Immortal Craving (Dark Dynasties) by Kendra Leigh Castle Page B

when Ty and Lily were here?
    He’s relaxed with you because you don’t matter
, she told herself. The idea of it, true or not, made her feel bad enough to clear her head. He was beautiful, yeah. And fun to flirt with. And off-limits. If she kept all that in mind, she’d be fine.
    “I’m beginning to understand why Lily has kept you close,” Tasmin said. She tilted her head at him, bemused.
    “Because I’m strange?”
    “Because those who have only the night treasure the sunlight where they can find it.”
    The room was suddenly very, very warm, and Bay couldn’t quite seem to get enough air. Or formulate a coherent sentence, for that matter.
    “Oh… I, I—thank you,” she managed, knowing her cheeks were flame red. Her voice had begun to sound strained, and her heart pounded in her ears. “So… what did you need to tell me? Alone, I mean?”
    His lips curved into a soft smile that made her forget what he was, what he could do. He was nothing more or less than the most compelling man she’d ever met.
    “I wanted to thank you for your help, Bailey,” Tasmin said. “You did what most would never dare in bringing me here. I won’t forget.”
    “You can call me Bay, you know,” she said, the words falling from her lips without a thought. “Everyone else does. Even my parents.” It was a silly thing to say, just one more attempt at holding him here for another few seconds.
    “I like Bailey better,” he said, and she knew instantly that he was never going to call her by her nickname. She couldn’t decide whether that was endearing or irritating. Probably both. Like him.
    For a split second, she thought Tasmin might try to kiss her again. When he turned and walked away from her, she realized she’d been hoping he would try again. He paused just before turning the corner and looked back to where she stood, speechless, staring after him.
    “
Phir milenge
… Bailey,” he said, and gave her a dazzling, mischievous smile that utterly transformed him. “We will meet again.”
    “See you,” she said softly. But she was speaking to an empty room.
    He was gone.

chapter
FOUR
    T ASMIN SAT AT THE EDGE OF THE BIG , four-poster bed, perfectly still.
    His fingers were laced together, his breathing slow and even, his eyes closed. Outwardly, he knew he looked like he was meditating. That was by design, but also partially true. These struggles had become a form of meditation, in their way. When meditating, one had to be quiet, still, and focused on the inner self.
    All of which he was. Except his inner self seemed to have split in two. It took more and more effort for the one half to tamp down the other… and he was no longer sure which was winning.
    All he knew was that he was hungry again.
    Somewhere downstairs, a clock tolled the hour. It was midnight, and though the inhabitants of this house were all awake and going about their business, no one bothered him. That was just as well, Tasmin thought, gritting his teeth as he remembered how he had been greetedlast night. The Cait Sith—no, he reminded himself, the Lilim—in attendance had shied from him, preferring to gawk. Some remembered his kind. Those warned the others. And then there were the wolves…
    With a low, soft growl, Tasmin opened his eyes.
    “This isn’t working,” he muttered. He couldn’t relax. All around him he smelled wolf and cat, strangers to him. More, there was a casual opulence to this place that left him ill at ease. He had lived in the forests most of his life, and when he’d been offered lodging, it had rarely been more than a hovel. He preferred open air, stars.
    But it was so damned cold here. He wanted warmth. He wanted—
    Tasmin got to his feet and began to pace the room. It didn’t matter what he wanted. In fact, he had begun to think it was a very bad idea to get everything he wanted. He should never have gone to see Bailey in her shop, not with how out of sorts he’d felt that day. Of course, he’d had no idea of the