“They’re healed.” Taggert words whispered against her skin. A cool hand trailed down her back. Nerves twitched. At some time during the night, her shirt had worked its way up. When she tried to ease away, she realized her legs were intertwined with Taggert’s.
A rumbling growl, a vibration more than a sound, came from beneath her. Taggert didn’t pull away, but he did stop moving. Raven slowly turned and found Taggert’s gaze locked with Jackson’s. The curious expression from Jackson was now replaced with a look of pure ownership. A hint of fang peaked from between his lips.
“Well, if you two are busy, maybe you’d both shove off and let me get out of bed.” The heat that poured off them pooled in her until every joint ached. The urge to grab it and soak it all up trickled through her. Taking a deep breath for patience, she waited for Taggert to untangle his legs from hers. The instant she was free, she scooted down the bed. No way in hell she would try crawling over either of them. Not in their current mood.
What was she thinking? Not ever.
Just when she thought she was free, Jackson snagged her wrist and sat, pulling her up with him, dragging her along his body. A shiver raked her at the feel of him so close, pressed up against her so intimately.
“Don’t.” The really scary thought was that she wasn’t sure if she was protesting or asking him not to stop.
“You’re not leaving until I see your back.”
In normal circumstances, she would challenge him for his audacity. But there was something in his eyes, something vulnerable. If she didn’t allow this, he would tuck himself away and not open up to her again.
“Let go.” His grip tightened for a fraction, his eyes narrowed. His muscles bunched, preparing to wrestle with her to find out what he wanted to know.
She wasn’t used to all this physical contact. The reactions flittering through her body confused her, and the urge to linger and brush against him and see if he tasted as yummy as he smelled grew. She wasn’t sure she liked the change. She’d always been so focused on control; she never noticed how it felt to be so close to someone without having to worry about their safety first. “Let me up. You can’t see from this direction.”
A startled squeak caught in her throat as she found herself pulled across his lap and draped over his legs. Cool air met her skin as he drew up the back of the shirt she wore. “Hey, I said I’d show you.” She tried to squirm around to glare at him, but stilled when she felt the hard press of his body’s reaction against her. Whoa. Way too much information.
Her heart leapt in her throat as he ran his hand lightly across her back. His palm nearly covered her from side to side.
Pinned.
Goosebumps broke across her skin. A gurgle caught in the back of her throat.
She needed air.
In a space of seconds, she found herself crouched across the room with no idea how she got there, struggling to maintain her footing. Something surrounded her core where she kept her power. Something so bitterly cold, she lost her breath. The large beast blinked lazily, the creature so very different from her normal animals. It slowly twitched its large tail back and forth before curling it around herself again. When she’d let her guard down, the beast must have awakened.
“Raven?”
She didn’t wait for a discussion. Dashing out of the room, Raven barreled down the hallway, her feet pounding on the hardwood. She grabbed the railing by the balcony on the way downstairs. The wood creaked ominously then broke under her grip.
Off balance, she tipped over the edge. Gravity took hold. A strangled scream gurgled in her throat as she caught the moldings. The railings plummeted below her. The loud smack made her jump. She glanced down to see jagged spikes of the wooden spindles pointed up as if waiting to impale her. Her grip slipped, and shards of pain erupted along her back, her muscles protesting the abuse as she dangled by one arm.
The power in her fluctuated wildly, dimmed, practically dissipating, leaving her power useless to help. She would’ve tapped into the house, but she couldn’t risk accidentally ripping Rylan from his sleep. Vampires were vulnerable during daylight, their powers at their weakest. She refused to be responsible for putting him in danger. She witnessed too many vampires die when awakened from their slumber.
“Hold on.” Taggert rounded the corner first, dressed only in pants.
She had to wonder why people always said hold on. Like anyone would let go on purpose. Sweat loosened her grip, and she worked to re-position her hold.
“You better hurry.” The floorboards rumbled when Taggert and Jackson sprinted toward her.
Taggert reached her first and latched onto her wrists, drawing her upward. As she lifted her leg to boost herself up, Jackson reached out and grabbed her arm to help haul her back on solid ground. Jealousy winged through her at the ease in which they lifted her. They didn’t even strain under her weight.