Elemental Hunger

Chapter Twenty-Five

"What are you doing?" A tremor ran down my arms. "That was embarrassing." I turned around and found Adam retreating to his bed. His back looked smooth and golden, without a trace of black. I blinked, and a thin line of darkness coiled out from the bandage.

"Lighten up, Gabby. Everyone already knows you love me." He flopped onto his bed, leaving me staring and wondering if I'd seen anything on his back.

I laughed, covering my shock at the possible tattoo sighting—and the use of the word love. "Except for Davison," I said, trying to keep the mood light and the forbidden word submerged. I didn't dare blink as he motioned me over. I sat on the edge of his bed nervously.

"He'll ask you who you're going to choose, so he'd find out soon enough." Adam sat too, his leg pressing against mine.

I swallowed the cold fury at having to choose a husband as part of the charter. Intellectually, I'd known I'd have to, it just hadn't felt real. Until now. Besides, I had loads of time to get that law changed.

"What are you thinking?" he asked, tracing a swirling pattern on my uninjured shoulder.

"Not much," I lied, unwilling to tell him that I was plotting a way for us to remain single.

Adam shifted away from me. "Come on. If we're gonna be together—be a Council—you've got to talk to me. Besides, it's easy to tell when you've got something on your mind."

"How? How do you know?"

"You emit weird...stuff into the air. It's harder to breathe. And don't change the subject. What's on your mind?"

I remained silent, and Adam made some exaggerated choking noises. "Can't...breathe...."

I struggled with the inner workings of my brain.

"Gabby—"

I stole his words with my mouth. He didn't like it—he had something to say, but I didn't care. After a moment, his lips softened, and he snaked his hands along my back.

But what had I started? How far was I willing to go simply to avoid telling him the truth?

Adam's kisses became deeper. His fingers slid along the buttons of my robe, releasing enough to move his hand underneath. My skin flamed where he touched me.

My stomach filled with fire. Then my ribs ignited—everywhere he touched.

And I knew, in my heart, I didn't want to do this.

"Adam," I breathed, trying to make my voice sound full of fire instead of full of air. "I—" His mouth fit against mine. Fire burned in my bloodstream.

What it said: Listen to your heart.

I pushed Adam away and drew a deep breath. "I don't want to do this."

He looked like I'd punched him with a fiery fist.

"Right now," I added, trying to erase the hurt in his eyes. It still lingered there, but I just needed more time. I liked Adam—a lot. But I'd just met the guy—what? A couple of weeks ago? True, he made my bones melt with a simple look. But the memory of Hanai's hand in mine, the tender pull in his voice, the way he carefully kissed me, still played in my mind.

The only other person I'd allowed this far into my life had chosen someone else. "I can sense the fire in you, Gabby. I could feel it in January," echoed in my head. Even as Jarvis had kissed me in the forest, he'd known we couldn't be together. He'd always known he wouldn't choose me. That knowledge made our relationship feel so cheap. I'd often wondered if I'd meant anything to him at all.