Page 57 of Air of Seduction
Chapter 34
Lyn
I want to run. I want to run as fast as I can and disappear into the huge city of London. It would be easy. I would never have to see Markus again, and with time I might even be able to forget about him.
Pulling in a deep breath, I fill my lungs with air I don’t need. I can’t run yet. Not until the master is gone. But then…
I can see Aidan’s frown as I hurry toward him. When I saw his signal earlier, I turned to look at Markus. That’s when I noticed he seemed completely lost in his own head.
And whatever he was thinking about made his eyes heat when I touched him. I was completely mesmerized when he leaned in like he was going to kiss me.
Until he stopped.
I’ll never forget how his eyes filled with horror and the way he jumped away from me like he’d been burned.
But at least I have my answer to the question that’s been occupying my mind lately. Kate was wrong. Markus isn’t attracted to me. Because the person he was thinking about, who made his eyes fill with desire just now, isn’t me.
Aidan’s eyes narrow when I reach him. He glances behind me before his gaze settles on me. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” I bite out more harshly than he deserves. He knows I’ve got feelings for Markus, and although he hasn’t expressly told me so, I’m quite certain he would be all for it if something developed between me and his team leader.
That’s no longer a possibility, though, so at least I don’t have to consider how a relationship between us would affect the team.
Aidan studies my face, his face a picture of doubt. “We’ll talk about it later.”
I hear footsteps behind me and know Markus is about to join us.
We won’t talk about it later, but there’s no point arguing with Aidan about that now, so I just nod.
Markus walks up next to me, and I try not to flinch. The urge to put more distance between us to protect my unbeating heart is almost overpowering, but I lock my knees and stay still.
Aidan’s expression is tight with disapproval when he looks at his team leader, but the black-haired man next to me doesn’t seem to notice.
“Have you found something?” Markus’s voice is neutral, without any trace of emotion.
“Yes.” Aidan nods. “There’s a hidden door like we suspected, but it wasn’t where we expected it to be.”
He backs up toward the wall where Gawen is standing, and we follow. And that’s when I see it.
A small section of the raised sidewalk by the wall is gone, and there are steps leading down beneath the church. It can’t be more than two feet wide and so cleverly made that it isn’t visible unless you’re within a couple of yards of the opening.
“It took us a while to realize that the door we were looking for might not be in the wall itself.” Gawen smiles.
“Let’s go.” Markus takes a step closer to the descending stairs. “We’re too exposed to keep standing here, talking.”
Markus starts down the stairs, and Gawen quickly follows. I hurry after Markus’s brother, and Aidan and Ronan are right behind me.
The stairs are much longer than I anticipated, and the strong musty smell suggests that whatever is down here isn’t in regular use.
We end up in a short corridor at least two stories below where we started. There’s no light down here, but as far as I know we can all see in the dark, so it doesn’t pose a problem.
There’s a single door at the end of the corridor, and Markus pauses and glances back at us before he slowly pushes it open.
The creaking of the old door makes my muscles tense in preparation, but nothing happens. The room beyond the door is dark and not a sound can be heard.
We file into the room. It’s bare except for an altar at the far end and a few chairs positioned in a half circle facing the altar. There are no other visible exits except for the one we just came through.
I start when Markus moans and sinks to his knees, quickly followed by Gawen.