God of Wrath (Legacy of Gods #3) by Rina Kent

The dark contrast of his revenge chills me, and my lips quiver when I speak. “Not sure if I should be touched or scared.”

“Probably both.”

I smile. “You should’ve said touched.”

His fingers thread with mine, splaying out on my chest so that he’s feeling my heartbeat. “I’m not a nice man, Cecily. I won’t pretend otherwise, or I’d be doing you and myself a disservice. What I am, however, is someone who’ll slaughter your demons one by one until you’re finally free of them. I’ll touch your scars until you normalize them and can live with them, because they’re what makes you who you are.”

Holy…

I’m surprised my heart doesn’t spill out onto the ground, crawl at his feet, and vanish right in front of those ethereal eyes.

No one has ever told me this, and the fact that it’s coming from a harsh man like Jeremy makes it tenfold worse for my health.

“I thought you hated me,” I murmur in a vulnerable voice that I loathe to the core.

Why is he able to tug, shove, and break my heartstrings with mere words?

Jeremy draws circles in my hair, soothing, gentle circles that trigger a map of shivers on my skin. It’s even more intense when he’s staring down at me with a dark look. “You hated me, too.”

“You gave me no choice.”

“Hate is a feeling. In fact, it’s probably the strongest of them all. The first time we met in that club, something had your panties in a twist.”

I narrow my eyes. “You were an overbearing, controlling prick, and I despised you to the core. You were at the top of my very short ‘I want to poke their eyes out’ list, knocking Remi from his spot.”

“Do you despise Remi?”

“Of course not, but he can be a provocative twat sometimes.” I sigh. “He’s the funniest ever, though, so he gets a pass.”

“Funniest ever,” he repeats with an edge to his voice, his movements losing their natural flow. “Is that an exaggeration?”

“If I say no, will you get any ideas about cutting off his tongue?” I make a face, and he narrows his eyes.

“Is it a no?”

“Jeremy!” I laugh. “Seriously, tone it down. Remi and I were basically raised together, and he’s like my brother.”

“You have an awful lot of non-biologically related brothers. Your heart is so big to fit all of these people.”

“Was that sarcasm?”

He glares.

“I’ll take that as a no. And really, we’ve been friends since we were, like, in nappies. Remi, Bran, and Creigh will always be brothers to me.”

“You skipped one on the list. Landon. Why isn’t he a brother, hmm?”

That chilling tone would’ve made me piss myself if this moment had happened some time ago, but now, I can handle Jeremy’s dark side. At least, I’m learning to.

“I actually skipped two. Eli and Landon. It’s hard to consider them brothers when they’re antisocial and lack humanity.”

“And yet, you fell for him.”

“Who? Eli?” I ask coyly, and he tightens his grip on my fingers until I wince.

“Don’t fuck with me, Cecily. Do I have to deal with Eli King, too?”

“No, no. Jeez no,” I blurt. It’s inconvenient enough that he thinks he should deal with Lan in the first place. Add Eli, and we’d have a disaster on our hands.

“You didn’t answer my question. How come someone as reserved, careful, and methodical as you fell for Landon, knowing full well he’s antisocial and lacks humanity?”

I stare at the fire crackling opposite us. It’s dwindled, almost dying down. “I fell for the idea of him, not his true self. I doubt anyone has actually seen what his true nature is like. I realize that now that I know…” what falling for someone is like.

What the hell? I almost said that out loud.

I nearly divulged my deepest, darkest secret and allowed him to hurt me again, stomp on my barely beating heart, and leaving me stranded.

The last time still makes my eyes burn with tears whenever I think about it.

My gaze strays back to Jeremy, who’s never looked away from me. He’s watching me with a ferociousness that could disintegrate a fortress.

In this moment of careful peace, it hits me. I fell for Jeremy the exact opposite way I fell for Lan.

I liked the image Lan projected but was repulsed by his true anarchist, empty self.

I hated Jeremy at first sight. His otherworldly physique and handsome looks were a mere camouflage of a monster, but the more I got to know him, the harder I fell for the hidden parts of him.

Parts that he strategically hides from the world but voluntarily showed me.

“Now that you know what?” he asks when I remain silent.

“That he’s an empty shell,” I blurt. “He doesn’t matter right now. I don’t think he ever did.”

It’s subtle, almost too hidden to be noticed, but a slight twitch lifts Jeremy’s lips. “We finally agree on something.”

I smile, feeling lighthearted and a bit sleepy, too, but I grab his hand tighter and ask, “Hey, Jeremy?”

“Yes?”

“Are you aware of the rumors going around about you?”

His lips curve. “Which ones?”