Curse And Craving

48

He seemed enormous in my tiny apartment. His domineering presence filled any room, but cramped into tight quarters, there was no escaping him. “I heard you took a trip to Faery. Want to tell me how that happened?” His gravelly voice in the quiet room sent a tingling awareness through my body, and I was suddenly too hot in my own skin. This was the first time I had seen him in a T-shirt, and it was stretched perfectly over his muscular frame. I could see the bulges of his sinewy muscles, and a nagging voice insisted I trace them with my tongue. His shirt was untucked over faded denim jeans, and he wore his black boots beneath. Casual Lochlan felt a hair less intimidating but just as devastatingly dangerous to my libido. “How did you know I was there?” My words came out breathy, and my eyes dropped to his full lips. God, what I wouldn't give to suck on those lips. Those tasty lips curved up in the corners, and I realized I must have telegraphed my thoughts. “Does it matter how I know?” “I was kidn*pped by a man named Durin. He took me to the queen. We had dinner.” He slowly prowled closer. “That’s a very concise explanation.” I nodded, my body heating as he approached. My thoughts were choppy and disconnected amid an ocean of s****l tension. Lochlan erased the distance between us and leaned down until his lips were close to my ear. “Are we going to play this game again?” I would love to accuse him of manipulating me—to find some other reason to explain this insistent desire that overcame me around him—but it would be a lie. The cravings I felt were my own. A biological response I couldn’t deny. I slowly shook my head left to right. A feral growl rumbled from his chest as his arms came around me. He lifted me against his hard body, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I moaned with yearning when our lips finally collided. The relief set off an avalanche of frenzied need. My hands pulled at his short blond hair, and I rolled my hips to press my center against the hard ridge of his c**k. My lust was a dragon raging inside me, threatening to singe me from the inside out if I didn’t meet its heady demands. Lochlan walked us to the wall, pressing my back against it. One hand fisted in my hair while the other held me securely in place. Nothing about our kiss was delicate or romantic. It was primal and erotic, and I couldn't get enough of his masculine taste. Seizing my chance to bite his bottom lip, I nibbled and sucked, drawing a groan from deep in his chest. The vibrations made my n*****s pebble so hard it was almost painful. I gasped, giving us both a second apart to catch our breath. Lochlan’s forehead rested against mine. “When you get riled up, your eyes go the most amazing shade of black.” His words were a bucket of freezing water dousing my fiery lust. “What?” I struggled to set my legs down and wiggled out of his grasp. “Becca, don’t…” “Let me down,” I urged. “I need to see.” Eventually, he relented with a grimace. I ran to the bathroom, flipping on the light and freezing at the sight in the mirror. My cheeks were flushed, lips swollen, and my hair was ratted from where his hand had clutched my dark waves. None of that stuff registered, though, because all I could see was black. Like the Draug, I had no irises. No whites. Just solid black orbs staring back at me. “I’m a monster,” I breathed. Lochlan pulled my back flush against him, his arms wrapping around me. “They're beautiful, Rebecca. Remember what I said. Don't be afraid just because they’re different.” He met my black eyes in the mirror. “I have never met a Fae whose eyes switched back and forth like yours. Most Seelie and Unseelie have irises and whites. Only the Shadow Fae have solid black eyes, but theirs don’t change. It seems that yours can switch between the two. It’s incredible.” Hearing his perspective helped, but it was hard to overcome my panic. “What happens if they go black at work or around my parents or something? I can't let people see me with black eyes,” I stuttered anxiously, turning my face back to peer up at him. “You’ll have to keep yourself calm and be aware that if you do get worked up, you need to excuse yourself somewhere private until you’re under control.” It sounded simple, but how did he know that my eyes would continue to return to normal? Maybe once my transformation was complete, my obsidian eyes would be permanent. I looked back at the mirror, where I watched myself blink several times. As my heart rate started to normalize, the black shrunk back down to my normal human pupil. The weight of my relief bowed my head. “Come here. I've got something for you.” Lochlan led me downstairs to the sofa where he had left his jacket. Reaching inside, he pulled out a small flip phone and held it out. I took it and looked at him questioningly. I already had a phone, and he knew it. “This one's safer.” “Is it spelled or something? Like a magic phone?” “No, Rebecca. It's just a burner. I like to stay off the grid as much as possible. If you need to contact me, use that. I've got my number programmed in it. You can text on it, but it’s a pain in the ass, and I probably won't text you back.” “Thanks for the warning,” I quipped playfully, hoping to avoid the awkwardness of addressing our heated moment earlier. There was only so much emotional gymnastics I could handle. But Lochlan didn’t smile in return. Instead, he sighed and picked up his jacket. “I’ll be in touch,” he murmured, then let himself out. I stared at the closed door for long minutes after he was gone. Was he disappointed we didn’t have s*x? I definitely sensed a note of discontent, but what was the reason? Surely, he couldn’t expect me not to be upset at learning my eyes look reptilian. What did he want from me? I was doing the best I could, given the circumstances. I stretched my neck, rolling my head from one side to the other. I could guess at his thoughts all night and still be wrong. There was no point. I was tired and hungry and not entirely human anymore. I deserved some grace from Lochlan and myself. Setting aside my worries, I made myself some pasta and happily ate my troubles instead.