Vein of Love (Blackest Gold Book 1) (15 page)

She nodded and they both kept moving.

He stopped before the subway entrance. “You think you can manage to get home?”

“Yes.”

“Wait,” he said as she turned away.

She paused, brow wrinkled.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a golden hairpin with vines and lilies weaving their way around the piece. He placed it in her hand. “You might need this. It’s laced with golden fleece, only activated when the skin breaks. Protect yourself.”

She raised her head and watched Cree’s eyes soften. “Thank you. For everything.”

He nodded curtly without another word, and she watched him walk away.

WHEN MOLLY ENTERED
her parents’ house thirty minutes later it was quiet, and she missed her mother’s non-stop talking session of nonsense and her father’s silent calm as he read over documents from city hall.

“Molly.” The deep voice startled her. She turned to the staircase and spotted Tensley at the top, face half-hidden by shadows.

Her stomach dropped.
Why is he here?
She wasn’t sure how to respond to him, not after how they’d left things the night before. She wiped her hands on her pants, terrified he’d notice the dirt and grass stains and somehow realize what she was up to.
Trying to get rid of him.

“May I speak to you privately in your bedroom?”

Molly nodded, traveling up the elegant staircase.

He knows. He totally knows what I’m up to.

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior toward you and your family,” he said softly once she stood in the doorway.

Molly pinched her palm in disbelief
.
“What?”

He watched her with stark black eyes. “It was inappropriate and inconsiderate of your feelings.”

Molly blinked fast.

Tensley shifted forward, hesitant but determined, and dug a hand into his pocket. “Here.” He handed her a necklace, one with a small ruby. Her fingers moved before she could stop them and held the cool chain. “It was my grandmother’s.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled. The coolness tickled her warm skin, and she ran her finger across the golden chain, body pulsing.

“I want to get to know you,” he uttered in a vulnerable tone. Again, her body pulsed. “And I want you to know me.” His hand grazed her shoulder, and a strange shiver swept over her, spreading to her fingertips. “I want...” Her breath hitched at the top of her throat. “I want to kiss you,” he continued, growing closer, his musky scent assaulting her senses. Her hand twitched to grasp his shirt and pull him closer, but she couldn’t let go of the necklace.

Why—I was just agreeing to get rid of him—what am I doing?

She choked on air. He was a dangerous siren, his entire body singing to her—and she couldn’t resist the call.

A faint smile appeared on his bee-stung lips and he slowly…so slowly…lowered them to hers.

A sweet peck.

She moaned greedily into his parting mouth. “
Yes
.”

This time, he pressed his lips hard, aggressively. His hands slid to her lower back, both of them easing down farther, teasing.

His tongue wandered into her mouth
.

This is insane. I shouldn’t be doing this.

He grunted against her lips.

Her fingers struggled to undo his shirt button, exposing a sculpted chest.

He cupped the back of her thighs and lifted her feet off the ground so that she clung to him. He brought her over to the bed and they fell down onto the silky sheets. He pressed heavy kisses on her collarbone.

She ached for him, completely.

All the other guys she had made out with were like feathers in the wind, blown away by the hurricane that was Tensley Knight’s expert mouth. His kisses were searing, and Molly lost herself as he undressed her, popping open each button on her blouse and yanking down her jeans.

“Tensley.” Her fingers buried themselves in his hair and pulled as his hands moved between her thighs. “
Tensley
.”

“What the fuck?” said a scathing voice from behind them. Tensley stopped kissing her and glanced over his shoulder.

Molly sat up and a horrible feeling washed over her, knocking every bit of desire from her entire being.
How? How was it possible?

TENSLEY KNIGHT STOOD
in the doorway, shadowy eyes narrowed, chest heaving. He looked demonic, with his nose scrunched up and brows drawn together.
Two Tensleys?

“Get off of her! Now!” said the Tensley in the doorway as he bared his teeth.

The Tensley on top of her darted off the bed and the other Tensley caught him, shoving him against the wall with a knife pressed to his throat. Books fell from Molly’s many shelves as she scrambled to her feet.

Two Tensleys stood in the room. The one she had been kissing was shirtless, while the other one wore a three-piece suit. Other than that, they looked identical.

“Whom do you belong to?” Suit Tensley hissed. When he was met with silence, he slammed the heel of his hand upward into his nose and he cried out. “Answer the fucking question.”

The shirtless one laughed. “Huh.” His nose bled, redness dripping over his lips. “Isn’t it funny that it took me less than five minutes to almost get your fiancée to spread her legs? And you haven’t even gotten close.”

Tensley scowled, eyes dark, and he slammed the guy’s head into the wall again. “Answer the goddamn question.”

The imposter’s features melted into small eyes and a Roman nose, and he smirked. “Who do you think?”

