Queen of the Underworld | Book 3

• three •

I moved to go inside one of the buildings but he stopped me. He grabbed my wrist gently as I moved past him. When I stopped and looked at his hand on mine, his fingers curled into my hand, grabbing my fingers.

The move was sudden and so unexpected, I was again frozen to my spot.

"No one sent me, Emylin."

I looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"You called me here."

I frowned again. "I didn't call you."

He shook his head. "Your magic did."

I looked at him incredulously. "My magic?"

He nodded. "Our bargain. It allows me to feel your emotions to a degree. It called me here."

"How?"

"I felt your loneliness."

I watched him, stunned. "I'm lonely?" The idea seemed preposterous. I didn't feel lonely at all. Just moments before he showed up, I felt rushed and anxious. Not lonely. Something gnawed at me, tugging at my mind. It was like worms moving through my brain.

The thought wasn't ridiculous. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was lonely.

But how did he know? How did he know before I did?

"Where is Damien?" He asked softly. "He hasn't been ignoring you, has he?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing like that. We're not together. Not since Paris." I met his eyes. "We knew it would never work. We're better as friends."

Just like you said, I mentally added.

I bit my lip as I shrugged. "We're happy, actually. I think I convinced myself that I loved him as more than friends when, really, I didn't want to lose him."

Something was...off. I couldn't put my finger on it. Something didn't seem right. Why was I telling Asmo everything?

His eyes rooted me where I stood. Why were his eyes suddenly so alluring? Why was the darkness I'd seen there before all of a sudden enticing?

He moved closer to me and I was still unable to move. The back of his hand brushed against my wet cheeks softly. "I don't want you to be lonely, Emylin."

I was shaking under his gaze. My senses buzzed with danger, I felt the adrenaline pump through my limbs. I should be scared. I should push him off.

But I didn't want to. I was being drawn to him despite my body screaming at me to stop.

"I don't want to be lonely," I found myself whispering.

His thumb brushed my lower lip.

I grabbed the lapel of his coat and pulled him to me.

Surprise shone in his eyes but a smile tugged at his lips. He placed his hands on my shoulders as he leaned down towards me and kissed me gently.

His lips were soft against mine. It was innocent, chaste, yet my senses were screaming. I frowned against the way my magic cried out begging me to stop. I frowned again as he deepened the kiss.

Something was wrong. So wrong.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

His hands didn't move from their place not until I pulled him closer. His hand did move then, cupping the back of my head gently and holding me in place.

Thunder rocked everything around me waking me with a startled start. Thunder rolled again reverberating through my chest. I pulled myself out of my dream, sitting up in my bed in my small studio apartment.