Read Online My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel - Free Book Online Page B

“Not as easy.”
    What a thought, that there were magehelds out there just waiting to crunch on her bones and spit them out. In her head, Alexandrine imagined monsters squatting in alleys and doorways, salivating and rubbing misshapen hands over the prospect of catching her first. “What are we going to do, then?”
    “Do some cleanup and sit tight.”
    She looked at her clock. Three twenty-one in the morning. She was going to be a wreck when her alarm went off. If she lived that long. She hated feeling powerless. The fact that Xia believed he could handle this didn’t help her at all. No way was she going to rely on someone else to save her ass. Not happening.
    “Sit tight?” she said. This was stupid, talking to each other across the room. She let out a breath and walked to the door. She didn’t look. Much. He moved aside and followed her to the living room. She turned around and put her hand on her hips. “You think I don’t get that you’re hoping my father will show up and give you a chance to kill him. Well, get real, Xia, because one thing I’m not is stupid. You want to kill Rasmus Kessler, and you’re hoping I’m the bait that gets him here.”
    He wasn’t bothered in the least, was he? “Until it’s full-on daylight, it’s safer in here than out there.”
    “So,” she said calmly. Or tried to speak calmly, anyway. She was dimly aware that she did not sound calm. “You’re no different than Rasmus Kessler.”
    “Oh, yeah,” he said with a straight face. “Me and Rasmus. Practically twins.” He was surly because she was being a bitch to him. She knew she was going off on him for no good reason, but she couldn’t stop herself. She was on overload and looking for a way, any way, to release the fear and tension of the last hours. Fighting with Xia was an easy, chicken-livered out.
    “You are,” she said. “Neither of you give a shit if I live or die. I take that back. I think if you slip up and I get killed, you’ll be doing the happy dance. Whoopsie there, Harsh. So sorry about your sister, may she rest in peace.”
    From where she stood, his eyes looked like they were glowing. Pretty unsettling, that. “I wouldn’t wish for you to rest in peace,” he said in a low, honey-spiced voice. “And I wouldn’t slip up, either.” He sneered. “If it weren’t for my promise to Nikodemus and Harsh, you’d be dead already, baby.”
    “Thanks so much for sharing the love.”
    He glared at her. His eyes were definitely glowing. “I keep my promises.”
    “Goody for you.” Inside, she was standing on the edge of a bottomless pit, about to fall over. “Why don’t you go do whatever the hell you want, and I’ll take care of saving my own skin. Really. I’m used to it.” Her voice rose. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. I don’t need Harsh, and I don’t need you, so just get the hell out, the way you should have the first time I told you.”
    “I promised Nikodemus and your brother I’d keep you alive. It’s something I did tonight, in case you didn’t notice.”
    She knew that, but she was in self-destruct mode and unable to stop. Alexandrine stepped up to him. She was tall enough to look into his eyes without tilting her chin. Much. “Did you happen to mention your little conflict of interest to them?”
    “They know all about me and Rasmus.”
    “Fine.” She threw her hands up, but they were shaking so hard she was afraid he’d see and realize she was losing it. She wanted to strangle her brother for this. She really did. This was all his fault. All of it. Why hadn’t he stayed dead? “What’s your plan for keeping me alive, then? Let’s hear some brilliant strategy, because that thing that jumped me, it wanted to kill me.”
    Xia shrugged. “Whoever comes, I’ll take care of them.”
    “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?” Now she wanted to strangle Xia. The lights were still off, but the streetlamp outside shone through the side windows and