Tensley frowned and thrust the knife into the guy’s temple. The man gasped as Tensley twisted it, stepped back, and yanked it out. The man fell to the floor—dead.

“Prick,” he spat.

Molly clenched her hands to her chest to hide their violent shaking and clutched the necklace. “Why—who was he?” The real Tensley marched over and grasped her arm, lifting her off the bed, and she flinched.

“He was a familiar. Remember? I explained that to you a few nights ago. Abaddon sent him here. Why did you do that with him?” Molly went to open her mouth, but she didn’t have a reason. She lowered her lashes and he huffed. “What the hell did he say to make you fuck him?”

She shook her head. “But we didn’t––we didn’t even.”

He grunted and searched through her drawers.

“I thought he was you.”

She realized too late what slipped out, but she wasn’t thinking straight. She was trembling, fighting to take in one piece before she shattered into pieces.

“So you’d sleep with me?” he said, peeking over a shoulder.

“No,” she said quickly. His eyes stayed on her for a few moments before traveling to her chest. Without a word, he walked over, yanked the necklace out of her hands, and threw it to the ground. He stomped hard on the jewels until they shattered.

Suddenly all the confusion vanished and was replaced by panic—panic that she had let a stranger touch her, panic that he had almost
taken
her, and she hadn’t batted an eyelash. Her hand hovered over her collarbone and she bit the inside of her mouth.

His eyes met hers. “He charmed you. He seduced you with his own blood in this necklace and damn warlock magic, weakened your powers to take advantage of you—not to sleep with you, no, to take you to someone more dangerous.”

Molly curled her hand against her neck as she stared at the broken pieces. “I was almost,” she murmured, vision blurring. “He was going to—I shouldn’t have let him—”

She couldn’t think straight. Her knees buckled underneath her and his arms shot out, catching her awkwardly against his chest.

“I’m s—sorry.” She clutched at his white T-shirt.

“Not your fault, Molly.” Tensley’s silky voice cut through her thoughts and his hands cupped her wet cheeks. “He’s gone, okay?”

“But the body…” Her voice cracked. Molly’s head lifted from his chest and her eyes traced the dead man’s slim figure. His skin had turned a grey tone, like ashes. Those grey ashes had been touching her. A hotness swelled in her eyes.

“He’s a familiar. His body will decay within the next hour,” Tensley said, gripping her chin to force her to look him in the eye. “He deserved it. They’re nothing but lowlifes.”  

She choked on a sob.

I was tricked. Another demon was in my house. What if my family had been here?

“I can’t stay here.” She tightened her grip on his forearm and he flinched at the contact, putting distance between them to look down at her. His brow wrinkled, as if he was straining to not yell at her or was confused by her touch.

“We’ll leave then.” She raised her brows and watched him stand, grab a random backpack, and begin stuffing too many clothes and undergarments inside it. He hissed when the zipper got jammed and gave up, tossing the bag over his shoulder.

His face was hard, the muscles in his arms tensed. His eyes met hers and then slid over her body, and he swallowed audibly when his gaze landed on her chest. “You might want to cover up.”

She didn’t need to look; Molly remembered that her blouse was undone, lacy bra showing. Heat spread up her neck to her hairline.

Oh god!

She quickly fidgeted with the buttons, giving a frustrated shout when her fingers refused to work. He moved in front of her and did each one effortlessly. “C’mon.”

Molly stared at the dissolving body of the familiar, reaching absentmindedly for clean shorts and leaving the dirt-caked ones from her excursions with Cree in a pile on the floor. Tensley faced away the entire time, throwing things into her bag.

“
Molly
.” His hand latched around her wrist and she let him guide her out. “I’ll get us a hotel room,” Tensley announced in a gruff voice, pushing Molly toward the front door. Once inside the taxi he waved over, Molly ruminated on the fact that she’d been attacked, lured into almost sleeping with a complete stranger, and one who meant to do her harm.

She pulled at her shirt, unable to breathe properly as she felt Tensley’s eyes heat the side of her profile. She ran shaking fingers across her tearstained cheeks, still feeling the fake Tensley’s hands all over her. Molly’s vision tunneled, her thoughts raced. “I can’t—” she stuttered. “I think—”

Tensley took her flapping hands and slotted them between his own. “Just calm down, all right?” His voice was composed and soft, and it did crazy things to her mind—like trusting him. She threw herself across the cab and he tensed, arms frozen awkwardly as she fisted his shirt.

“Fuck, Darling. He’s gone. He’s not coming back.”

She reveled in the harsh breaths that tickled tiny hairs on her forehead, because it calmed her senses, made him real, human almost. Soon her own rapid breathing battled his.

What am I doing?

She felt how stiff he was against her and drew away from him back to her side.

She wiped beneath her eyes, unable to look over or admit how much his presence comforted her.

