Page 78 of Gray

“Sinister?”

He nodded. “Our sins affect us every day. But we can project them onto other people too. Galen can cast his anger on someone and make them be blinded by rage. Bellamy can exude pheromones that make him irresistible to anyone, whether they want him or not. Perfect for when he needs to distract someone during wartime. Daman, who is the avatar of Envy, can bring out the worst thoughts in people, their jealousy and bitterness, and drive them mad from it.”

“Turn you into villains basically,” I said.

“Yep.” Gray worried his bottom lip. “We vowed long ago to never use those abilities again. Mine is dark too. Maybe the worst of all.”

“Why?”

“I can absorb energy from people. During my missions, I stole energy to stay awake. It made me unstoppable. Deadly.”

“That doesn’t sound too dark. Wouldn’t it just make them go to sleep?”

“In small doses, yeah, but not if I take too much. And I always had to take too much.” The light I loved so much about him dimmed as he met my gaze. “By stealing their energy, I drained their life force. I killed them. So you see, Mason? I’m evil. I’m not a good per—”

I grabbed hold of his face and kissed him. He whimpered against my mouth.

Gray was everything that was good about this world. I didn’t give a fuck what he’d done in his past or who he’d killed to get where he was today. He was beautiful and so goddamn precious it took my breath away at times.

Alastair said I needed to be willing to love all parts of Gray. As I pressed him against the wall, his lips trembling on mine and him holding my shirt so tight it felt like it would rip, I knew I’d made my choice.

Chapter Eleven

Gray

I felt raw, like my chest had been ripped open and all my insides yanked out. With the raw achiness, there was also relief. Mason knew about my darkness. All of it. And instead of running away, he pulled me closer.

“You’re not evil,” he whispered, petting my hair. “Fuck. You’re the furthest thing from that, angel.”

Angel.The pet name he’d only said once before. It brought more stupid tears to my eyes. I hated being such a crybaby.

Mason’s kisses felt different. Deeper. Like maybe this intense connection I’d felt from the moment I first met him had finally reached him too. He guided me over to the bed and pulled me onto his lap, our lips not breaking the rhythm of the kiss.

As mad as Alastair made me by telling Mason he was my mate, I was thankful for it now. Without his big mouth, Mason and I wouldn’t have talked like we had. We wouldn’t have this new freedom with each other, no walls between us.

“Touch me,” I panted against his lips. “Please, Mason.”

“How can I refuse when you beg so sweetly?” He slid his fingers through the back of my hair and angled my head back. He kissed my neck, sending delicious tingles over my skin. Those tingles intensified when he smoothed his hand across my crotch, tracing the length of my dick through my skinny jeans.

“This needs to go.” I pinched a piece of his shirt. “Like right now.”

With a low laugh, Mason sat forward and let me tug it off, and then he reclined back against the pillows, his abs tight and his chiseled pecs just begging to be licked.

So that’s what I did. I buried my face in the center of his chest and inhaled his musk and traces of his body soap. I circled my tongue around one nipple, loving the way he gripped my hips.

“You like that?” I asked before gently blowing on the hard bud.

A sweet groan left his throat. “Yes.”

I slipped his nipple back in my mouth and tweaked the other between two fingers. When he rewarded me with another soft moan, I smiled. He unzipped my pants, and I rose up on my knees as he worked them down my hips. He growled when they got stuck on the way down, and I giggled as he rolled me to my back and yanked them the rest of the way off.

“Fuck, you’re so adorable.” Mason hovered over me. While holding eye contact, he gave my cock a slow pull. “I don’t care what you say, youaregood.” He lowered his face to my collarbone and grazed his lips across it, his hot breath giving me shivers. “So fucking good, Gray.”

Warm tingles radiated through my entire body as he feathered light kisses across my chest. He was being so gentle with me. The intimacy of it had my heart jumping up into my throat.

Mason reached over, gently pushed Dino-Pete aside—which made me smile like an idiot—and grabbed the lube. Fingers slick, he teased my hole, applying a bit of pressure but not penetrating.

I wiggled impatiently.