Page 55 of Kiss of Seduction (Court of Chains #1)

Rays of sunlight illuminated the bedroom in a golden glow. It cascaded over the floor, over the furniture, and over the two women entangled on the mattress. They’d been there longer than Evie intended, but Natalya made it easy to forget the rest of the world existed.

“You have to let go of me,” Evie said. She was in Natalya’s arms, nestled against her chest, and Natalya wasn’t letting her get up.

”No, I don’t.” The smile was obvious in Natalya’s voice, even if Evie couldn’t see her face. “I don’t have to do anything.”

“I need to get ready, or I’m going to be late!” Evie protested. “I missed my classes last weekend. If I miss them today too, my boss won’t be happy.”

“I don’t care,” Natalya said, and Evie laughed at her carefree tone. Natalya hummed at the noise. “I like hearing you laugh.”

It had been almost a week since Natalya woke up. Almost a week since she first saw Evie wearing the Chain pendant. Several days where she had barely let Evie go.

Every night, she slept wrapped in Natalya’s arms. Every day, Natalya hovered near her, touching her and kissing her, though it never went further than that. Evie going to her classes would be the first time they’d been apart since Natalya woke up, and Natalya was acting humorously difficult.

That would be one way to interpret it, at least. Evie saw the worry hiding behind her amused tone.

“It’ll be fine, you know? I’ll be fine.”

“You know I don’t like that word.”

“Well, in this case, it fits okay.” Evie moved a little closer, her forehead pressed against Natalya’s chest. The silken nightrobe Natalya wore was soft against her skin. “It’s just for the afternoon. I’ll be back long before nightfall. Though it will be a bit later than usual.”

Natalya leaned back and looked down at Evie. “Oh?”

Evie scooted up so they were face to face. “Sam asked if we could go out for drinks after my classes.”

The dislike on Natalya’s face was so apparent it made Evie grin.

“You really don’t like her, do you?”

“I don’t, no.” Her displeased expression waned a little. “She scared you. I don’t like people who scare you.”

“Then you won’t like anyone. Everyone scared me when I first got here.”

“Including me?” Natalya said, smiling sadly.

Evie had already shared how much Natalya frightened her at first. But that fear was a distant thing now. It was only a memory.

“I’m not scared of you.”

“But I have scared you, darling.” She played with a strand of Evie’s hair. “Like I said. I don’t like people who scare you.”

It hurt to see her so wrought with guilt. Even if she hid it expertly. Even if she was still stunning and commanding to behold, Evie saw the pain behind her beautiful features.

Since they met, Natalya had done many things that scared her. Some on purpose, some on accident. Despite it all, she had never felt safer than when she was in Natalya’s arms. She’d never trusted someone like she did her.

Evie wanted to say something that would alleviate her guilty conscience, but she didn’t know what words could help with that. She was afraid of making it worse. So instead of speaking, she just held Natalya a little tighter.

The need to console her was a strange thing.

Thinking of Natalya in any kind of pain made Evie’s heart hurt in a way she hadn’t experienced before.

She’d felt the same way when she found Natalya bleeding in the bathroom.

A gripping pain at seeing her suffer and being unable to lessen it. That feeling was beyond simple caring.

This dumb crush Evie had developed needed to go away.

“Do you like her?” Natalya said after a moment. “Sam, I mean.”

“I do. She’s a bit awkward, but she’s nice.” Evie lowered her eyes. “She’s sad. And lonely. I remember what that was like. And I like hanging out with her.”

“Should I be jealous?” Natalya said with a smirk. Evie shrugged, grinning.

“Maybe a little.”

“Now I like her even less.”

Evie laughed, and it made the sadness vanish from Natalya’s expression.

“Drinks where?” Natalya asked.

“Probably at The Five-Leaf. That’s where we went last time. Flea will be there too. At the bar and at the classes.”

Natalya nodded, the tenseness in her body lessening. But it didn’t vanish. She touched the chain of Evie’s necklace. “You know you don’t need this job, right? You don’t need to work if you don’t want to.”

“Lily doesn’t need her job either. I like having the classes. I like working. It makes me feel like my own person.”

Natalya sighed at the words. She kept touching the necklace. Kept looking at the Chain pendant rather than at Evie. There was a strange longing in her eyes.

Maybe having a job wasn’t normal for Claimed humans. Maybe they weren’t expected to. Or even allowed. The thought wasn’t a welcome one.

