“What does that even mean?” I murmur, not feeling achy between my legs anymore but noting a definite squeezing sensation in my chest.
Carrick doesn’t say anything for a moment, but instead stands from the chair until I have to look way up to see him. His hands come to my face as he peers down. “Tonight. We need to talk.”
“About?”
“About us,” he replies. “About whether or not we can have a future together.”
“But you said it can’t work between—”
“I know what I said.” He kisses me hard, then pulls back to see me. “But I’ve also learned—just recently—that amazing and miraculous things happen all the time when you’re not expecting them to.”
“And why do you want to talk now?” I ask because I remember him saying we would when the time is right.
“Because I think now that we know the chalice and perhaps the Blood Stone exists, things are going to be moving fast. Kymaris could already know this info some other way, because Wells knew about the chalice and he said he knew how to find it.”
“You mean, we could be battling sooner rather than later?” I guess, my heart now racing with a slight tinge of fear.
That all of this could be over soon.
That Carrick and I could be over soon.
“We have to get my sister out,” I blurt, remembering Carrick wanted to wait until after all this was done. “If things are going to start moving, we have to come up with a plan for her. If I die, someone else needs to get her.”
“I promise you,” he says, pulling me into his body and pressing his hand to my head to hold me to his chest. “No matter what happens to you, I will get your sister out of the Underworld.”
Instantly, I relax because that’s a hell of a promise to make.
It makes me realize that whatever he wants to talk about tonight will be something monumental, and I’ll never have seen it coming.
CHAPTER 25
Finley
It feels good to be in the gym. While I’m alone, it doesn’t mean I can’t be productive. I’ve taken my whip skills to a whole new level, and now I’m able to strike specific parts of the body.
Not just the nose, but the left nostril.
Not just the ear, but the lobe.
I’m not a hundred percent in my accuracy but I’m more often than not striking true. While I know it’s not the ideal weapon to fight with, it’s become such a natural extension of me that I’m at my most confident with it in my hand.
After lunch, Carrick continued reading the Libri Mysteria in his office in case other powerful relics could be of use, and Zaid said he had errands to run. I decided to work out some of my tensions in the gym.
Not sure why I’m so tense this afternoon.
It’s not like Carrick didn’t play my body to his liking earlier, and obviously to my mine as well. When Zaid backed out of the office to go make lunch, Carrick said, “Half an hour isn’t much time.”
Then he pulled me into that swirling gray cyclone of magic he had used on me the first time we had sex. Within seconds, we were both naked and I was bent over his desk before him.
Just remembering it causes me to flush hot and makes me press my legs tight together. It turns out that half an hour was plenty of time for Carrick to use his thousands of years of prowess to make me call out his name on more than one occasion.
And… I’ll never look at his desk the same way again. I’ll barely be able to look Zaid in the eye. I swear all through lunch as we sat at the kitchen table together and ate grilled chicken Caesar salads, my face was red because I knew that Zaid knew what we were doing in Carrick’s office.
In fact, quite sure he heard some of it as I was pretty loud, and Carrick didn’t have the decency to clap his hand over my mouth.
When the meal was finished, I bounded from the table and announced I was going to work out for a while, needing some distance from Carrick’s powerful influence and Zaid’s knowing smirk.
I made it to my bedroom to change into my workout gear, only to give a slight yip of fright to find Carrick in there waiting for me. He had bent distance into my room, but had no intention of staying long.
In fact, he only had a few words to spare for me.
Stepping in close, he used his hand to grip my hair, forcing my head back so I could see him. When my eyes were pinned to his, he said, “Don’t ever be embarrassed by what we do. It’s beautiful, and I don’t give a fuck who knows. Neither should you.”