Page 84 of Stone Temptation

One day, Finn. One day I’ll hear your freight train snoring again.

Oh, God. Watery eyes again.

“What’s wrong?” Asher leaned forward.

“Nothing.” I kept the tears at bay. “How does a sofa bed sound?”

Or mine…

I ignored that thought.

For now…

He smiled so sweetly that I smiled with him. “Sounds good.”

“Awesome.” I shoved some food into my mouth to stop my grinning.

“Listen, Luke.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’m your bodyguard, but also a confidant. I know I don’t know you well enough yet, but I’m a great listener.”

Peeling back the layers with him? I’d already put it into practice, and I might do it again. Everything he said rang true in my head, little fireworks of confirmation going off. It sounded ridiculous, but super true. He was safety and comfort and here for me. I understood that.

I kind of liked that.

Wow. Markings certainly were powerful things.

His flip phone buzzed. He read a message. “No new information found on the chimera or the human. There’s an autopsy underway on the body.”

“Okay.”

He put his phone away. “Got a cheeky request.”

“What is it?”

“Can you show me your invisibility power? No pressure. I was just thinking about how I could see you before I surprised you in the office. Our bond might bypass it.”

“Wasn’t that before you marked me?”

“Yeah, but I’d seen you in my head by that point.” He cut into his eggy bread. “No pressure. Whenever you?—”

I disappeared before his eyes, reappearing after thirty seconds.

“What was that?” he asked, putting his fork down.

“My vanishing act.”

“You didn’t go anywhere. But you did ripple like a pond I’d thrown a pebble at.”

“Oh. Strange.”

“I’m immune.”

“Clearly.”

“You bothered?”’

I really wasn’t. “No. I’m fine.” I chewed another bite.

“Cool. Means I really can’t lose you, eh?”