“Did you just tell me, bearer of Wrath, to calm down like it was a possibility?” he snapped. Mentally, he was beating himself up. “Calm the fuck down, Barron. If you rage, Wrath will be with her instead of you.”
“Yes. Please? Let’s talk. Talk to me.” I tried reaching for him, but he only put more distance between us.
“Talk? I can’t fucking talk right now. I want to kill something—fuck. I still want to spread your legs apart and bury my face between them.”
Still? I squeezed my thighs together as my clit throbbed. My teasing back at the cave had worked.
His thoughts quieted right about the time his gaze skimmed over me. Even with the cloak covering me, my skin became tingly. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily as he gulped like he was parched. Thirsting for me, Barron?
“The thought alone will make me rage. Too fucking dangerous.”
With no words, he gripped my wrist and dragged me toward the castle. “Barron, maybe I can help you with your curse.”
He snorted. “Your very existence teases my curse. How can you help it?”
“Let’s have sex.”
He halted, and I pulled my wrist away.
“Does she want me to rage right here and fucking now? Gwendolyn will be my undoing.”
“Do you know how dangerous it is for any woman to sleep with me? Unless I came straight out of an episode, I didn’t risk it.”
“Don’t talk about other women,” I interrupted, not liking him sleeping with anyone at all.
“Fucking Hades,” his spat, red essence coming to life around him. “I can’t have you more than anyone.”
My shoulders slumped. I shuffled my feet and glanced at the ground. He would never give into me, would he?
“Don’t,” he said gruffly. He stepped toward me until I could feel his hot breath fanning my ear. I lifted my gaze to see him leaning over me. “You bring on my wrath quicker, dimples. That is why. I want no one else.”
“I’ve wanted no one else,” his thoughts went on.
My chest warmed and happiness seeped throughout me until it felt like it would burst through my skin.
I placed my hand on his chest and urged him to sit down with me on a huge tree trunk resting on its side. His eyes drooped, and his nostrils flared. “I don’t want to bring out your curse. I want to understand you,” I told him.
“I don’t even understand myself. My sin’s not normal—I’m not normal since meeting you.”
The more I watched and listened to Barron, the more I could believe Wrath. Barron was unwilling to get too close to me. He was purposely suppressing himself. His anger probably made him afraid of hurting people. I got the feeling from his body language and thoughts that Barron wanted to let go.
Propping my foot on the log, I revealed the tattoo to him. “Tell me more about the marks.”
“We hardly know anything about them ourselves. Everyone declared them signs of our soulmates when one popped up on Isabella.”
“You don’t believe it?” I asked softly.
“I think fate is a real bitch to bring us a ray of hope within our curses at a time like this,” he muttered. His red essence continued swirling around him.
“Because the world is ending?”
He nodded. “Gwendolyn, all I want is to protect you from me and this shit storm.”
“And you,” his thought whispered. “I want you.”
Barron was becoming more honest with himself. In time, he’d give himself to me. I felt it in my heart.
“And I just want to be near you.” I scooted closer, needing to be near him.
His essence expanded around us as his gaze strayed to my lips then eyes. “Are you batting your eyelashes at me right now?”
I smirked. “You gonna call a girl out on that? You’re supposed to appreciate it or something.”
“Not when I can remember you doing the same thing to the nurse,” his thought rushed forward.
What nurse was he talking about?
His thoughts continued, “It doesn’t matter. She’s here now, with me—but then again, I’m Wrath. Just picturing her displaying those dimples for someone else…”
His essence flared like a flame around him and me. I gasped. He would make himself rage if he didn’t stop thinking about irrelevant things.
Slowly, I smiled at him. I guessed he didn’t want me to give it to anyone else. “Barron, stop being difficult.”
“Fucking dimples. Those things need a warning label. My weakness.”
I blushed again. Why couldn’t he talk like that out loud?
“You said you would let me stay with you from now on,” I continued.
“You are. But stop the flirting. Shit doesn’t work on me.”
