Soulless (Once Wicked Series) by Sarah J. Pepper

Author:Sarah J. Pepper [Pepper, Sarah J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen: Declan Stilts

One’s love rarely was proven by words. People tried. Sonatas were sung. Poems were scribed. Yet, there was no comparison of exemplifying love like a kiss. So I kissed Piper until she believed that the look in my eyes was warranted and deserving. My lips were raw by the time I convinced her that my love for her was genuine.

Only after she was completely convinced of why I chose her, did I allow her to rest. She worked hard for it.

I didn’t bother to hide my pleasure when Piper collapsed on top of me, her hair splayed across my chest. I ran my fingers through her tresses, twisting them between my fingers as she remembered how to breathe. She had stolen my heart when I wasn’t looking. And I had taken hers right out from under her. We were connected by the curse, but my affection for this seemingly simple girl went so much deeper. I loved her. The words refused to leave my tongue, but I showed her all the same.

When her breaths became more even, she placed her hand over my heart. I suspected that it was beating as fast as hers.

“Declan?” Her voice was hoarse in the absolute sexiest way possible.

“Yes?”

“How long do you think this will last?”

I didn’t know if she meant our mutual affection, or if she was suggesting our lives. I couldn’t be certain of any of it, but that didn’t change my answer.

“Not long enough,” I whispered. “But I will fight for this until my final breath.”

Satisfied with my answer, she nuzzled her head against my shoulder. Holding her asleep in my arms…I never experienced a more peaceful moment in my life. For the first time since I could remember, I welcomed sleep without the unrelenting need to consume a mortal’s soul on the forefront of my mind.

***

Hunger awakened me. My insides burned! In a state of panic, I sought out any evidence that would give me a clue where I had fallen asleep. It was dark. Pitch black. It felt like I hadn’t eaten in days—nights. As the hunger woke me further, I knew that I wasn’t alone. A body lay on top of me. Shit!

I sat up quickly and rolled the woman onto her back and held her down, ready to consume the rest of her life if she wasn’t fully gone.

“What’s going on?” Piper stared at me with panicked eyes like I’d lost my mind.

“Thank God,” I said without thinking.

I hadn’t killed another random person. I wasn’t in a bed with a corpse. I was with Piper. My Piper. I breathed a sigh of relief as my memories flooded back as to how I came to be at the O'Briens’ place.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered, releasing her. “Usually the…My bed isn’t…” Nothing I could say would come out right. “They usually aren’t breathing.”

“I’m breathing,” she whispered.

The image of her lying dead in my bed…I shook away the thought. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—think about that. I sat upright and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

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