Page 18

“Just don’t forget about me.” He pulled me close. His hand pressed against my head, and I could hear the wild beating of his heart. “Every lifetime, I’m always the furthest away.”

“Why would you be the furthest away?” I gripped his shirt again. “You’re right here.”

Titus sighed as he hugged me. “I always will be, if you let me.”

It probably wasn’t the best timing, but my anxiety wouldn’t let me avoid the question anymore. “Are you disappointed?” I asked. He’d pressed his lips against my head but paused at my question. “That I’m not a virgin, too?”

There was a sudden heaviness to the air, and his arms tensed. “What?”

“In shifter books,” I clarified. “The female is usually a virgin…”

“Don’t you like boy romance?” he asked, and my breath caught.

“I read a variety of things!” I snapped, my skin flushing. How in the world would he know what I read? Then I remembered.

Finn.

Yet another reason to enact my revenge.

“In any case,” he continued, and when he pushed away, there was a hint of red swirling within the depths of his eyes. “What do you mean ‘too’?”

My pulse raced; I would have to explain.

“I—I’ve had sex before,” I told him, my voice wavering. It felt like something was crawling over me, and I grabbed my left elbow and began to rub my hand down my arm. I couldn’t meet his eyes and looked at his neck instead. “A lot. I really don’t know how many…”

My words trailed off, and I breathed in, focusing on the critical part. “But Damen and Julian said that you’re a virgin.”

I looked up into his face. “So doesn’t it bother you that I...” I began but stopped when I noticed his pinched expression.

He seemed genuinely offended.

“You were raped,” he said. “It is violence. But in fact, now that you’ve mentioned this twice—once with me and Finn—I should address it.”

I leaned away and touched my lips.

“Virginity is not only a physical state, but rather the purity of your soul,” he said. He reached for me, touching his finger to the center of my chest. “No one can steal your innocent heart from you.”

I didn’t reply—I wasn’t sure how to speak under the intensity of his gaze. Besides, it was ironic that he’d say such a thing because it hadn’t been that long ago that my heart had almost been ripped out of my chest, rendering his argument false.

But alas, he’d already moved on. “However, regarding the physical definition of virginity, I have never had sex in this life. But that does not mean that I’ve never—”

“You’ve been married and had children?” My spine stiffened. But the others had said…

Titus frowned. “No.”

“But you’ve had sex before,” I said. “Doesn’t that mean that there might be little dragon babies—”

He didn’t even hesitate. “There is absolutely no chance.”

“But you’ve had sex with a woman…” My words trailed off as realization washed over me. Scenes from my secret stash of comics flashed through my mind.

Titus stared at a point over my head. His face was darkening with every passing second.

It was all the confirmation I needed. “You’ve had sex with men? Titus, are you gay?”

“What?” Titus’s eyes snapped back to mine. “No. I’m not any label. Like I’ve said, I’ve only ever been interested in one person, always . I guess it doesn’t matter which form they are born into.”

My mind screamed in embarrassment, because how could I not remember?

All those romantic X-rated moments. Usually, such things frightened me, but I hadn’t been able to look away. No wonder they were so interesting. Men were different, and I was having flashbacks! The scenes had been strangely fascinating.

Reincarnation worked in mysterious ways .

“What are you thinking?” Titus asked, touching my cheek. His eyes met mine, and a second later, a smile touched his lips. Suddenly, he seemed very proud of himself. “Are you imagining it?”

“No!” I pushed against his chest, trying to put some distance between us. What an awkward conversation. “I’m so not. I’m just tired, okay?”

“It is late.” Titus’s mood shifted, and he looked over me. And this time, I realized he’d been trying to distract me from the inevitable. “Are you ready to head back now?”

My heart sank, and I pulled away, hugging my knees back to my chest. “I can’t,” I told him. “I yelled at everyone and ran away. I wasn’t very nice.”

Titus let out a sound that suspiciously sounded like a laugh, and I peeked at him.

“How many times have you injured one of us already?” he asked. “And you’ve run away before.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but he’d already touched my forehead. “Besides, you yelling at someone isn’t uncommon. I can’t wait for you to scream at Miles.”

“What?” I gasped. Sweet, darling Miles? I would never.

“But I think there’s another reason you’re avoiding going back.”

“Yes,” I mumbled into my knees, my eyes drifting to the ground. “It’s not the same.”

“What’s not the same?” Titus said, unmoved.