“What if my parents just show up at the house and I’m not there,” she muttered, hovering a hand over her moving lips.

“I’ll have my men guard the house.” His indifferent tone came out hollow.

Molly gawked back at him.
He’d do that?
“You will?”

He nodded curtly and she sighed, collapsing against the leather seat.

“Why were you in Brooklyn?”

Molly’s heart froze. “Uh, September’s dad lives there.”

“Hmph.” He looked out the window and impatiently tapped his finger on his thigh.

“How did you know that?”

“I have you followed. For protection.”

Her mouth fell open. “
Followed?
”

“For
protection
,” he said through gritted teeth.

She slouched down farther. “I couldn’t—I couldn’t stop myself.” Tensley’s body didn’t move, but his eyes shifted and burnt crates in the side of her head. “As soon as I saw the necklace—”

“You couldn’t resist.” Tensley’s somber voice cut her off and she turned to face him. “Their magic’s different. It took away all choice, all decision process and controlled you. You couldn’t stop yourself because he made sure of it.”

A tensed silence filled the car.

Molly planted her forehead on the cool window and watched traffic zoom by her as the buildings blended together.

When the car stopped and she stepped out, she stared up at the Plaza Hotel. Tensley led the way and Molly could only concentrate on following his shoes, his steps.

I should have known he wasn’t the real Tensley. Damn it. I should have known something wasn’t right.

“Molly.” His clipped tone drew her out of her thoughts and she followed him into the elevator. Neither spoke, simply standing on opposite sides of the window-walled elevator.

Once they entered the hotel room, she eyed the pristine white covers and the gold-trimmed headboard, balanced with beige floral carpets and gold-beige velvet chairs.

“Make yourself at home,” he said as he shrugged out of his suit jacket, tossing it on the back of the armchair. “I need to make a few calls.”

She watched him go into the next room, a small study, and shut the door. Emotionally exhausted, she fell back onto the bed and climbed underneath the covers.

Breathe.

In, out. In, out.

MOLLY WOKE TO
the sound of Tensley’s deep voice rumbling in her ears. She squinted in the dimly lit room and saw Tensley sitting on the edge of the bed, nudging her limp hand.

“I got food,” he told her, gesturing to the coffee table with a pizza box on it.

She didn’t bother brushing down her wild flyaways and crawled out of bed, sitting down on the floor beside the coffee table. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the delicious scent of melted cheese and crusty dough. When she opened the box, she gawked at the large pizza with the toppings she loved.

“How did you know?”

Tensley took a seat opposite her, a crystal glass of what looked like whiskey in hand. Although he was reclined on the chair, his body still seemed rigid. “You mentioned it at the restaurant.”

Her heart lodged in her throat and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.

He remembered.

She took a piece of the goat cheese pizza and moaned after the first bite. “You didn’t even miss an ingredient.”

At the sound of his sharp intake of breath, her eyes fluttered open to find Tensley staring, his jaw clenched.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I hate mushrooms,” he said brusquely.

“Oh c’mon, you can barely taste them. Just a try?”

He looked between the pizza and her and finally caved in, grabbing himself a slice.

She smirked at him. “Good?”

He hummed and swallowed a bit. Their chewing was the only sound for a while, and after a long, painful pause, she cleared her throat. 

“So,” she whispered. “What do you like to do?”

His mouth twisted. “Do?”

“Like…hobbies.”

Tensley looked taken aback. “I like to read. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Since you went through my things before.”

Molly’s face burnt and she took another bite of pizza. “So, what kind of books?”

“Warfare, military, history. Better to understand history’s mistakes in warfare so I don’t re-commit them,” he said, one corner of his lips quirking. “And you? Do you like reading about ancient conquerors?”

She swallowed her pizza and sucked on her bottom lip; his eyes darted to the movement, darkening visibly. “I do,” she answered shyly. “I love history—I love anything about it. I love…well, anyway.”

He stared at her and gestured with his drink to continue. “Go on.”

“Well…” She took a deep breath. “I’ve always loved history—reading in general, really—but when my parents took me to the library, apparently I used to check out history books instead of
Franklin
or
Goosebumps
. With my parents always being busy and my dad’s love of history, I wanted his attention. So I developed this obsession with knowing everything possible about different cultures’ histories. My mom didn’t understand why I couldn’t just read a simple fairytale. She pushed me for years to be like her—a vibrant, outgoing person—but that’s not me. I wanted so badly to be what she wanted, but I couldn’t. They both wanted me to be this perfect kid. They had good intentions, but I felt suffocated. It took me a while to realize I could never be what they wanted me to be and be happy at the same time. So I told them I was moving out and making my own decisions. My dad understood, but my mom is still upset—” She paused, sneaking a look from her linked hands to Tensley’s focused face.
Said way too much.
“But, uh, my grandma gave me a ton of history books before she passed away.”