Semua Bab A Vampiric Kiss : Bab 41 - Bab 47

42IsaacShe didn’t know I was here. Or maybe she did and just didn’t care about my presence. Either way,I watched walk through the trees like they belong to her. Like the wind bends to her mood and the earth rearranges itself under her boots.I continued watching her as she moves with intention. Not like a predator, but like someone who knew she was being watched but refuses to flinch. It was infuriating. And, yeah, kind of impressive.She stopoed near the edge of the creek, crouching low to inspect some plant I couldn’t recognize. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then snipped a leaf off with a tiny pair of scissors from her belt pouch. The whole process was precise and pleasing to watch. Like a spell disguised as gardening.I leaned against a tree a few yards away from where she was, arms folded.She hummed as she was gardening. It was low,soft but almost off-key. I’d say it was cute if I didn’t already know how fast she could light a man on fire with her fingertips.As s

G4NoahThere were a hundred things I could say to her right now.I’d rehearsed every version of this moment in my head, each word polished, each excuse rounded off to sound a little less like the truth. But the second I saw her, barefoot, hair loose, curled on the edge of the bed like she was trying not to take up space, every line I’d planned vanished.She looked up at me and smiled softly.I sat beside her, careful to leave space between us. I’ve learned to give her that, even when it goes against every instinct I have.She hugged her knees tighter. “You’ve been MIA.”“Yeah. I’m sorry.”“You okay?”I could’ve lied and could’ve said I was tired, or distracted, or anything else that didn’t matter. But something about tonight made lying feel wrong.“No,” I said.She waited for me to talk.“There’s something I’ve been trying to say,” I continued, staring at the floor.“Okay.”“I’ve done things,” I admitted quietly. “Things I can’t undo.”She tilted her head. “Same.”I turned to her.Sh

46I wasn’t used to people getting under my skin and staying there. Most didn’t even make it through the surface. But Isaac, that man had carved out a little space in my thoughts and was now living there rent-free, feet up, smirking like he knew exactly what he was doing.It was annoying. Mostly because I couldn’t convince myself I hated it.I kept telling myself it was just residual tension, a leftover reaction from all the magic and fire and the strange gravitational pull that had stirred in the clearing. I’d been startled. That was all. Nothing more.Still, I caught myself thinking about the way he’d looked at me before he said “Truce.” Like he meant it.I shook the thought off as I unlocked the door to the apothecary.The bell above the door jingled softly. The shop still smelled like lavender and sage, and everything was where I had left it, the shelves lined with labeled jars, the bundles of herbs hanging upside down in the corner, and the sun filtering in through the dusty fron