Page 112 of Ghost
But, thinking about it, it made sense we were connected in a supernatural way.
It explained the way I couldn’t stop my reactions toward them. I didn’t trust easily, I never had. Touch and conversation had always been difficult. With Finn it had taken years to open up about my past. Or for me to feel comfortable holding his hand.
But with these four men, I had been instantly enamored. Even with Titus, who had scared me to death at one point, it was impossible to hide my interest. Logically, there was no reason why.
I wondered what the true nature of this connection was. It sounded like some interesting research. And as for the role of the xing itself, I wanted to learn more. If this council was so superstitious, then I doubted that anything they’d say would be accurate. I would have to figure this out myself.
I’d add it to the things I needed to research. Along with shifter biology, Julian’s abilities, and pretty much everything about Kasai’s intentions toward Damen.
“I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t traumatize you.” Julian pressed his forehead against mine, his voice rife with regret. The action pulled me out of my thoughts, and my face heated.
Julian didn’t seem to notice my return to reality. “She looks so scared,” he said to the others.
Damen scoffed from somewhere behind me. “No, she doesn’t look afraid at all. She looks evil, actually. She’s probably plotting something in that wild brain of hers. It’s likely that she hasn’t even registered a word you said about there being danger. She’s not focusing on that.”
“Yeah,” Miles mused, the humor back in his voice. “I could see her as a mad scientist. Coming up with crazy theories and performing experiments. It’s rather adorable.”
I shot an offended look at Miles.
It was a fact I was a science major, and I had intended to work in biochemical research. I was a scientist in the making. How could he belittle my future career?
Besides that, there were many things abouthimthat needed answering too. After all, the true nature of his abilities was one of the biggest mysteries to date. Did he want to be moved up the list?
Miles paled as my eyes met his, and he suddenly looked very afraid. “Hey—”
“Who is going to kill me?” I interrupted Miles. Despite what Damen had assumed, I did take Julian’s words into consideration. But a girl could only focus on so many things at once.
Besides, it wasn’t death that frightened me. It was being hunted and eaten. From the way the boys looked now, I doubted that anyone would be dragging my body out into the woods, slitting my throat, and using me for a ritualistic sacrifice. Least not anytime soon.
“We won’t let anyone kill you.” Damen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But there is a danger. No one ever figured out what really happened at the Dubois residence. And foul-play is still an option. That, combined with the reality that Bianca is a female, means that—”
“But she’s the xing,” Miles continued to protest. “They have to—”
“No,” Damen crossed his arms. “They don’thaveto do anything. Their beliefs was one of the reasons why Gregory resigned.”
“Wait,” I pushed back against Julian’s chest. “Dr. Stephens was an elder? Who are the elders exactly? And who is Bailey?”
The three exchanged a look. Finally, Damen shrugged.
“I might as well. Sit with me?” Damen held his hand toward me, his tone hopeful.
The abrupt change threw me off at first, as did his request. But there was something about the expectant look in his eyes. The way Julian released his grip on my waist at his words, and how Miles relaxed his shoulders.
It made me pause for a moment.
Damen’s eyes bore into mine, expectant but reluctant. It was almost as if heneededme to sit with him.
Why did this feel significant?
Yet he was still shirtless, and that fact was becoming harder to ignore.
Should I say something?Probably not. He couldn’t be cold, not like Miles yesterday. We were all warm inside Professor Hamway’s house. There was no reason as to why he had to dress.
And he was such a sensitive man. Always trying to hide it with those horrible pick-up lines. I wasn’t sure how he managed to woo women before, but they had to have gone to him out of pity. But it didn’t matter, because I knew the truth.
Deep inside, Damen was a dreamer. He had almost cried during our heart-to-heart earlier. And it was my job to make him feel better. To support whatever strange things he dreamed up doing.
“Okay…” I gripped Damen’s hand. As his fingers entwined with mine, the look of relief on his face was breathtaking. It was almost as if I had completed his world. My breath caught. “I can do that.”
His fingers felt warmer than ever, and I was becoming so much more aware of how rough his hands were in comparison to my own. He never held my hand this way before. And I had never noticed the calluses on his fingers.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked, allowing him to pull me to him.
Damen hummed, a curious expression taking over his face, before he finally answered, “I want to tell you about Bailey, so you can understand the Dubois brothers. And know why I’m wary of them.”
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