Family Secrets のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1501 - チャプター 1510

All of the artist got bookings, but my father had undoubtedly been the most popular. I was mad that he'd put out a portfolio I didn't know about with copies of my sketches inside and a drawing he'd done of me on the outside. I was flattered by his vision of me as Alice In His Dark Wonderland, but it was embarrassing to have to explain that I wasn't even ready to take clients yet when asked if I was taking appointments.Since I'd met him in person, I looked through Sylas Nox's portfolio with a sharper eye for clues about the man himself. If I wasn't mistaken, he'd studied Japanese traditional with my father- in fact, he could have very well taught him. Their styles were vastly different, though. Sylas worked with vibrant color palettes, excelled in portraiture and animals, and his compositions had an organic fluidity that made them breathe on the skin. I got t

Unnerved as I was, my instincts and training kicked in- I activated one of my tattoos and used the resulting surge of strength to free myself. When I whipped around, energy swirling around me as I gathered my force, I saw that the face he wore was only a mask, moving over his real visage like an oil slick on dirty water.The purple dusk was swiftly fading to black, meaning that while Light powers diminished, Dark powers were magnified. There were no other cars in sight and I certainly couldn't outrun him. But then it came back to me- I had a spare key under my bumper. If I could fend him off long enough to find it, I had a chance to put some distance between us while I called for backup- which I assumed he'd already done. I went to the back of the car and fell to the ground, feeling around underneath for the magnetized plastic box.As soon as I felt it, though, he seized my ankles, dragging me along the asphalt away from my car. The gravelly surface scraped open my ski

"I want to do that, believe me, but you don't understand- he has a way of luring me in. I can't... I can't be with him and I can't get away from him."Sylas and I locked eyes for a moment, then he blinked furiously."Son of a bitch! He's fu- sleeping with you. I'm sorry- I can't help it. Please, don't think I'm judging you or reading your thoughts- but you just showed me yourself- here," he pointed to his head. "In very...graphic imagery... That sick bastard, I will end him!""Oh, god... Sylas, it..." I started crying as I confessed to him. "It wasn't like that. He didn't- See, it was my fault- I was so desperate and- ""Don't, sweetheart. Please, believe me, what happened between the two of you isn't because you wanted to be close to your father- or a man who could make you feel good. It's because he manipulated you for his own sick satisfaction."I looked at him, startled. "Kiernan never forced me into anything though. In fact, he pushed me away for as long as he could.""That's all

Part IV. Unbinding SpellsThe sound of my father's retreat faded in the distance. Sylas closed and locked his front door, lifted me off the floor with his agile grace and set me gingerly on the sofa. "That's one way to shut him up," he murmured, settling me into the cushions and covering me with a blanket. I could only manage a feeble laugh in response.I was covered in an icy sweat, shivering despite feeling like I'd just been struck by lightning: Or, more accurately, like I was a bolt that had the misfortune of finding a lightning rod. He made me another cup of tea and handed me a damp washcloth that soothed my fevered skin. After repairing the windows I'd broken with his effortless magic, Sylas joined me on the sofa."You have to build your stamina, or it's going to zap you every time," he said critically, though not unkindly. "And control your powers, so you don't accidentally zap someone yourself. Although I like what it did to your hair." He gently brushed a hand across my nebul

I leaned up slowly and kissed him much in the same way, running my fingers through his soft pelt of red hair. "I want you in ways too intimate, too special, for me to treat indifferently. And if you want me, please be honest, because it won't change how I feel- are you attracted to me because I look like my mother?""It might be my preternatural vision, but you look very different to me. Your beauty is wilder, thornier but just as lush; and you're stronger than her even at your weakest. But I still do love her- I can't stop that."I knew that Sylas was telling the truth, because with him there would be no more secrets, no more lies, no more wicked games and dirty tricks.I put my hand over his heart. "Please don't. It's one of the things I love about you so much."And we were kissing again, and I was taking off his apron because we were going to feed on each other first, and he peeled off my wet shirt because I had nothing left to hide.Sylas' body was even more beautiful than I'd exp