Later, though, they’d become irritated with my endless amount of energy; with the restlessness, the edginess, the difficulty keeping quiet, and the habit of misplacing things. I’d received a lot of tired sighs, eye rolls, groans, curses, and punishments. Whenever it got bad, Cristiano had leaped in and defended me – often in a violent way. Then the social workers would return and we’d be moved again.

Compared to what a lot of kids went through, it wasn’t at all a bad experience, even though there had been that one sickeningly perverted guy that had very soon deeply regretted what he’d done. But it was a constant cycle of rejection: being welcomed, being accepted, and then having both of those things ripped away.

I’d never truly felt ‘necessary’. Not to anyone. Not even to Cristiano. We were close, and he loved me, but he was a very self-sufficient person. He didn’t allow himself to need people, not even me. This lack of feeling important to anyone was probably a dumb thing to be upset about, but the hurt was there all the same.

Becoming a member of the legion would give me a sense of importance, make me something more. The existence of the legion was necessary. The assignments they went on were necessary. And if I was part of that legion, I would be necessary on some level. I could play a part in ending some of the shit that went on in the world. I could –

Hearing a knock on the front door of my apartment, I groaned. No doubt it would be Salem. I’d spent two hours trying to shake him off. But it was hard to get away from a six foot mountain of persistence. Each time he’d sensed me trying to slip away, he’d picked me up by the back of my t-shirt and returned me to the spot beside him. Eventually he’d been distracted enough for me to make a sharp exit.

Despite his incessant knocking, it wasn’t until I’d triple-tied the belt around my robe that I opened the door. And there he was: his powerful stance alert, his feet braced shoulder-width apart, and his hooded eyes honed on me. He looked as indomitable, imposing, and unflappable as always. He’d also changed and showered.

Stepping right into my personal space, he kicked the door shut behind him. “You ran from me.” He sounded a mixture of annoyed and amused.

Refusing to defend my actions, I shrugged carelessly. “I wanted a shower.”

“So I see.” He took in my apartment with a quick glance, his expression blank. But he was no doubt shuddering inwardly at the very feminine atmosphere. Despite that I hadn’t been sure I’d remain at The Hollow, I’d picked up some accessories to spruce up the place and give it some colour. Mostly pink.

“Why are you here?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He smoothed the wet locks away from my face. “It was a tough night.” He was as gruff as always, his tone empty of sensitivity. Anyone else might have mistaken that for apathy, but I knew him well enough to know that this was simply how Salem talked. Besides, he didn’t waste words, didn’t say anything he didn’t mean, so the fact that he’d bothered to check on me showed that he cared.

And that got to me. The fucker was good at this wearing-me-down thing. Cristiano had been sure to warn me away from Salem, of course. He was dangerous, Cristiano had said. He was a trained killer, he’d said. Yes, well, he was also freaking hot.

“I’m fine,” I assured him. His expression was doubtful. “Really, I’m fine.”

“Hmmm.” Burying his face in the crook of my neck, he groaned. “You smell good. Your scent makes me hard every time. I want to wear it on my skin.” His voice was thick with need. “And I want my scent on you.”

His tone, his words, and his body heat were all beating at my defences. “Salem.” It was supposed to be a warning, but it came out breathless and needy. Dammit, he wasn’t even touching me and I was melting for him. “You want something I can’t give you.” I was reminding myself as much as I was him.

“What I want” – he licked a line along my throat – “is you beneath me. Moaning my name.” He sucked at my pulse, nipping it lightly. “What I want is my teeth in your skin, and your taste on my tongue. Don’t you want that, Ava?”

No, I didn’t…Right?

He sucked on my earlobe before biting down gently, but not enough to draw blood. “Don’t you want to know how I taste?”

Oh, I did want that. I’d wondered about it more times than I could count.

When he went to open my robe and found the huge knot, his mouth curved in amusement. “You thought you could keep me out?” He tsked. “Ah, Ava, you can’t keep me away from what’s mine.”

As if to prove that, he brought his mouth down hard on mine, stabbing his tongue inside and seeking out my own. A large hand snapped around my throat as another slid under my robe and palmed my ass, pulling me to him. His cock, long and thick and hard, dug into my stomach. Like that, my nipples tightened and a fierce ache began to build deep inside me. Ah, crap.

I should have struggled, I should have hit out at him. But I seemed to have no willpower when it came to Salem. He’d eaten up every inch of my personal space…and yet I liked it. That wasn’t normal, right? I wasn’t sure – it was hard to think past the way my entire body burned for him. It reflexively responded to him, craved him, and was soothed by him.

Abruptly he froze, cursing. It was only then that I realised someone was knocking rhythmically on the door. “It seems you have a visitor.”

I swallowed hard, doing my best to look cool and composed. This could not happen again, because I was pathetically weak when it came to him. “Listen, Salem –”

He put a finger to my mouth. “You kissed me back, Ava. You want this as much as I do. If you deny it, you’re just insulting your own intelligence. Others might think you’re dizzy and flaky, but we both know that’s not true.”

That was probably the nicest thing a guy had ever said to me.

With that, he stalked to the door and opened it wide…only to find Alora there, her fist raised and ready to knock again. Clearly taken aback, she simply stared at him.

“What’s up?” asked a familiar voice. Then Jude was bumping Alora aside. Her eyes widened at the sight of Salem. “Oh.”

And Salem being Salem, he just grunted at them. Then he glanced at me over his shoulder. “Expect a call from Sam and Jared in the next few hours. We’re not done with the assignment tonight. I’ll be seeing you soon.”