Something Witchy This Way Comes: A Jolie Wilkins Novel by H. P. Mallory

shrugged.
    “I’m … I’m sorry, Sinjin.”
    “One thing I would like to make quite clear,” he added, wanting to have the last word. And I suddenly hoped he would belittle me, tell me he never cared a damn about me and, yes, had been acting out of selfishness all along. It would have made my decision that much easier.
    “Yes?”
    He took a few steps toward me, and I nearly suffocatedon his clean scent. I tried not to inhale. “I care more for you than I have cared for anyone … ever.”
    I closed my eyes against the tears threatening to break through and shook my head. “No, Sinjin,” I started, then opened them, a sudden anger burning me from the inside out. “It’s too late for this. Grant me enough respect not to play with my emotions anymore.”
    He reached out and grasped my shoulder. I reeled back at his icy touch, but it wasn’t the cold that warded me away—it was the way my heart fluttered when he touched me.
    “You can banish me to the ends of the world, poppet, but you will never banish my feelings for you. You cannot deny me my own emotions.”
    “Sinjin—” I started, but he shook his head, indicating that he wasn’t finished.
    “And for that matter, your bloody panel can strip me of my position, banish me from Kinloch, but I will always remain dedicated to your protection, damn what anyone else says or thinks.”
    I refused to look at him. “Sinjin, you can’t … your job here is done.”
    He grasped my chin and tilted it, forcing my gaze upward, forcing me to take in his beautiful blue eyes. “As long as the Lurker threat continues, you are in danger.” He took a breath. “You are as aware of that as I am, poppet.”
    “Klaasje and Saxon—” I started, trying to reassure myself that the Lurkers weren’t as much of a threat to my safety as Sinjin imagined they were.
    He shook his head. “You know you are safest with me.”
    “Sinjin …” I said his name and felt the rest of the sentence fall right off my tongue. I wasn’t even sure what I’d been about to say. He stayed silent, just smiling at me. But his smile spoke volumes—it said that this was by no means the end, that he wasn’t finished with me.
    “I will see you at the ceremony,” I finally managed when it seemed like he was done with talking. I stepped away from him, but he just stepped closer to me again. “Take care of yourself, Sinjin,” I said as I started to turn around and palmed the doorknob.
    His cold breath fanning across the back of my neck caused my own breath to catch in my throat.
    “I know I never said the words you wanted to hear,” he whispered.
    I closed my eyes and shook my head, refusing to allow him to bring this up now. “Sinjin, it’s way too little and way too late.”
    Before I could take another breath, he whirled me around so I was facing him, his hands on my upper arms. I started to pull away but he was resolute, his eyes boring into mine. “I care for you more than I care for myself.”
    I shook my head. “No, Sinjin, I don’t want to hear this.” And that was the truth. I didn’t want to hear it because I knew it could do no good. I was in love with Rand, just as I always had been, and while there was once a time when I’d imagined carving out a life with Sinjin, that time was long gone.
    “You will hear it, dammit!” he railed back, and his urgency surprised me as much as the heightened tone of his voice.
    “I came here to say goodbye,” I started, feeling myselfbegin to spiral out of control. This wasn’t what I’d been expecting—this wasn’t what I’d come here for—and now I needed to escape.
    “Damn saying goodbye to me, poppet,” he spat back and shook his head, an odd smile curving the ends of his lips. “You came here because you couldn’t keep away from me,” he insisted. “You came here because you still feel the same way for me that I feel for you.”
    “Stop it!” I seethed at him, feeling tears welling in my eyes.
    “You love me,