Born in Blood (The Sentinels #1)(13)

His gaze swept over the pale perfection of her face. “Do you have nightmares?”

She frowned. “How did you know?”

“Because a man who’s had as many sleepless nights as I have recognizes the symptoms.”

“What symptoms?”

His hand trailed down the line of her arm until he could circle her tiny wrist with his fingers.

“For all your pretense of serenity you’re all hard angles and fragile edges.” He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the center of her palm. “One day I’m afraid you’re going to shatter.”

Chapter Four

Nightmares ...

Callie forgot to breathe as she allowed his words to seep through her fierce barriers.

He understood.

He truly, truly understood.

How odd.

She was surrounded by high-bloods, including three fellow diviners, and they all knew precisely what she did. But not one had ever asked her if she had nightmares.

Oh, it wasn’t that they didn’t care. The people of Valhalla were her family and they loved her. Not to mention the fact they would fight to the death for her.

But high-bloods were excessively protective of each other’s privacy. A much needed rule considering that many of them were psychics, telepaths, and a rare few empaths. They would never press her to share more than she was willing.

But this man ... this supposed norm ... had peered deep in her eyes and seen far too much.

Not only seen, but understood.

She ignored the warnings in the back of her mind. She already knew that his ability to pierce through her walls of protection was dangerous. Almost as dangerous as the jolts of excitement from the press of his lips to her palm.

Instead, she squarely met his knowing gaze. “How do you deal with the nightmares?”

“Whiskey.” His lips drifted to her inner wrist. “Work.” His tongue pressed against her thundering pulse. “Sex.”

She shivered, trying to pretend his touch wasn’t setting her on fire.

“Predictable.”

“Well, I’m a norm,” he murmured, a teasing hint of gold in his hazel eyes. “What did you expect?”

“Are you?”

If she hadn’t been watching him so closely she would never have noticed his sudden tension.

“Am I what?”

“A norm?”

He nipped the pad of her thumb, his gaze watchful. “What are you asking?”

“You ... see more than most humans.”

“I’m a cop,” he smoothly retorted. Too smoothly. “It’s my job to see what other people don’t.”

“Hmm.” She didn’t try to hide her disbelief. “I suspect there’s more.”

Without warning his arms were wrapped around her waist and she was tugged against his hard frame. He lowered his head until they were nose to nose.

“Become my lover and I’ll tell you.”

Logically, she knew he was trying to distract her. Physically, she didn’t give a shit.

White-hot excitement curled through the pit of her stomach, searing away her usual discomfort with allowing anyone to touch her beyond her most intimate friends.

It was ... terrifying, exhilarating. Glorious.

“Blackmail?”

“Incentive.”

She lifted a teasing brow. “Not so certain of those O’Conner charms you claimed would imprison me, are you?”

“It hasn’t just been my nightmares that are keeping me up at night, sweet Callie.” He placed her hand flat against the rapid beat of his heart, his breath brushing her cheek. “You share part of the blame.”

She quivered even as she tried to pretend that his touch wasn’t magic.

“Does that line actually work?”

He traced a line of kisses to the corner of her mouth. “For once it isn’t a line.”

She sucked in a shallow breath. “Yeah, right.”

He splayed his hands at her lower back, pressing her against his hardening cock.

“I don’t know why, but I can’t get you out of my head.”

“Because you want sex?”

His sharp laugh ricocheted off the walls. “That would be the preferable explanation.”

She tilted back her head to meet his brooding survey. “As opposed to what?”

“Yet another question I don’t intend to consider,” he muttered, his hand lifting to lightly cup her cheek. “Were your eyes this color when you were born?”

Wow. She struggled to follow his conversational leapfrog. Duncan O’Conner clearly had a narrow list of subjects he was willing to discuss.

“Yes.” She shrugged. “I assume they were the reason my parents abandoned me.”

“You were abandoned?”

She shrugged. “It’s not that uncommon. People expect to have a child who’s exactly like them. They don’t know how to handle a mutant.”

His expression tightened, as if he were angered by her answer.

“People can be shitty.”

“True.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t feel sorry for your parents, but I do.”

She frowned, wondering if she’d heard him right. Few among the high-bloods felt sympathy for the families who abandoned their own children. No matter how hard it might be to accept a freak.