“Is it a problem?” Evie’s voice was a bit sharper than before. “Because of you Claiming me or something like that.”

“I haven’t officially Claimed you yet. Like you said. It’s a promise, for now. One you can still back out of if you want to.”

“You’re not answering my question.”

Her eyes sought up again. She looked amused like she often did when Evie got frustrated with her. It made Evie more irritated.

“I’m serious, Natalya.”

“I know.” She trailed a finger over Evie’s lips. A gentle touch that made it hard to be mad at her. “I’m not used to people being upset with me. Most people are either frightened or obsessed. You are neither.”

“I’m not upset, I’m annoyed ,” Evie corrected. It made Natalya laugh loudly, and Evie couldn’t help but smile at the sound. Hearing Natalya laugh like that was a rare thing.

“Almost all our Claimed humans have work of some kind. Some of them in the high-rise, some not,” Natalya said when she was done laughing.

“You already know that Lily’s a waitress, and Blake works with the patrol teams. Cassius has a Blue named Hannah who’s a schoolteacher, I believe. You having a job is nothing unusual.”

Natalya’s smile vanished as she spoke. She looked concerned again.

“I know you like working. I don’t mind you doing so. But nothing is more important to me than keeping you safe. You leaving makes me worried.”

Hearing the words started an odd mix of feelings in Evie.

She calmed hearing that Natalya’s behavior stemmed from concern rather than her wanting to control Evie’s movements.

But there was something else too. A sadness that the tenderness Natalya displayed just came from her promise of protecting her.

Nothing more. Natalya didn’t want to care for another beyond that. She’d said she couldn’t.

Despite Evie trying to hold onto the sad feeling, it was all but erased as Natalya started running fingers through her hair.

“When do you have to be at the studio?”

“In an hour.”

Natalya pulled her close again, hugging her tighter than before. “Give me a few more minutes. Then you can go.”

Natalya didn’t quite keep her promise. When she finally let Evie get up, she had to rush through getting ready, and she’d nearly been late. Despite it, she paused at the door, then turned back and gave Natalya a light kiss goodbye.

It wasn’t a demanding kiss, not even a long one, and Evie was the one to break it. That she could was marvelous to behold. Even more so when Natalya had tried, and failed, to convince her to stay after that.

The smile she wore as she left surprised Natalya the most. She left with no fear of the repercussions that could come with denying Natalya. She just looked happy. Natalya wasn’t used to seeing genuine smiles.

Being denied in that way wasn’t common for her.

In fact, it was unheard of, but she didn’t even feel upset about it.

It just made her appreciate Evie even more.

It meant she could say no. It meant all the other moments, all the small touches and signs of desire, were there because she wanted them to be.

Not because they were forced out by Lust.

That didn’t mean Natalya was pleased about Evie leaving. Stefano’s attack had put her on edge. Even though he couldn’t move in the day hours, Evie leaving the high-rise made her anxious.

She had to tell herself that what Evie said was true. That she would be fine. It was just for a few hours. She wouldn’t be without a guard, and going to The Five-Leaf was the safest place for her, not counting the high-rise.

Though not affiliated with the Court of Chains, The Five-Leaf had become an unofficial hang-out spot for patrons of the Court since Lily started working there.

There were nearly always members of the Court present, and while Evie wore the Chain pendant, everyone knew she was a human they needed to protect.

Even with all that logic, it didn’t remove the unease coursing through Natalya.

She experienced a strange ache when Evie wasn’t with her.

Not the ache of desire, worry, or even frustration.

Just… an ache. An ache she hadn’t felt before.

An ache that persisted, even as she distracted herself with the responsibility of ruling.

The days she’d spent in the apartment were only partly her decision.

Aleksander had insisted she rest until she was healed, and he’d been surprised when Natalya agreed.

It wouldn’t do for their Court to see her so injured.

But a more significant reason she’d agreed was because she’d been too distracted with watching Evie to be of much use at all.

Now that Evie wasn’t there, she was still distracted, even as she did her best to tend to her Courtly duties. Eventually, that included deciding what to do about Varro.

“I assume there’s a plan beyond simply rushing the estate.” Aleksander was tense, his voice sharper than normal. It made him seem even more frightening than usual.

“There was.” Hasan leaned against the shuttered windows of his guest rooms. The sun was out, so they were still lighttight. The vampires looked haggard.

“Our initial plan hinged on Varro not knowing the East Coast has made an ally of the Chains,” Hasan continued. “I have a feeling we’ve lost the element of surprise.”