Yew Queen Trilogy, стр. 20
My heart was going bananas. “Yeah. I just wanted to say hi. It’s been like three years, so.”
She laughed good-naturedly, not even glancing at Lucus. “Neighbors. At least we’re there for each other in an emergency.” She yanked Finn’s gray collar, pulling him away as he snarled, showing teeth. “What is wrong with you, Finnegan? I’m really sorry he’s being a piece of work right now, Coren. I don’t know what his deal is.”
“It’s okay. Maybe I smell like chocolate and he knows it’s no good for the doggies.” I could feel Lucus’s gaze on me like a brand. He was curious. How had Hekla seen him if Raven couldn’t? I mean, I would’ve been hella curious too if I’d been trying to unlock a curse since 1520 or whatever. “If you ever pop into Sweet Touch,” I said to Raven, “let Ami know you get the neighbor discount.”
“That’s cool. Thanks. Good to see you.” Raven dragged Finn back inside.
Breathing deep with relief, I led Lucus back to my house.
“I don’t know whether I’m glad or frustrated that your neighbor couldn’t see me,” Lucus said as he trailed me to the garage door.
I opened it up and started to get onto my bike. “Me either, honestly. Now, get on back. I don’t think it’d be smart for me to appear to magically fly over town. We’ll need to travel the human way.”
The Adam’s apple in Lucus’s throat bobbed as he looked my bike up and down.
“What is the problem?”
“A great deal of iron. Between my legs.”
WTF. “Why is that a bad thing? Feels pretty powerful and rad once you get used to it.”
“Not for a fae.”
And then I recalled Aunt Viv’s stories about iron and fae and how it bothered them and could even be used to keep them away. “But you were fine inside my house. Pretty sure there are steel structural beams and plumbing all over this place.”
“It won’t injure me. I’m too powerful for that.”
“And with such a refreshing humility to boot.” It was nice to move away from feeling bad for him, for what he’d been through.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“I don’t enjoy feeling iron directly against my skin.”
“You ate with my silverware.”
“That is not iron. It is a weak amalgam of other materials.”
“I knew that bitch at the yard sale was lying.” I’d paid a crap ton for that set. Ugh. “Well, suck it up and get on, my lord,” I snarked as I put on my helmet. “If I have to possibly give up my blood, the least you can do is deal with some discomfort for a five-minute trip across town.”
He jerked his chin, agreeing, then climbed on behind me. Even if he hadn’t been an immortal created to pleasure women as a form of survival, I’d still have been pretty hot under the collar about this sitting situation. His chest pressed against my back and his thighs heated my legs. My skin pebbled under my jeans as I drove us out of the neighborhood, passing jack-o’-lanterns and bright maples, their scarlet color brilliant against the blue sky.
At the red light on Hillsboro Road, I braked, and Lucus’s body slid against mine. Tingling rushed down my sides, and heat gathered in my stomach before spreading downward. Lucus’s chest moved as his breathing grew uneven. His muscles rubbed against my back, and his intoxicating scent rose around us.
How did being close to me affect him?
Was he hot for me just because my aura would be delicious or whatever, or was he actually somewhat attracted to me? I’d never ask that question aloud. Never. But I needed that damn red light to change quickly, or I was going to make out with him right here on the bike. That wouldn’t bring any stares at all, I was sure—just a gal making out with air, with an invisible man. No problem.
“Tocco d’oro,” he whispered in my ear, his breath dusting over my neck and making me shiver. Pleasure and fear blended into a lust cocktail especially crafted for one Coren Connelly. “I think you are the one luring me.” He didn’t sound pleased about it.
Finally, the light turned.
I took off like I’d been shot from a cannon, and Lucus’s hands gripped my stomach, his fingers digging in. Crossing the road, we hit an unavoidable pothole, and one of his hands shifted, landing on my hipbone, fingertips distractingly close to where my less wise self longed for them to wander.
Pulling into a parking spot along the side of the road at the base of the castle’s hill, I hurried to stop the engine and get the hell away from him. I ripped my helmet off as he joined me on the rocky ground.
“Just stop with the whole temptation thing. I am sorry for what you’ve been through. If you’re going to kill me or whatever and I can’t find a way out, then that’s that. You win. But don’t pull this lustery thing on me. I don’t want to feel that way about someone who’s basically holding me hostage. It is not okay.”
Lucus’s hands were loose at his sides, and his gaze was unreadable as his eyes moved, taking me in from my boots to my messy bun. “The lure only works when the woman is willing.”
“I call bullshit.”
“Fae cannot lie.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve been lying since day one.”
“I haven’t. Think about it.”
Wait. Was he right? Had he not lied? I thought about all of our conversations and his interactions with Kaippa and then with Hekla. He had only claimed to enjoy my breakfast and said it was charming to meet her. He hadn’t lied.
“It is a condition of my kind,” Lucus said absently as he raised his face to the strengthening sun. The rays brought a blush to his chiseled cheeks, and I had to fight myself to keep from