“You know what,” I said, embarrassment racing through me. “Everyone knows now. What happens next? Damen will keep asking questions. Julian will still try to help. I don’t even know how Miles will react. No one understands.”

The silence that followed was almost deafening. And when I thought he’d say nothing, his voice broke through my tumbling thoughts. “We might not be able to relate, but we have seen it before.”

I glanced at him, but he was no longer looking at me. “My company works with law enforcement sometimes. I’ve led teams to break up trafficking rings. I’ve intervened in hunts.”

“What?” My breath caught, and my heartbeat echoed in my ears.

“On top of that, Damen works directly with both criminals and victims, Julian assists his grandfather in interrogations, and even Miles has helped with cases during his studies,” Titus said. “Believe me, we understand—at least a little. No one sees you any differently.”

“Oh,” I replied.

“Of course, every situation is unique in ways too,” he continued. “However, no one will pressure you to answer any questions.”

“I—” I clenched my fists as he held me tightly. “I can’t talk about it. I don’t want to think about it.”

“And I get that. I’m not going to push you. But…” His words trailed off as his breath brushed against my ear. His fingers tangled in the hair at the base of my neck, and a shiver shot down my spine. “The reason you’re hesitating… Is it because you’re still scared of him?”

I clung to him. Titus’s form was an impenetrable force of mass and muscle around me, and I knew without a doubt that if anything were to happen, he would defend me without hesitation.

But that didn’t stop the terror from racing through me.

“Bianca?” His thumb moved over the back of my head.

“I am scared,” I said as I pressed my face further into his chest and allowed his musky scent to wash over me. “He’s gotten away before. If he ever found that I’d told anyone…” Titus’s hand continued to caress my neck, and I tried to steady my shaking .

Titus was silent while I shivered against him, and only when my shaking subsided did he respond. “I’m going to find him.” His reply was so direct that my vision wavered.

I glanced at him as he stared at some point over my head. His features were drawn into a devastating mask of retribution. The dark stubble over his chin and the faint red reflection in his eyes made him look deadly.

“I’m going to find him,” he repeated, his calm growl laced with the fury banked in his expression. “I promise he won’t be able to get to you, but even more assuredly, I can guarantee you’ll have no more doubts once I bring you his spine.”

A chill passed over me. “I might not want to see it,” I whispered. What was I supposed to do with a spine anyway—hang it on my wall? “Can’t you just tell me, in detail, how you kill him? Can you make it hurt?”

His eyes were deep recesses that pulled me in. Everything, my worries and fears, faded away as his presence cloaked me.

“Oh, princess,” he said, and there was no hesitation in his voice—only dark promises. “Between me and Julian, we’ll make him wish he’d never been born.”

I woke up alone, but the bed was still warm beside me. Titus must have just left. My thoughts were still groggy from the night before—no one had been downstairs when I’d come back, and I’d been so exhausted that I’d fallen asleep as soon as Titus tucked me in and fell asleep over the covers.

There had been too much on my mind the previous night, but now that the new day had started, I was becoming more aware of my surroundings.

Titus’s style was crisp and minimalistic, with a color scheme of whites and grays.

Light gray walls decorated with geometric, abstract artwork seemed odd next to the decadent lavishness I’d seen throughout the house.

Across from the king-sized bed where I was lying was a huge television.

Elsewhere in the room was a metal desk topped with three sleek monitors.

Only thin, airy curtains covered the windows, which was why the sun was so alarmingly blinding now.

“No,” I groaned and covered my eyes with my forearm. The day had barely begun and was already ruined with all this light.

Someone had better have made coffee, or everyone would die. I wouldn’t argue with an offering of bacon, either.

I blindly stepped from the bed and tripped, falling onto my knees onto the darker-gray carpet. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to shout.

Spotting the cause of my clumsiness, I glared at the small pile of clothing.

These boys…

Still, Titus’s thoughtfulness brushed away my annoyance, and I pulled the items to me, curious what he might have chosen for me to wear.

There was a plain white V-neck long-sleeved tee and... My face began to warm as I held up the Hello Kitty boxers. I had no idea they even made San-x in someone Titus’s size. I would have to shower before changing, though.

Miles walked into the room before I could lower the underwear.

“Oh,” he said as he abruptly stopped. Surprise flashed across his face. “You’re awake!”

“The sun.” My voice was scratchy. “Make it go away!”