The Inner Circle, Book 3 of the Glass Wall ( A YA Urban Fantasy Romance ) by Carmen Caine, Madison Adler Page A

else.
    Cupping the back of my head with his hand, he
gently kissed my bottom lip. Instinctively, my mouth parted, and
our tongues touched. It was so intimate. Tender.
    I held still, enthralled, and savoring each
moment.
    And as his kiss deepened, a tremor of
excitement rippled through me. It was the kind of excitement that I
knew could quickly spin out of control. The kind of excitement that
could turn into a passionate hunger.
    The kind of excitement that I could only want
to share with him.
    And then he abruptly pulled away.
    “This can go no further,” he said quietly,
his face hardening into a mask.
    Feeling rejected all at once, I reacted by
jumping out of his car.
    But he was out in a flash and headed me off
before I could take more than a few steps in the fresh snow.
    I scowled at him.
    “You shouldn’t be walking around right now,
Sydney,” Rafael warned. “You’re in more danger than you
realize.”
    “And whose fault is that?” My scowl deepened
in response.
    “Do you really want me to answer that?” he
asked arrogantly, raising a mocking brow.
    That infuriated me even more. “You’re trying
to blame me for taking the tulpa in the first place?” I poked him
in the chest. “Weren’t you guys the ones who were supposed to
protect us? You know, prevent those things from even coming to Earth?”
    “And is it our fault that you humans insist
on harming yourselves, thereby attracting the Brotherhood to begin
with?” he asked without missing a beat.
    My mouth dropped open. “I’ve never seen this
side of you before,” I said, wagging my finger at him. I couldn’t
really say anything else because there was a sort of logic to what
he was saying, even if I didn’t like to hear it. I settled for
snapping at him. “I’m sure the Fae aren’t perfect either!” And with
that, I turned on my heel and prepared to go.
    Rafael caught my shoulder to stop me.
Annoyed, I shrugged him off. But he didn’t let me get far. In calm,
deliberate movements, he grabbed my hand and spun me around. And
pressing me close to his chest, he brought my face within an inch
or two of his.
    “I’m sorry, Sydney,” he whispered in my ear.
“It’s been a trying day. I seem to have no patience of late.”
    I held out, thinking about giving him the
cold-shoulder treatment. But that only lasted about two seconds. I
didn’t seem to have any resistance when it came to Rafael.
    “Why did you do all of that?” I asked in a
hoarse voice. “Are you really one of them?”
    His grim eyes narrowed the tiniest bit.
“Nothing good will come of you knowing me,” he said through
clenched teeth.
    “I don’t believe that.” I frowned, shaking my
head. “I don’t want to believe that you’re on the same side as the
Mesmers. I can’t believe you’re one of them.”
    He went very still. “If I seem that evil to
you …” he began in a thick voice and then paused a moment before
adding, “That is a bit upsetting.”
    “I knew it,” I said, holding onto the
implication in relief. “I knew you weren’t really bad! Are you
spying?”
    His eyes lingered on me longer than
necessary, and the muscle of his jaw visibly tightened. “You should
really be getting home,” he replied, switching subjects.
    I knew that meant I had gotten too close to
the truth.
    “I’ll give you a ride home,” he continued as
he grabbed my arm and escorted me back to the Bentley.
    Settled safely inside, I waited for him to
join me, and he’d barely turned the key when there was a rap on my
car window.
    Jumping, I looked up to see Jareth peering
in.
    Rafael zipped my window down. “I’m not in the
mood to deal with you right now, Jareth.” He checked himself with
difficulty. “Be gone.”
    “Tempting,” Jareth said, crossing his arms
and planting his feet wide apart. “But I don’t trust you anymore.
I’ll not let you take Sydney without a fight.
    “Don’t tempt me,” Rafael said, his voice
suddenly turning fierce. “You know I can get