Rune groaned. “They’re cute and shit.”
Alaric muttered, “I hope he finds his balls when he returns to work. I can’t put up with him smiling all the time like that.”
Godric leaned down and kissed my lips softly. “I think it’s time for them to leave. What do you think, pet?”
“It’s your house. Your rules.”
Cassander’s head cocked. “I just thought of something.”
“It’s a miracle,” Godric rumbled.
“Fuck off,” Cassander groused absently. His silver eyes swung in my direction. “You said the golems had green light in their mouths?”
I nodded.
“That would have to do with the soul.”
“Huh?” He was talking gibberish.
“Twisting the magic to darkness,” he mumbled to himself, staring at his lap. He tapped his thumbs together, lost in thought. “What did the green light do, Ms. Carvene?”
“Poppy,” I corrected him.
“Apologies.” Silver eyes looked up and refocused. “Did the green light do anything other than appear to be hypnotic, like you said?”
I nibbled on my bottom lip. “It was kind of all-consuming. That’s the best way I can explain it.”
His eyes narrowed. “I know what it is.”
Wolfe asked, “What?”
“The golems were meant to suck the soul from her.”
I jerked back in surprise. “That would have killed me, wouldn’t it have?”
A soul was a soul. It couldn’t be reformed.
What you had was what you got. Immortal or not.
“Kind of,” he hedged. “Your body would still be living, but no one would be in residence. Once the soul leaves the body, it doesn’t return.”
Godric hissed, “How sure are you on this?”
“Almost positive. It makes the most sense with everything I’ve learned from watching souls leave bodies.”
I stared, my mouth gaping. “You see their souls?”
He nodded. For a brief second, his silver eyes were haunted. Then he chuckled, with a smile. “The bastards are always green too. Like, neon fucking green.”
Theron decided to speak, his eyes still closed. “Is that all for tonight, gentlemen?”
Godric muttered, “I hope to hell it is.”
No one else spoke with concerns, the room quiet.
“Time to go then.” Theron jumped to his feet, sliding his flip-flops on, entirely cheerful. Then he snapped his fingers at the other men, his dark eyes narrowing to dangerous slits and his tone lowering to a snarl. “Get the hell out of here before you piss me off. Give the newly mated pair some privacy.”
It was like whiplash how fast he altered himself.
They jumped to their feet, hauling ass outside.
He barked after them, “I will see you all for dinner in three days. Don’t forget. I’m making lasagna!”
Hilarity bubbled inside my chest.
Without moving his lips, Godric whispered on a mere breath, “Don’t laugh. That actually will piss him off.”
I shoved any laughter down deep.
I did not want to make that man mad.
Theron sighed and turned patient eyes on his son. “You should have let him stay here. He was waving a damn white flag in the air.”
Godric’s nose scrunched. “I know.”
“Then get your shit together. You’re better than this,” his father scolded. He shook his head of honey-colored hair. “Anyway, I’m leaving too. I’m off for my dance class. There’s this amazing elderly couple who I just adore there.”
With unblinking eyes, I watched him leave.
“Godric?”
He chuckled. “I know what you’re going to ask.”
“Is he always like that?” I asked it anyway.
“Yes, he is.”
“Wow.” I nodded like I understood. But I didn’t think anyone would understand a man who had lived for two thousand years. “Do we really need to go to dinner—”
“You are going!” Theron shouted from far outside the room.
I snapped my mouth shut.
Godric winked. “Shifter hearing, pet.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“So…” My voice was suddenly quiet. “What now?”
Godric’s lips curled with a secret only he knew. He lifted his right hand and pointed a finger over the top of my left hand, just a sliver away from touching. The heat burned my skin, and I shivered as he ran his finger up and down my arm slowly, not allowing me to feel his flesh on mine but gifting me the warmth.
He purred, “My bedroom is right through that door in the corner. I had the meeting here to be closer to it.”
My voice was breathless as I watched his finger trail up and down my arm. “That was proactive.” I licked my bottom lip. “But do I need to go back to the Military House tonight?”
“No, I’ve already contacted them. We’ll go there tomorrow before I have to go to work. We’ll pick up your personal items. You also have forms you need to fill out to officially join the CA.”
I wanted to grab that finger. “I need to sign-up for the intelligence unit’s exam, too.”
“I read in your file that’s where you wanted to be placed. I think you’ll be a good fit there if you pass the exam.”
“You read my file?”
“Of course.”
He leaned and bit my shoulder. Just a love bite. With his teeth holding on, he grinned up at me. His finger finally touched my flesh, dipping under the sleeve of my t-shirt. He ran the pad of his finger in lazy circles on my skin.
I closed my eyes. “You are going to ruin me.”
He let go of my shoulder and placed his lips against my throat, whispering, “In the best possible way.”
Godric lifted me into his arms as he stood, carrying me to his bedroom. He placed me gently on his bed and stared down at me with sensual hunger in his golden eyes.
I sucked in a harsh breath as he silently undressed me. His fingers brushed my sides, the tops of my breasts, my inner thighs, and the side of my neck. I trembled underneath his light touches.
The comforter was soft beneath my body as he lifted and resituated me, placing me in the center of the mattress.