Page 32 of Tempt

But the only chance I had to speak with Dante in person was at this party, and because it is for family, I knew Luca would be there. I had no choice but to take the risk.

And, if I was willing to be honest with myself, I wished to see him again. He was my folly, and yet he was also meant for me, and it was damn near impossible to follow my own orders to be anywhere he wasn’t.

The moment I arrived at the building, I sensed him. I could feel his heartbeat like it was my own—that single, fragile, rhythmic thudding in his chest. I could scent him, even from outside. He smelled like fresh kirrashev, and the olystir blooms on the night of the full third moon.

The only way I could survive being this near to him and not touching was by pretending he didn’t exist. It was the only way to keep myself from pinning him to the wall and marking him as mine in front of all those other humans and Vyastil. I had to focus on Dante alone and act as though Luca was nothing.

And it nearly killed me.

Walking away from the building, I’m breathing heavily, claws extended, fangs long and digging into my lower lip. I can taste my own blood, and I wish it were his. My Luca’s. I have no business thinking that, but I can’t stop it now.

Each time I think I am safe from him, he’s there.

Each time I think I can run from this, I realize he has a chokehold on me that I cannot break.

I’ve parked my car down the street from the condo, and the walk does little to calm my head. I think I’m a bit more focused as I reach for the door handle, but that’s quickly proven wrong when a strong grasp takes me by the wrist, spins me, and pins me to the cold metal.

It only takes the beat of one of my hearts to know who it is, and the rush of want and need is damn near overwhelming.

I growl loudly, but I know there’s no point to it. Luca can’t hear the rumble from my chest. Or…can he? His gaze flickers down to my sternum, then back up into my eyes. I’m well aware that some Deaf humans can hear some sound, but I am unaware of where Luca’s range is.

It was not in his records.

The clinic didn’t care how Deaf he was in order to dismiss him.

And perhaps that’s a blessing because the thought of him being strapped to a chair and touched by another one of my kind makes my vision darken and my claws itch to sink into tender flesh.

I take a moment, breathing him in before breaking his grasp on me. He’s strong, but I’m stronger, and he makes an irritated noise as I ease him away from my body.

‘Enough,’ I sign sharply. ‘You said what you needed to say upstairs.’

His brows fly up. ‘I want to know why.’

I stare at him. He’s beautiful in the worst way, in a way that makes my chest ache and my heart sing.

‘Tell me,’ he insists, his finger thumping against his chest. ‘Was it so bad that you’re desperate to forget me? To act like it never happened?’

I want to say yes. I want to tell him that it was the worst moment of my life—if only he could not sense the lie. Perhaps if I hurt him enough, he will run from me and stop seeking me out.

But I know he’s feeling the same pull I am. I’ve worked myself to exhaustion keeping him out of my head, but I can’t block him entirely. I know he catches glimpses, feeling me at my weakest.

Perhaps he felt it when I had my fingers deep inside myself and I was bringing myself pleasure to the memory of his soft, human lips and the taste of his cum.

I swallow heavily. There’s no point in lying. He’ll be able to sense it.

‘One night,’ I remind him. ‘That’s all it was.’

He scoffs loudly and takes a step back. ‘Liar. You want me right now. I can feel it.’

My breath trembles as I shake my head. It feels so wrong, but I can’t help it. I know he’s been trying to chase away the thought of me. I felt it when he was flirting with another human. I felt his lust, though it wasn’t for that man.

It was for me.

In that moment, I was a selfish coward who crawled into his head to stake my claim, knowing full well I would not go to him. I would not give him relief from the pressure of lust that’s been building within him.

He steps in closer, and my breath catches. His body sinks against mine. He’s not nearly as tall as I am, but somehow, he feels overwhelming.

Powerful.