Such a liar.
“You’re coming back for me when you’re finished slaying the bad guys?”
“What part of ‘you are staying with me’ do you not understand?” he asked.
“All right. Jeez. I just can’t wait for you to get back already.”
At my words, his essence climbed the height of the trees. Barron delivered me on the castle steps and left without raging out.
Chapter 23
Barron
Despite wanting to go get Gwendolyn, I didn’t have the chance. Three days had passed. The human festival was coming in seven. I was running low on energy and patience, while my irritation slowly mounted. Making matters worse, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept, and I was desperately in need of it. Running on Wrath’s fumes gave me a lot more energy than my siblings. They could go days without sleep as well, but they still slept most nights. I couldn’t relate. I needed to go until I couldn’t anymore.
“Go to her.”
It didn’t help that I had my fucking curse trying to tell me what to do every hour that I hadn’t gone to Gwendolyn. The more I ignored it, the worse the voice became until it was almost nonstop.
“Go to her.”
It didn’t matter that I wanted to see her so badly my heart ached. Not only did I have shit to do, I couldn’t stand letting the voice have its way. Which was crazy since I was sure it was a part of my curse.
But I was stubborn and fucking angry. I didn’t want to be close to her because of my sin. I wanted to be with her for me because I found her irresistible. Sometimes, she was a tease. Other times, she blushed and laughed playfully. I desired the chatty female.
Not because my curse wanted her. So the more Wrath pestered my mind, the further I moved us away from Gwendolyn and worked with guiding souls and stopping trafficking.
She’s mine. Not his. Mine.
Thanks to all the Reapers, we stopped most of the human trafficking. There were still humans on our Reaper radar that hadn’t been found. The only way to save the ones we couldn’t find would be on the night of the festival.
My skin shimmered and crawled because of Wrath, but I didn’t want to rage out. I doubted it would be a normal blackout. Instead of killing things, Wrath was actively seeking Gwendolyn.
Three days without a glimpse of her, and we were both getting twitchy.
“Go to her!” Wrath roared.
Hell. Fucking. No.
My curse knew my thoughts about him and Gwendolyn. I’d never let my sin hurt or touch her.
I’d thought about her constantly over the last few days. I missed her, but so did Wrath. It might be easier if I didn’t think of her all the damn time, but I couldn’t stop myself.
And I didn’t want to.
I wanted to burrow so deeply into Gwendolyn that she never remembered the touch of another man. I wanted to hold her so closely that, like my essence, I would be woven inside her forever.
But that couldn’t happen, could it? Keeping her close was one thing. Taking her body was another. It was dangerous. I was dangerous. To want to touch her? Was I fucking crazy? Sex was hard enough on me with women I didn’t care for, but Gwendolyn was a walking stick of dynamite for me. She was lethal, and like a crackhead, I was hooked. I was the killer, but she activ
ated my weapon.
She turned my mind and body inside out. I gripped my head and panted. I didn’t know what was right. What I should do? When I thought I had it figured out, I’d question myself. Was I doing the right thing?
“Go get her,” Wrath spoke.
No, no.
Want her, need her—
“GO GET HER!”
My anger grew, tingling my skin and prickling my scalp.
“Hey, Barron.” Payne sighed next to me. “I need to know, should I get out the syringe? You’re worse today than you were yesterday. You’re almost—”
“Yes,” I gritted out. I focused on breathing and tearing Payne to shreds.
It was all too tempting to kill when I was so close to raging. I reached out for Payne. Too late. He pointed his shotgun at my chest. “Do not let me rage. Knock me the fuck out before it happens.”
Payne scowled. “Relax. Is this about what’s happening with your girl? You don’t know what you’ll do to her when you’re in that state.”
I nodded grimly and shoved the shotgun away. He placed it in his holster against his back. “Exactly. I actively seek her out when I rage.”
