Page 56 of Air of Seduction

The area is blessedly devoid of people when we arrive, but we still proceed according to the plan. Aidan and Gawen stroll leisurely toward Temple church. The rest of us take up positions around the area while staying within view of the relevant section of the southern wall.

I know Markus would have liked to be the one to join Gawen, but Aidan was the natural choice since he’s the only one who’s worked with Gawen and knows what he’s capable of. And of course as the earth elemental Aidan has a special ability with stone.

My eyes stay glued to Aidan and Gawen when they stop by the wall. Contrary to how magic is often portrayed in movies, no sounds or lightshow typically accompanies the use of magical power. If it does, it’s usually a sign that something went wrong.

However, magical power can be felt if it’s strong enough, even sometimes by humans. But you usually have to be close to pick it up.

Minutes tick by with nothing happening. Aidan and Gawen move around by the wall, but they don’t turn to give us the signal that they’ve discovered something.

I let out a deep sigh. More waiting, exactly what I don’t need right now. But I should have expected it. A lot of our work consists of waiting, so it’s nothing new.

Taking my eyes off the pair by the church, I pull my phone from my pocket and stare at the screen. No message fromPayton. But I already knew that. I would have felt the vibration of my phone if I got one.

“Fuck,” I murmur, a sharp stab of pain in my chest making me wince. All I need is two minutes with her to explain, to apologize, to say whatever she needs me to say to make this right. But it’s been hours, and I haven’t heard from her. Doesn’t she want me? Doesn’t she care about me at all?

***

Markus

I lean back against the wall of the building south of the church while I follow Aidan and Gawen’s every move with my eyes. This is taking too long. If there was a hidden door somewhere in that wall, they should have found it by now. But they haven’t given up yet, so neither will I.

I turn to observe the beautiful redhead standing a distance to my right. Lynette is standing close to the trunk of a tree, and although I can see her perfectly, I doubt a human would be able to distinguish her from the shadows.

Like she can feel my eyes on her, she turns her head and looks at me. But it only lasts a second before her gaze is back on Aidan and Gawen.

Swallowing down a sigh, I force my gaze away from her. I can still recall the feel of her soft thigh pressed against mine from when we were sitting in the living room last night. My shock at discovering I’ve got a brother made me forget my caution and ask her to sit next to me. And we ended up sitting closer than I had planned.

But against my better judgment, I didn’t move to put more distance between us. I did the opposite, and made sure our bodies were touching. And it did something I didn’t expect. It calmed me. I had just had one of the biggest shocks I’ve everexperienced in my life, and Lynette restored order to my mind and allowed my tension to flow out of my body until I was centered once more. And all just by staying close to me.

It’s been a long time since another woman caught my interest. Lynette has been the only one who’s made my cock thicken with need in years. But until just a few days ago, I was convinced she was scared of men after everything her maker put her through.

Now I know that’s not the case. The shock when she told me she’s had lovers was almost as great as when I found out I’ve got a brother. And the jealousy is still making my teeth clench whenever I think about it.

I want her. I want Lynette more than I’ve ever wanted another woman. She makes my blood race in my veins with desire, but more than that, she makes my heart speed up with the need to take care of her and make her happy.

“Markus.”

Lynette saying my name softly next to my ear jerks me out of my thoughts. Heat rushes through me, and I shudder with sudden desire.

Her hand lands on my arm, and the unexpected touch shoots a spark straight to my groin, making my cock perk up with interest.

She’s so close, her scent of earth and night filling my nostrils, and before I can even think what I’m doing I lean closer and bend my head.

I freeze.

My lips are no more than two inches from hers. Her eyes are wider than I’ve ever seen them, and her breathing has seized.

Yanking my head back, I take a long step away from her. What the fuck is wrong with me? I want her, yes, but I can’t make the mistake of acting on it.

Because there’s one thing I crave more than her, and that’s the certainty that she’ll always be there. If we started dating, and it for some reason didn’t work out, she might leave and never want to see me again. And I wouldn’t be able to accept that.

I count myself as a good person, and what my team and I do has saved a lot of people. But losing Lynette would change that, because I would do anything to get her back, including setting the whole world on fire and watching it burn.

She turns and hurriedly walks toward Aidan and Gawen. Her shoulders are tense, and her steps are a bit irregular, like she’s forcing herself to walk when she wants to run.

I groan and mentally kick myself. What the fuck did I just do? I almost kissed her, and then I suddenly pulled back like she smelled bad or something. What’s wrong with me? I’m clearly losing my mind.

I want to run after her and tell her I’m sorry. But how do I apologize when I can’t explain my behavior without revealing my feelings for her?