Talia's POV



Kael continued the storytelling, up to the point where Luna and a hot male stranger whose face she never saw sexed themselves to ecstasy, being as graphic as he could, even making use of body language.

By the time he was done, he was fully erect himself and made no move to conceal it from me, making me feel very unnerved, and in a strange way enticing me too.

'How are you?" He asked me out of the blue.


'I'm alright." I reply to him flippantly, not wanting to lead him on, or put him off, ‘cause I need company.

'Want to hear the rest of it?" He asked me, clasping his hands together on his knees and leaning with them.


'Some other time." I looked at his expression while saying it and I saw his brows drop. I did not want him to feel like I wasn't enjoying the story, at the same time, I don't want to lead him on. There's only too many ways it could end up, all of which do not favor me. 'It's been enough suspense and a lot of ‘never meet your hero' moments for me." I added, trying to soften the blow of my initial reply.

'What are you avoiding?" He asked me, his naughty smile creeping back on his face after a failed attempt to hold it back.

'Don't look at me that way." I say to him, shifting my focus away from him and everything about him.

'You know," He starts, laughing in hiccups, making me feel like a silly little love struck puppy, 'you really are more readable than you think you are."

'Well read on and see if I care." I summon all the courage in me and look at him in his sexy piercing eyes, daring him to see if he could weaken my gaze.

As our eyes are locked, the adrenaline in me is surging, overworking. And so is my brain, making me wonder ‘what next?'.

Like Kael said, I'm readable. And I hate that about me. I can feel my face muscles contract and relax with every thought that my head is processing, making me wonder if I'm thinking with my head or my heart.

'Pathetic loser." He says, laughing out very tauntingly and loud, after I broke the stare.

'Pardon me. I don't think I've ever been one to look people in the face in such a manner." I replied to him, throwing jabs.

'Well, we learn everyday, don't we?" I'm absolutely disgusted that he prides himself as someone I would want to learn anything at all from. Ugh!

'Oh please. There's really not much to learn from a lone rogue." I shot back.

'News flash. If I wasn't 'lone" you probably won't have the body you do right now." His amusement is fading bit by bit, but I've come too far to stop.

Plus what he said actually stung. Just the moment I think we are getting along and he's beginning to accept that his mate, Isla, is gone, he makes reference to it, making me regret the Moon Goddess choices.

'Well there is very little you can change." I give an ‘I don't give a fuck' shrug and wrapped my body, not because I was cold, but for something else to do, an excuse, other than looking at his stern face.

'You have too many words for someone who exists only by grace." He says after giving me a long hard embarrassing stare. 'Just maybe be a little more grateful, and let it show in what you say." He wraps up his legendary comeback by heaving a sign at the end.

'You know you actually do not have to house me?" I shot back. 'You've discovered that I'm not who you think I am, it's fine to send me out on that ground." I said to him,

To be honest, I'm low-key scared, terrified in fact at what I just said. If he decides to actually get rid of me, I'm going to be back and out with my half raw body, very unfit for life anywhere else but here.

'Stop giving me ideas I already had." He replied, still staring me in the eye.

To say that I'm shocked that he had already contemplated it would be a lie. Definitely not too many people would be open to housing a stranger for so long, especially not one who was half alive and half dead on interception. Fate put me in the hands of someone good, really.

'Let's strike a deal." He says out of the blue. From the look on his face, I knew it wasn't going to be something good.

'There's a better chance of me doing that with the devil." I said, proudly, rolling my eyes.

'You don't have a choice, ‘cause it's me not the devil you are with." He gives me a very obvious fact check.

'Why seek my permission then? Hit me with whatever you want to." I resigned to both him and fate.

Kael got up from where he was and came to me on the bed, standing against me with just a hair's breadth between us.

'Now are you going to do what I say?" He asks me, his warm, moist breath blows over my face. 'Or will you make me make you do it?" He continued.

'Either way, if I'm not comfortable with whatever you have going on in your…if I'm not comfortable with you, you'd have to get away from me. And I'm already not so comfortable anymore."

'You make me want this even more." His glare is very threatening, like a lion staring at its meal, a predator at its prey.

'I'm beginning to question why I met you first. It's looking like a fry pan to fire situation." I say bluntly, pulling my most disgusted and regretful look.

At that moment, he seized my neck…

My heart is throbbing, but I'm not scared. For some reason, which he did not give me, I do not feel like he is any threat to my life whatsoever even if we are both as good as strangers.

'What is it you were saying?" He still has a full and firm grasp on my neck, not choking, but restrictive.

He tilts my head up, focusing my face on his and making our eyes meet.

'Take your hands off me." I said to him,

A very naughty smile broadens his sexy mustache lidded plush upper lip.

'Just tell me one more time, and I'll leave you be." He says, still staring at me.

I do not like the dare.

It's something I already said. Why is saying it now so difficult? I'm saying the words in my head, they just aren't making it out of my lips.

Am I held back because I don't want to be his little puppet who'll do everything he says, or because…?

Just as soon as my lips part…