Sacrifice Me: The Darkness (Episode 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

me the
way you were drained the other day.”
    “Does that mean I could go into your little
box and take those same two items and create the fire on my own
without using magic?”
    He left the fire and came to sit next to me on the
couch. I pulled my legs under my body and sat up, giving him room.
Wanting him closer.
    “Yes, anyone could use them now and create
the same effect,” he said. “The magical part is in the
enchantments and the breaking down of the elements and materials in a
way that brings out their natural magic. There’s pure magic
inside every living thing and every element of nature. Most humans
just can’t see it to appreciate its power.”
    Our eyes locked and my heart stopped beating for a
long moment.
    What was going on with me? I had never felt so
intensely attracted to someone in my life. It was terrifying, but no
matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t force my gaze away from
his.
    I forced a breath instead, kick-starting my heart.
    “Are you going to tell me how we got from a
club in Chicago to a mountaintop in Italy by walking through a
doorway?” I asked. My voice was softer than I’d intended,
but he simply took my breath away.
    He rested his arm across the length of the back of
the couch, turning his body fully toward me. It took every ounce of
self-control for me not to move closer to him. Instead, I clutched
the blanket tighter in my fists.
    “That’s another type of magic,”
he said. “Each doorway is a portal that leads to another place
inside this world.”
    The way he said this world sent a shiver up my
spine. He said it as if he meant there were other worlds besides this
one, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to recognize that as a
possibility.
    “So, if we walked back upstairs and went
through the door again, we’d be back inside the club in
Chicago?”
    He nodded, his eyes dipping for a moment to my
lips. I felt self-conscious and vulnerable under his gaze.
    I wasn’t used to vulnerability. Being
vulnerable meant being weak around someone. It meant trusting
someone. And trust wasn’t something I gave easily, especially
to strange men who could do things like create fire out of dust.
    I looked toward the flames as they danced and
flickered. I could get lost inside a fire like that.
    “Are you doing okay?” he asked. “I
know this has to be a lot to take in.”
    A laugh escaped from my mouth, and it came out as
a half-sob, nearly choking me. I clamped my hand over my mouth,
surprised by the emotion that seemed to pour out of me when I was
around him.
    I turned my face away, not wanting him to even
look at me. I had spent my whole life trying to hide who I was—what
I was—and suddenly, I felt exposed. Raw.
    He moved closer and placed his hand on my
shoulder. As much as I yearned for his touch, part of me also wanted
to run away and forget the past week had ever happened. I had fought
to control my emotions for so long, and keep everyone at arm’s
length, that I couldn’t handle the thought of opening myself up
to someone like this.
    But the warmth of his hand through the fabric of
the shirt felt right. No matter how much my heart and mind rebelled
against the desire of it, my body betrayed me.
    I closed my eyes, unable to pull myself away from
him even though I knew I should.
    “Franki?”
    The sound of my name on his lips made my breath
catch in my throat and I turned to him.
    His black eyes searched mine, and I was certain
the desire there mirrored my own. And not just the desire. The fear,
too. Was he afraid of this attraction, just as much as I was? Was
that possible?
    It was hard to imagine a strong man like him being
scared of anything, but I was sure I saw it there.
    I swallowed, my mouth dry from need and want. My
mind pushed against the growing ache, begging me not to move one inch
toward him. Not to give him permission to act on that desire.
    But I couldn’t listen to my mind right now.
Reason faded to the background like a loud stereo being turned