Page 28 of Stone Temptation
Luke
He knew.
He knew and I was in so much trouble.
My skin flushed with icky, stress-related heat.
Sometimes, when I got really stressed out, a major hot flush came at me to the point of me hating all clothes and loving the idea of a swim in the Arctic Ocean.
I probably looked like a lobster right now.
“Why the secrecy?” Seth asked with a triumphant grin on his face. “After everything I’ve done for you.” He cocked his head. “Do you need a fan? You’re very red.”
I’d never been this stressed out in his presence. “I can explain.”
The chances were nil of me pulling off a grand escape.
“Please do, Luke. Please do.” His eyes bore into me, his delight a palpable beast.
I took a deep breath, refusing to let my fear tear me apart. “It manifested a year ago. Frightened me. Took me four weeks to master.”
“How does it work?”
Why so calm? “By concentration. I can last about two hours if nothing breaks it. After use, it takes a while to recharge.” I opened my coat, the room stifling. “I never wanted anyone to know in case?—”
“Enough, Luke. Thank you for your explanation.”
God, I’d swapped the hot seat with Ian. “I really am sorry I hid it from you.”
I didn’t dare ask how he’d found out.
“I’m disappointed.”
That word. Never that word. I’d had enough of it over the years. “How can I make it better?”
He made me wait in silence for agonizing minutes, lighting a third joint. “I know what you’ve been doing. I know you’ve been stealing to save your brother.”
Oh. My. God.
“Hence me requesting your thieving talents.”
I prayed for the ground to swallow me. “I?—”
“I understand your hesitancy in revealing such a power. Invisibility is a sneaky tool, a dangerous one. There are many out there who would use you to gain advantage over others.” A devious smirk followed. “Like me.”
I showed no sign of cooling down, my coat fully off.
“This would be a one-off deal between us. I want this ring, you want to keep your secret and out of prison.” He didn’t wait for me to respond. “This is how it will work. You will travel with me to London tomorrow night as my escort. Carissa Bow is hosting a gala to raise money for human charities. I forget which ones, and don’t care. Let her paint herself as some saintly knight. If she doesn’t want to listen to me, I’ll play it like this.” He paused, drifting off into thought.
What did he mean?
These silences were awful. “I?—”
“You’re handsome enough to be on my arm.”
Arrogant much?
I wiped my sweaty brow, not sure if I’d be able to stay conscious for much longer with this new development.