t think…”
Vaelor steps up next to Connor, his expression stern. “This isn’t something you feel guilty about, Princess.”
My eyes slide to Selena’s body, but Connor sidesteps, blocking my view. I look up, locking eyes with him. “Don’t think for one second that she’d be feeling anything but glee if it were you lying in the dirt right now. She had it coming. Alright?”
“Alright,” I whisper. I’m rewarded with a quick stroke of ice over my head and down my spine, the touch comforting. “What happens now?”
Vaelor shrugs, nodding his head at the other shifters, who have all made a run for it. “They’ll be informing people as we speak, but we should probably let Connor’s family know before they find out from somebody else.”
Connor rubs a hand over the back of his neck. I desperately try to keep my eyes above shoulder height, knowing that lusting after him when he’s just killed someone and is still covered in their blood is so far beyond inappropriate.
Still, heat swirls through my body, heading straight down between my legs, where my pulse throbs and wetness coats my sex.
Green eyes flare with interest, teeth flashing in a grisly smile. “You need something,Starling?”
I look away, unable to hold the knowing look in his eyes. “No,” I protest hotly. “I’m just”—my eyes bounce between the two of them, knowing Selena’s death doesn’t automatically fix things for us—“concerned.”
Vaelor arches a brow. “Your body’s singing a different tune.” There’s a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, and my pulse flutters rapidly.
I point at the dead body. “This doesn’t solve everything,” I snap, annoyed as a swell of heat flashes through me, fighting it back. They’re standing almost shoulder to shoulder, their eyes fixed on me, and it feels like they’re ganging up on me.If I do accept them—forgivethem—is that the way it’s always going to be, the two of them deciding everything for me?I cross my arms over my chest, knowing I’m reacting defensively, but unable to stop myself.
There’s a low tug in my chest, like a leash being yanked. I frown, unsure, but then the tug comes again, harder this time, pulling me forward several steps.
“What the f?—”
Vaelor steals the words from my mouth, swallowing them down as his tongue slides sensually against mine. I melt against him, but then I’m being yanked away and into Connor. He doesn’t kiss me, but buries his face against my throat, nipping and licking while his hands cup my ass. He lifts me up, urging my legs around waist, the move putting his hard length firmly against my pussy. A breathy gasp escapes as he grinds against me, the only thing between us the fabric of Vaelor’s sweats.
Another body presses against my back, fingers dragging my shirt down my shoulder, pressing hot kisses against my skin.
I should be furious at the way they’re bulldozing me, using the bond’s effect on my body against me. But the waythey surround me on every side, filling my lungs with their scent, grounds me in a way that’s becoming both familiar and addictive.
Connor pulls back, his eyes hooded and dark, like shadowed moss. “You don’t need to worry about anything else,” he murmurs. “We’ve got you now, Starling. We’ll take care of everything.”
I stare up at him, wanting to believe him so badly, but knowing better. The world doesn’t work like that.
“Have you forgotten? My grandfather disowned me. I have no money, no family. There’s no wayyourfamily will accept a penniless human.” I shake my head. “You haven’t thought this through.”
There’s a harsh bark of laughter behind me before Vaelor lands a sharp bite right where my shoulder and neck meet. I yelp, and he soothes the hurt away with his tongue before telling me, “We’ve done nothing but think about this for two years, and if I have to get anotherMireveilto make you comply, I will.”
I turn, and he’s right there, golden eyes glittering at me. Vaelor flicks his tongue over his bottom lip, his voice filled with heat as he says, “I quite liked how helpless you were, how much you needed us. In fact, I wonder how much of your reaction was the heat, and how much of it was just you.”
“An experiment I can get on board with,” Connor laughs. I let out a cry of frustration, ignoring the way my body is softening for them, desire pooling between my legs. But there’s no hiding from a shifter—something Connor proves when his nostrils flare and his cheeks fill with a slash of color.
“You can’t just pretend everything’s going to be okay,” I carry on determinedly. “I havenothing. I have to leavethe school. And what the hell do you think happens then?”
Vaelor scoffs. “You’re not going anywhere.”