He nudged me making me look up at him and for a minute he looked lost in some emotion I once again couldn’t place but just as quickly he recovered before I could place it.
“I bet you looked adorable.” At this I released another very unladylike snort and replied,
“Draven, nobody looks adorable in a shell suit…in fact I am pretty sure it’s illegal to look serious in one.” I joked and silently blessed this witty banter for granting me the opportunity to see Draven’s devastating grin that was nothing short of breathtaking. That was the thing with Draven. Around everyone else he was such a serious character most of the time so that when I got to be the one to make him smile like that, it felt like I had achieved nothing short of greatness…well now, wasn’t that just a foolish thought to be thinking?
I dragged my bottom lip between my teeth and decided to punish that, seeing as smacking myself on the forehead was far too obvious. What was I thinking feeling like that? He wasn’t mine any more and more importantly, which I really needed to keep reminding myself, is that he never would be again! His smiles weren’t mine any longer and my need to receive them should remain dead and buried where he had placed them and I was now keeping them.
“Hey, what is it?” His voice wasn’t the only thing to bring me back to the now as I felt his fingertips under my chin pulling my gaze up to his.
“What are you torturing that poor innocent lip about this time, huh?” He asked searching my eyes and without taking his touch from my face his thumb gently prised my lip away from my teeth.
“I…I guess…” I tried to find the words to speak my mind and be brave enough to be honest without bringing back the pain.
“Tell me, Keira.” His tender coaxing was too much to beat back the truth…so the truth is what I gave him.
“I guess…like this…It’s just easy to forget, that’s all.” I felt my shameful blush bloom across my skin, skin he was still touching and made no move to stop. He let his hand glide from my chin down the column of my throat, feeling my heavy and nervous swallow for himself under his strong and determined hold. I watched as he closed his eyes as if in pain but not before seeing the flash of purple flames ignite. I wondered briefly if he had tried to hide it from me?
“That it is.” He said so softly that it crushed something inside of me enough to make me wince at not being strong enough to get a lock down on the pain. He dropped his hand and I couldn’t tell you if I was relieved or close to begging for it back.
He suddenly got up abruptly as if he needed to put space between us and my paranoid mind flooded itself with self-doubt and was plagued with the question ‘could he no longer stand to touch me?’ Jesus! But what was I doing to myself with these thoughts? This was precisely why it was far easier to muster up the hatred for what this man had put me through and focus solely on that! So with that in mind I straightened up and took a few deep breaths to get my emotions under control and in check.
“I have something I need to talk to you about, Keira…something of great importance and something I will have to ask of you to listen to until you fully understand its seriousness.” He now took on this other side of Draven that was so much a part of him it would have bled from his pores if it could have and that was pure, raw and commanding… power.
I just nodded having one of those ‘oh shit’ moments that made me wonder after only hours of having the Dravens back in my life, what shit they had brought with them this time?!
“Alex Cain isn’t the man you think he is, Keira.” Draven stated folding his arms across his chest and standing there looking very much like the living God and King he was. This, however, had absolutely no effect on cooling the blood that now start to boil beneath my skin. I closed my eyes and threw my head back against the couch and started to laugh with not one shred of humour creating the sound.
“So now the truth comes out.” I said trying to keep the utter rage from making those words come out in a scream of frustration and anger an inch from his face.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” He snapped.
“Only that I should have bloody seen it a mile away…Hell, I am just surprised it took you this sodding long...! So come on, who was it…? Oh wait, but of course, now it all makes sense.” I said working it out in my mind until the supernatural puzzle pieces start to fall into place.
“What are you talking…?”
“So that’s what the fight was about with your father, wasn’t it?” He took a step back looking shocked that I had figured it out before replacing his surprise with a frown.