Page 64 of Vengeance and Vipers

Melancholy hits me so suddenly that it takes my breath away, and my pace falters. I scoff at myself. I’m being ridiculous. I went years without affection. I do fine without it. I clearly have too much time on my hands, and it’s turning me into a drama queen.

I walk faster, wanting to speak to Maddox even more now. I enter the woods and head for the stream, remembering when I crossed it yesterday during the game. My stomach flips when I recall the chase, and I try to put that out of my mind, too.

I find the brook and follow it, reaching the pond a few minutes later, but there’s no one there. I sigh and take a long sip of my coffee. As I do, I see a ripple in the surface of the water.

I take a step back into the trees, almost without realizing it. None of them have told me to be careful of anything dangerous on the grounds, but that’s just the sort of thing supes forget to mention around humans, and I’ve been in enough magickal places to know that there are some very nasty creatures in their sanctums.

But what breaks the surface isn’t a monster; it’s Maddox! My mouth drops open as he wades to the shore naked, trying and failing not to take in the contours of his body. I mean, I knew he was built under all those suits he wears, but holy shit! Knowing something and seeing it with your own two eyes is very different when it comes to Julian Maddox.

I swallow because I feel like I’m drooling all over myself. I watch as he dries himself off and throws on some low-slung jeans that somehow accentuate his abs, the tattoos all over his arms and chest.

I step back onto a stick that snaps under my shoe, and I recoil.

‘Who’s there?’ he calls, his eyes trained on where I am.

I come out of the trees, pretending I’ve been walking towards him the whole time and not standing there watching like some kind of inanimate pervert.

‘Tabitha asked me to bring you this,’ I say a little breathlessly, handing him the cup.

He takes it, and I forget to be careful. His fingers brush against mine, and desire slams through me with the force of a meteor striking the earth. I don’t know how my knees don’t buckle or how I keep myself from jumping on him and begging him to fuck any way he wants. The dirtier, the better.

I mean, I don’t even know whatdirtysex even entails, but I want it from him. Now! Something flares in his eyes, a fire of lust, and one of his hands reaches out toward me. It’s so close.

No!

I turn away, tears in my eyes because it feels like my entire being is crying out for him, and denying myself this is actually making my body hurt. My cup shakes in my hand, and I grip it with both to steady it.

‘Are you all right?’ he asks, but his tone is imperious and flat.

He’s clearly not feeling the same earth-shattering impulses that I am.

Did I imagine that look in his eyes? Did I just want it to be there?

The thought of my need for him being one-sided is enough to dampen my intense feelings enough that I can turn with a polite smile and a suitable response.

‘Of course,’ I say.

He glances at the trees where I emerged only seconds ago.

‘Were you watching me?’

‘No, I—’

I break off, my focus on his tattoo. It’s large, taking up his entire torso. In the middle of his chest is a woman with long hair. No, not a woman, a demon with sharp, little horns protruding from the top of her head. I stare at it. Is that face meant to be mine?

My eyes flick to his and back to the artwork on his skin. It looks like me … if I was a demon. I’m not imagining it. He has a tattoo of my face on his body. What does that mean?

‘Like what you see, Julia?’ He sounds bored but amused.

I feel my cheeks heat even more than they already are.

‘I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘I just – nice tattoo,’ I finish lamely.

He looks down at it.

‘Thank you,’ he says. ‘I got it a few months ago.’ He turns away, giving me no explanation.

Surely he knows …