Crimson Kisses: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Marked Souls Book 1) by Sabrina Shelley

Author:Sabrina Shelley [Shelley, Sabrina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Midnight Jasmine Press
Published: 2018-08-11T22:00:00+00:00

11

Rory

His eyes catch me first, then I take in the rest of him.

Tall, lean, broad-shouldered Nico Arendale, waiting for me in a sea of roses with his seafoam eyes.

“You’ve met Ryker, then.” There’s something smug about his voice as he says it. “Took you long enough.”

A wave of transparency passes over me. I feel like a flower, spreading my petals and opening up to the hot summer day overhead in bloom. “He and Drew seem to think he’s my guardian,” I find myself telling him, though I can’t explain why. “Dr. Belmont walked in on us.”

“Doing what?” A warm, lazy smile spreads across Nico’s lips like a summer breeze. “Nothing untoward, I hope.”

“You’re bad.” I mean that—but the way I say it, it sounds like it’s a good thing. “Belmont sent me to train with you—I suppose you know why.”

“Maybe she thinks I’m supposed to be one of your guardians too.”

I laugh. “It’s cute how everyone thinks they’re better at spotting my soulmates than I am.”

“Could be. You know what they say…‘Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.’”

“They don’t say that—Shakespeare did.”

Nico holds his hands up in surrender. “I only mean to say things are not always as they appear. You may be looking one way while your heart is pulling you in others.”

“And my mind?”

Nico stares at me for a long, lingering moment. I feel like he’s searching for something in my expression—so I don’t give him anything.

“Your mind is your own, Rory,” he says softly, finally. “To make up or not—as you like. No one would pretend to take that from you.”

“Except you, apparently.” I cross my arms as the wind blows the roses against my thighs, sending the sweet scent of the flowers billowing up around me. “You’re playing with me right now, aren’t you? Doing your emotional manipulation mumbo jumbo?”

Nico’s smile widens, and the wave of honesty passes, leaving me feeling empty and on edge. But at least I know those are my own feelings—not something that Nico’s powers manifested because he thought it would be a fun little game.

“It can be hard not to sometimes, you know.” He lowers himself into the field of roses, pushing the flowers aside to make a little clearing where we both can sit. “I find myself thinking how much I wish Rory would be honest with me—tell me how she really feels—and then, suddenly, there you are, and that’s what you’re doing.”

“You don’t have any control over your own powers, then.” Tentatively, I take a seat next to him—but not too close.

Nico looks off into the distance like he’s thinking hard on how to answer that. “Who among us can truly say that, Rory?” He laughs, but this time, it’s a harsh noise. “We live in a world where the Regime tells us where we can and can’t go—what we are and aren’t allowed to do. The Regime regulates our magic. They hunt down those who can do it, lock them up—sign them over or strip them of their powers as they like.

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