Pyromancist (Seven Forbidden Arts 1)

She spat her words at him like poison. “In your dreams.”

“In my bed and where the hell ever I want.” He tightened his grip in her hair, pulling her face so close only a breath of air separated their lips. “Don’t look so put off. This is what you’ve always wanted.” He lowered his voice, letting the threat spill into his tone. “Isn’t that what you were after when you stalked me? Don’t you know girls who don’t want to get burned shouldn’t play with fire?”

She yanked sideways, her large eyes brimming with insult and hurt. “You’re not the man I thought you were.”

He had to let the silky braid go or risk tearing the hair from her scalp. “Does the version of me you constructed in your romantic little head not fit the reality? You thought I was tormented and wronged but a good man underneath? You thought you could save me?”

Her chest rose with a shaky breath, anger mixing with the hurt in her eyes.

“Sorry, little witch.” He uttered a wry chuckle. “I’m not here to lie to you. I’m here to take what’s mine.”

“You mean steal it,” she bit out.

“I’m not taking anything you haven’t given first.” He raised a brow, challenging her to contradict the statement.

“You’re a jerk,” she said with angry tears building in her eyes.

There was no point denying the truth. But enough of that. He wasn’t here to make her cry. Getting to his feet, he walked to the rail in the corner and flipped through the meagre wardrobe. “Why are you here, Cle?”

Accusation rang in her voice. “You know why I ran.”

“I’m not talking about that.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Is this where you live?”

“I had no money when I came here. Work is scarce.” She added in a defensive tone, “This is what I can afford.”

He went on to inspecting the contents of a minifridge. One of the hinges was missing. The door almost came off when he opened it. “Tell me about the bar.”

“What about the bar?”

Judging by the apples and butter in the fridge, it didn’t look like she ate well. He shut the door and turned back to face her. He kept the question nonchalant, but the need to know grew in him like a cancer. “Did the men touch you?”

She looked away. “No.”

“But they wanted to?” he asked, his anger not abated.

“Some.”

He’d fucking kill each one of them. God forbid he should ever run into any of them on the street. “Did they look at you?”

“I was too busy working to notice,” she said, glaring back at him.

That line of question wasn’t helping the self-control he needed. He’d found her. That was all that mattered. Forcing the image of another man’s eyes roaming over her body down with much difficulty, he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about the firestarting?”

Her eyes flared. “Jeez, I don’t know, Joss. Maybe because if you knew you’d kill me?”

“Drop the sass, Cle. Why did your blood mask it? How did you do it?”

“I don’t know.”

He clenched his hands. “You fucking lied to me.”

“I didn’t know,” she exclaimed. “Not until it happened.”

He considered her answer for a moment, taking in her frail form on the bed. He believed her. “It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t have run from me. I warned you about that.”

“So what?” She scoffed. “Now you get to punish me?”

She’d be afraid if she knew. Mockingly, he said, “Finders, keepers.”

She stiffened. “I don’t belong to you.”

He walked back to the bed and bent over her, placing his arms on either side of her body on the mattress. “That ache I bet you felt between your legs after fucking me says otherwise.”

She struck out, but he caught her wrist before her hand could connect with his cheek. “You hit me, and you’ll regret it.”

She yanked her arm from his hold. “It happened once. It doesn’t mean a thing.” Her voice shook. “It doesn’t count for anything.”

“Once or a hundred times, it doesn’t matter. I fucking came inside you. You can pretend all you want what we shared didn’t count, but it would never make it less real.”

“Whatever you think that was isn’t real.”

Like hell. “It’s fucking real.” He gripped her chin. “It’s staring at me right now. I came over a continent to find it.”

She jerked her face away. “Just kill me already or leave.”

He straightened, smiling down at her with all the coldness her betrayal ignited in his heart. “You don’t think it’s going to be that easy?”

The anger that glittered in her eyes shifted, letting in hatred. “What the hell do you want from me?”

“Get up.”

“Why?” she asked, the word sounding breathless with the fear she tried so bravely to hide.

“We’re leaving.”

“Where are you taking me?”

Making his voice hard, he said, “Now, Cle.”

She glanced at the door. “Is your team waiting outside?”