Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
He was already on his feet, having moved much faster than me. The bed separated us, but I had a feeling that fact wouldn’t last much longer. I forced in a shallow breath, knowing if he came at me, there would be little I could do to stop him. That knowledge sent cold panic surging through me. My hands spasmed at my sides as I quickly scanned the chamber, spotting two doors. I needed to get out of here.
“Poppy.”
My gaze shot back to him, and my heart twisted. He sounded tortured. Broken.
“That’s your name,” he said, his tone steady again, comforting. “My name is Casteel.”
A spasm rolled through me, and my lips mouthed the word. Tasted it.
“And you are my—”
“I know what I am,” I said in a low, hoarse whisper that scratched my throat. “I know what you are.”
The muscles of his shoulders tensed. “And what are we?”
My spine straightened as I inhaled his scent once more. “You…you are the end, but I’m the beginning and the end.” Eather flared weakly in my chest, and the nape of my neck tingled faintly. My head lowered. “We are…Primal gods.”
“We are much more than that.”
More.
I closed my eyes and saw us surrounded by frothy, steaming water, our limbs intertwined, our bodies one. My eyes flew open. They’d only been closed for a heartbeat or two, but in those few seconds, he’d moved toward the foot of the bed. A few more feet and he’d be closer to both doors.
I had to act now.
“Poppy,” he said, this time in a way that sounded like a warning. His head cocked, and his eyes narrowed. “Don’t—”
I sprang forward and bolted across the chamber, aiming for the closest door. My fingers grasped the cool metal handle—
“Nope.”
Arms snagged me, jerking me back.
“What in all the realms are you thinking?” he demanded, hauling me against a wall of hard, warm muscles.
Air punched out of my lungs, the feel of him shooting through me like lightning. My eyes widened as my muscles locked. The flimsy nightdress I wore was no barrier against his bare chest and my back, nor the band of steel below my breasts.
His head dipped, the rough stubble on his cheek dragging against mine. The sensation scattered my already jumbled thoughts, and I felt his chest rise sharply against my back. “Poppy,” he breathed.
The silken shift in his tone sent a tight, hot shiver coursing down my spine.
He drew his head back, his warm breath dancing over my ear. “What are you thinking now?”
I…I wasn’t sure. The feel of him, hot and hard against me, had awakened a bizarre concoction of emotions inside me. Need flooded my body with a wave of molten desire, which was so wrong when instinct warned that he was a threat.
Yet there was an undeniable familiarity to the curve of his arms and the pressure of his chest against my back. It was as if some part of me knew him. Trusted him.
“Whatever it is.” His voice had deepened even more, his arms loosening just a fraction, conjuring thoughts of damp, humid air and needy kisses. My eyes fluttered closed as I felt my body relaxing into his. One of his hands slid across my stomach, sending another wave of hot, coiled shivers cascading through me. “I am one hundred percent on board with it.”
My eyes opened.
“But that needs to wait,” he continued, turning us. “Unfortunately.”
It was then that I realized he had moved us away from the door—both of them.
Damn it.
Shoving the strange yearning for him aside, I pulled against his hold.
“Stop.” He walked us toward the side of the bed while I’d only managed to get a few inches between us. “I know you’re confused, but I can help you.” His voice was calm, soothing the fury building within me. “There’s no reason to run from me. You can trust me. Please.”
Trust?
Instinct—sharp and unyielding—sliced through his plea like a sword through silk. Energy surged through me, and it felt different. Colder. Darker. Foreign. It…it scared me.
It empowered me.
I drove my elbow back with all the force my confusion and fear could muster, aiming for the spot under his ribs. His breath whooshed out, the sound mingling with the thud of impact, and his grip loosened just enough.
Twisting free, I spun out of his hold and staggered back.
“I’m sorry,” he said, the words and the gentle tone surprising me. I had the impression he was not someone who apologized often. “I didn’t mean to scare or hurt you. That is the very last thing I ever want to do.”
“But you have,” I croaked, the accusation spilling from me before I could even understand where it had come from. His lips parted at the sound of my voice. “You have hurt me.”
He flinched as if I’d hit him in the stomach once more. I stepped back, the sight disturbing me as I rubbed my left palm over the center of my chest. Pain erupted where I touched, shooting across my shoulders and down my arms. I started to look down.