“So, wait?” Payne arched a brow and his forehead creased. “Are you sure you’re about to rage? ’Cause I got to say, I can’t imagine you being anything else but a raging loon in that state. Barron, you kill and kill and kill in that condition until you reach the point where your power surges and destroys everything in its path.”
“You think I haven’t heard what I’ve done hundreds of time by now!” I yelled.
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
“Three days.”
“Tell me you haven’t been out doing this for that long with no rest,” he said. “What the fuck, man? That’s your problem. Go see that girl before your sin makes you.”
I snarled at his words.
He added, “Yeah, I’ve spoken to August. We all know something is happening between you and your soulmate. You just need to let it happen.”
“Payne,” I warned, skin shimmering. Skin. Bones. Skin. Bones.
“Syringe is right here. Just let me say what the fuck I want to say,” he said holding up the syringe. “You will not hurt her, Barron.”
“Not on purpose,” I said.
“Not ever.” Payne lowered his hand and scoffed. “You and your brothers kill each other from time to time, but that’s because you’re all stupid fucks. You love each other, and they sometimes need relief in the same way you do. She has your mark, Barron, that alone will protect her from you. Who knows what she can do for you? Just let her in. That connects you two in ways that makes people envious.” Payne tightened his fists before tucking the syringe back in his leather jacket and grimacing. “That pain of hurting someone you love… You don’t know… You’ll never know it.” He turned his head slightly and looked ahead. “To be bound by love, connected in ways that go beyond normal, that’s incredible. Some of us can’t get close to what we want without hurting them.”
Even Payne was acting unusual as of late. The end was apparently making us all crazy.
Watching Payne’s angry strides as he walked away, I rubbed the back of my neck and closed my eyes. I wanted to see her. If I was going to rage regardless, I might as well get a chance with her before it happened.
At that thought, my skin stopped shimmering.
“I’m going,” I told him. “I’m not the only one that needs rest. Give me shit again and rage might appear and kill you.”
Payne rubbed the back of his neck and laughed. “I’m always prepared when it comes to you and your fucking siblings.”
_______
Rapping my knuckles against Gwendolyn’s bedroom door, I listened to the creak of a bed, then dainty footsteps rushing to the door. Once it opened, I gazed upon her—dark hair twisted atop her head with messy strands framing her face, and candy eyes flickering with excitement at the sight of me. That happiness turned to irritation as she crossed her arms. My eyes widened as I noticed the small black nightgown. It was so sheer that I got a good look at her breasts.
“Time to go,” I told her.
“It’s been days. You told me you would come get me once you went home,” she said stubbornly.
“That’s what I’m doing right now.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You haven’t been home?”
“No, dimples, and I’m fucking tired and cranky. Let’s go before I rage.” I reached for her hands, surprising the both of us as I laced our fingers together. If I had time to let myself think about it, I would have refused myself the luxurious of touching her too much. But I was so damn feverish and greedy when it came to her. “You need nothing. I can get you whatever you want.”
Pulling her against me, every nerve ending in my body came to life. Soft and so fucking tiny. I stood there a few seconds longer than I should have before I finally faded us to my home. With a lot of reluctance and regret, I let go of her hand. Gwendolyn turned in a circle, gazing at my living room. My home was nothing more than a log house on the edge of the Underworld. It was a secluded spot in the forest allowing me to avoid people. I didn’t want to be around people so I lived in a secluded forest area.
“Did you build this?” she asked, gliding her hand over the wooden coffee table in front of the sofa. I had to hunt August down to get it back.
“Yeah.” Exhaling, I yanked off my jacket and tossed it on the stool by the bar before heading for my bedroom. I began removing my shirt, but stopped when Gwendolyn propped herself against the doorway. “Yeah?”
“Nothing,” she whispered innocently. It was suspicious. The way she was eye-fucking me with those half-lidded green eyes said enough. Her hands gripped the doorway panels tightly. “I never had a chance to see much of you.” Her gaze traveled over the tattoos on my arms. “Are they everywhere?” I knew without asking that she was referring to my ink.
