chapter 22
Selene couldn’t sleep. At least finals were over. She’d studied darn hard and was more than pleased with her perfect grade average. Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about school right now on top of everything else. But still, too many thoughts ran around in her head like a dog chasing its tail. And even though she now felt confident she’d be able to keep Maddox out of her dreams, she was still wary.
After an hour of tossing and turning, Selene slipped out of bed and tiptoed down the hallway. She paused outside Griffin’s door, and then after a few moments hesitation, knocked softly. There was no answer. She tapped a little harder.
“Yeah?” Griffin called out.
Selene opened the door and poked her head inside. “You awake?”
“Am now.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. Selene tried to ignore how sexy the stubble made him look.
“Can I talk to you a moment?”
“What about?”
Selene ignored his lack of enthusiasm and entered the room. She shut the door behind her and took a seat on his bed, sitting close enough to be physically charged up by his bare torso, but far enough away so that she wouldn’t run her hands over his smooth skin, no matter how incredibly tempting it was.
“Something bothered you tonight about Hugh’s suggestion,” she stated.
Griffin frowned. “Says who?”
“Says me.” She watched as Griffin’s lips compressed. “And now you’re irritated with me for saying that. You get irritated with me a lot.”
Griffin huffed a laugh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Selene tipped her head to the side. “Was that sarcasm?”
“No, ma’am. I wouldn’t dare sass a queen.”
Selene couldn’t resist. She reached out and poked him in the chest with her finger. “I think that it was–”
Suddenly, Griffin’s hand snaked out and grabbed hers. She wasn’t sure exactly what he was up to until he pushed the cuff of her sleeve back and flipped her hand over. Selene tried to jerk her hand away, but he tightened his grip and wouldn’t let her go.
With his free hand, Griffin lightly traced the slightly puckered scar that ran the circumference of her wrist.
“He did this to you,” Griffin said gruffly without looking up. He was referring to her brother, Gideon.
Selene took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“How?”
She closed her eyes, shaking her head, “I can’t. I-I don’t talk about it.”
“Can you show me?” His deep voice washed over her, and the hypnotic feel of his finger tracing her scar soothed Selene and gave her courage.
She nodded, closed her eyes, and pictured it in her mind so Griffin could read her thoughts. It’d happened during the horrific days when Gideon was claiming his rule over the Vyusher. He hadn’t liked how she’d initially resisted his actions against their parents, so he’d tested her to make sure he had her under complete control.
For about a week, he’d hung her by her wrists to a wall using a thick piece of wire with the instructions that it was her idea and nothing was wrong. She’d forced herself to remain there peacefully, knowing he was watching her. She didn’t so much as twitch at the pain or give the slightest indication that she knew what was happening. The incident was branded forever in her mind… and on her body. A permanent reminder of just how dangerous Gideon was.
She pushed the painful memory away – he’d seen enough. “I’ve always wondered what would’ve happened if I’d fought him,” Selene murmured. “But I was young and weak. I knew that he’d win in a battle of powers. He’d already proved that.”
She felt Griffin shift in the bed, and suddenly his warm lips brushed across the scars on her wrists in a whisper of a kiss. With a gasp Selene opened her eyes only to be captured by the golden depths of his. Holding her gaze, Griffin leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers and then once more. His touch was so light, it was like butterfly wings. Wanting more, needing more, Selene tipped forward, placing her hand on his chest, and pressed her lips against his. But Griffin didn’t move. Need overwhelmed her. She reached up and took his face in her hands.
“Griffin … kiss me,” Selene moaned.
She’d barely finished uttering her plea when his arms wrapped around her, pulling her tightly into his body, and his lips were crushing hers. Selene hungrily opened her mouth, allowing him to slide his tongue inside. A small whimper escaped her at the sensation. At the sound, Griffin suddenly moved, and Selene found herself flat on her back, pressed into the bed by the weight of his body as his lips traced a path down her neck and across her collarbone. Selene hummed deep in her throat and rubbed her legs on his.
But as quickly as it started, it was over. Griffin suddenly pulled away and sat up. He leaned against the headboard and ran his hands over his face, his breathing ragged. “I think you should go to your room, Selene,” he said, looking at the ceiling rather than at her.
“I—”
“Please. Just go.”
Embarrassed and rejected and more than a little bit frustrated, Selene rolled off the bed and left the room. As she closed the door, she glanced back over her shoulder. Griffin was still sitting on the bed. His knees were drawn up and his head was bowed.
Selene quietly closed the door behind her, tears trickling silently down her cheeks. She’d learned long ago how to hold in the sound of her sobs. The skill came in handy now as she made her way through the darkened house back to her own room.