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Authors: Erica O'Rourke
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the rooftops?”
“I would prefer you didn’t,” he said. “And I’d rather not have your first time be on my couch.”
“You have a bedroom,” I said. “If that’s the problem... .”
“That’s not the problem, and you know it. It’s a big deal. It should be special. Not an impulse thing. It doesn’t work so good that way.”
“You know what’s not going to work? If you’re a condescending jerk,” I snapped.
“I’m not saying we can’t do anything, Mo. Just not ... that. Not yet. It’s illegal,” he pointed out reasonably.
“I’m eighteen in three months.”
“Great. In three months, we can do this again, and I won’t stop you. But for now ... no.”
I huffed out a breath, partly out of frustration and partly to see how his eyes tracked the movement. “Three months is a really long time.”
He grinned. “We’ll manage.” His hand slid down my body, and his mouth followed, and as I felt myself go completely weightless underneath him, I decided he might be right.
C HAPTER 8
I missed dinner entirely. By the time Colin dropped me at home, the house was silent. I could see the silhouette of my mom in the upstairs window, getting ready for bed. I eased open the door and punched in the alarm code. The kitchen was dark, and I crept across, grateful I would be spared an interrogation until the morning.
“Where have you been?” my father asked.
I jumped, but managed not to shriek. “Jesus, Dad!”
“I asked you a question.” He stood in the basement doorway—not a big man, but managing to fill it all the same.
“I called Mom,” I said defensively. “I had dinner with Colin.”
“It’s ten o’clock at night. No one eats that late.”
I gestured to my messenger bag. “Homework. I’m not grounded, you know. I’m in before curfew. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
He snorted. “Please, Mo. If you’re going to lie to my face, put a little more effort into it.”
I froze. He might suspect, but he didn’t know. Skin didn’t show fingerprints. And he hadn’t been around enough to figure out when I was lying.
“Good night,” I said, brushing past him on my way up the stairs.
“About today,” he called after me. “The police, at the bar. It’s not what you think.”
I paused, glancing at him over the banister. “Tell you what, Dad. How about you stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours. That seems like a fair trade, doesn’t it? And neither of us has to lie.”
He dragged a hand over his face, looking exhausted. “I’m trying, Mo. It’s not easy, but I’m trying to be a better man.”
“Good luck with that.”
Three hours later, I jolted awake to the sound of the world splitting open and a hand clamping roughly over my mouth, cutting off my scream before it began.
An instant later, the lamp next to my bed switched itself on, revealing Luc. His eyes were bright and hard, like emeralds. I sank back, pulling the quilt up to my chest. There was no hiding from Luc, though. Even the magic seemed cowed by his temper. After a moment, he pulled his hand away from my mouth, clamping it around my wrist instead. I felt the lines swell, cloaking us so that my parents wouldn’t wake up.
“Niobe told you.”
“Better.” Our binding crackled with his fury, but his voice was brutally calm. “Dominic. Loved every second of it, too. Came waltzin’ into the Dauphine with a full complement of guards, tellin’ me you’d been attacked, askin’ how I hadn’t known that the girl I’m bound to was in mortal danger.”
“I was fine. And Niobe said you knew.” But it must have hurt him, to hear it secondhand—and I could only imagine how much his father had enjoyed delivering the news in the most humiliating way possible—punishing Luc for daring to put me ahead of the Quartoren’s needs.
“Because Dominic told me. You promised to summon me if there was trouble, and three days later, you’re breakin’ your word. Makes a man lose faith. And then I
“I would prefer you didn’t,” he said. “And I’d rather not have your first time be on my couch.”
“You have a bedroom,” I said. “If that’s the problem... .”
“That’s not the problem, and you know it. It’s a big deal. It should be special. Not an impulse thing. It doesn’t work so good that way.”
“You know what’s not going to work? If you’re a condescending jerk,” I snapped.
“I’m not saying we can’t do anything, Mo. Just not ... that. Not yet. It’s illegal,” he pointed out reasonably.
“I’m eighteen in three months.”
“Great. In three months, we can do this again, and I won’t stop you. But for now ... no.”
I huffed out a breath, partly out of frustration and partly to see how his eyes tracked the movement. “Three months is a really long time.”
He grinned. “We’ll manage.” His hand slid down my body, and his mouth followed, and as I felt myself go completely weightless underneath him, I decided he might be right.
C HAPTER 8
I missed dinner entirely. By the time Colin dropped me at home, the house was silent. I could see the silhouette of my mom in the upstairs window, getting ready for bed. I eased open the door and punched in the alarm code. The kitchen was dark, and I crept across, grateful I would be spared an interrogation until the morning.
“Where have you been?” my father asked.
I jumped, but managed not to shriek. “Jesus, Dad!”
“I asked you a question.” He stood in the basement doorway—not a big man, but managing to fill it all the same.
“I called Mom,” I said defensively. “I had dinner with Colin.”
“It’s ten o’clock at night. No one eats that late.”
I gestured to my messenger bag. “Homework. I’m not grounded, you know. I’m in before curfew. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
He snorted. “Please, Mo. If you’re going to lie to my face, put a little more effort into it.”
I froze. He might suspect, but he didn’t know. Skin didn’t show fingerprints. And he hadn’t been around enough to figure out when I was lying.
“Good night,” I said, brushing past him on my way up the stairs.
“About today,” he called after me. “The police, at the bar. It’s not what you think.”
I paused, glancing at him over the banister. “Tell you what, Dad. How about you stay out of my business, and I’ll stay out of yours. That seems like a fair trade, doesn’t it? And neither of us has to lie.”
He dragged a hand over his face, looking exhausted. “I’m trying, Mo. It’s not easy, but I’m trying to be a better man.”
“Good luck with that.”
Three hours later, I jolted awake to the sound of the world splitting open and a hand clamping roughly over my mouth, cutting off my scream before it began.
An instant later, the lamp next to my bed switched itself on, revealing Luc. His eyes were bright and hard, like emeralds. I sank back, pulling the quilt up to my chest. There was no hiding from Luc, though. Even the magic seemed cowed by his temper. After a moment, he pulled his hand away from my mouth, clamping it around my wrist instead. I felt the lines swell, cloaking us so that my parents wouldn’t wake up.
“Niobe told you.”
“Better.” Our binding crackled with his fury, but his voice was brutally calm. “Dominic. Loved every second of it, too. Came waltzin’ into the Dauphine with a full complement of guards, tellin’ me you’d been attacked, askin’ how I hadn’t known that the girl I’m bound to was in mortal danger.”
“I was fine. And Niobe said you knew.” But it must have hurt him, to hear it secondhand—and I could only imagine how much his father had enjoyed delivering the news in the most humiliating way possible—punishing Luc for daring to put me ahead of the Quartoren’s needs.
“Because Dominic told me. You promised to summon me if there was trouble, and three days later, you’re breakin’ your word. Makes a man lose faith. And then I
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