“My upper body.”
“Can I see?”
Gwendolyn’s not-so-innocent stare affected me. My cock was already straining against my jeans. Not only was there an insistent throbbing going on with my dick, but my heart did the same. My pulse beat rapidly in her presence. Nervous energy traveled to my gut. Shit. I was terrified of hurting that beautiful creature in front of me. All the while wanting her more than anything.
Her enticing floral scent wafted toward me. The red of her essence moved closer before seeping into my skin and burying me with her desire. Ecstasy unfurled in my chest like a burst of light and traveled over every inch of me until I was shaking. Wrath swirled around me. Anger built, pricking my spine. Why couldn’t I have her? Why did Wrath have to go berserk?
I wouldn’t survive her.
“Don’t,” I warned. “We’re not fucking.”
Anger or embarrassment flamed her cheeks, and I instantly regretted my words. “I asked to see your tattoos, not your penis!”
“Penis.” A vein in my neck throbbed as I shook my head. “Now that I think about it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard one dirty word from your mouth.”
“Cock!” she yelled to the top of her lungs. “I’ve gotten used to watching my language since living with Helen and Harold. Is that what you need? For me to speak vulgar?”
That sass heated my flesh as she narrowed her gaze. How was she always both cute and sexy at the same time?
“Fucking shit,” I growled, running my hands through my hair. “How did you get stuck with a fucker like me? Jesus, Gwendolyn, I will break you in half. Do not test me. I can smell what you want from here.”
“You won’t hurt me.” She stepped closer. I backed away. “Barron, stop.” She held her hands up as she approached me like I was a wild animal in need of calming. “Look at your essence. Stop denying yourself things. That’s the problem.”
“My problem is that I’m cursed. I can’t have anything.” Most of all you. “Do you know what it feels like to want to kill the people you love sometimes? Every day for me is like a ticking time bomb. I fight
my sin every second trying to keep what I work so hard to protect. Life.”
“Do you think about hurting me?” she whispered. “Does Wrath make you think about killing me?”
I paused. “No.”
She placed her hand over her heart. “If everyone in two worlds is in danger when your curse unleashes, I’m still not.”
Then once she stepped closer, dainty fingers traced against my shirt. My skin shimmered, red essence expanding further around me and slowly covering us. I snatched her wrist, and she whimpered. “Gwendolyn, I need you close. Let me keep you here. My sin wants you near, but it’s too much and—”
“It’s not your curse.” She bit her bottom lip. “You want me here.”
Yeah, I do but—
“I want to keep you fucking safe.”
Wrath’s cackle penetrated my skull. “Gwendolyn.” My vision began to blur. Within seconds, it was like I was peering through a never-ending tunnel and Gwendolyn was at the far end. Miles and miles away. Suddenly, my vision returned to normal. I wrapped my hands around her waist. I would lose her to my curse. My shoulders slumped as my chest tightened. “I will lock myself away with every power available and never see the light of day again to keep it from having you. Hear me?” Hear me, Wrath?
Hating my sin would only allow Wrath to win. How could I stop my demise for him when he wanted Gwendolyn too? I couldn’t stop it. Not when she was what it sought.
“Barron, listen to me,” she begged. “This isn’t what you think. It’s you.”
She faded from my vision completely as the red swept in. The worthless darkness chased me. I screamed as I stumbled around, knocking something over in the bedroom. “Don’t let Wrath…” The same menacing chuckle vibrated inside my skull again. “Take you from me.”
“You fucking idiot,” were the last words I heard Wrath say. I hated that it sounded a little too much like me.
Chapter 24
Gwendolyn
I watched in equal frustration and sadness as Wrath took Barron’s place. Eyeless sockets lit up with Barron’s red essence and bore into me. I held my hands over my face. When a deep, hackle-raising chuckle filled my head, I peeked through my fingers at Wrath.
Conjuring Wrath (Seven Deadly Book 3) Page 17
