A Gift from the Goddess

Book 2 Ch#8

“Alright a little game sounds tun,” I finally replied “But you‘ll be disappointed to learn these sa 40 uiterior motive in talking to you You‘ve just piqued my ouliouity, is all 

I tried to laugh it off but Kieran didn‘t seem to notice as he immediately set his drink dowi ks. expression tuming serious as he looked me over. Almost as if I could feel hin soniniwing even Iittle detail about me 

But that confident look of his. It took all I had to just calm my heart down, the nervous thumping inside becoming so loud that I was worried he‘d hear it. 

For a man who could seemingly read me so well could he really pull this off? 

“Your eyes give you away a lot,” he started, leaning forward enough that I could still hear him as he spoke in a low voice. “Don‘t get me wrong, they‘re very pretty, but they also betray you.” 

At this proximity, his scent was beginning to overwhelm me. His compliment wasn‘t helping either. I’d never been affected by small things like that before, but with him, it felt almost 

involuntary.

“I think you‘re probably reading too much into it,” I replied quietly, smiling, “Besides, I thought you were meant to be guessing my thoughts, not theorising my tells.”. 

*That’s true….

He moved in a little bit closer again, and I felt as though I became trapped by his gaze alone, unable to move away even if I wanted to. Which, of course, I didn‘t. 

No, at this distance, I was helpless to stop myself from thinking about how flawless his features were. How his defined jawline was such a perfect shape that I could easily picture how my head could fit under it, nestled against his neck comfortably, 

“Mine,’ that word repeated inside my head, but I bit it back. 

“You‘re thinking... ‘why am I so attracted to him?‘” he said, sending a jolt of surprise through me 

But after quickly scrambling to find a logical explanation, I realised it was clearly just a magician’s trick. He was influencing my thoughts with his behaviour so I‘d be pressured to think what he wanted me to.

I laughed his guess off and simply called him out on it. 

“How incredibly vague yet conceited of you to think so,” I said, amused. “I thought this was a game of guessing my exact thoughts, not giving yourself a backwards compliment.” 

However, this didn’t seem to deter him in the slightest and a smirk spread across his lips 

“You‘re thinking.. why does he make me feel this way?** 

I laughed again 

“I just told you that you can‘t use ambiguous statements to win It‘s like bogus fortune telling. 

pot going to wor=–* 

And then his hand reached out and touched mine, tincing lightly against my skin Spreading those spaiks through my body that made my breath catch in my throat 

I stared at his hand as he gently enveloped my own, the warmth starting to make me foto concentration.

*Mine.’ That same unrelenting thought kept trying to force itself aloud, 

He closed the final bit of distance between us, coming in until he was speaking almost diiectly into my ear. His scent making it impossible to breathe without his influence. And with one hand holding my own, his other moved to my waist to hold me in place. 

“You’re thinking.. ‘why does it feel like sparks against my skin?” 

In surprise, I sharply looked back up towards him, only I found myself now merely inches away from him. So close, I could feel the warmth of his breath against me. 

My gaze trailed down from his eyes until I became fixated on his lips, those thoughts from earlier starting to invade my mind once more. Wondering just what it would be like to feel them moving against mine. To taste what they looked to promise me. 

“Mine.’

His hand then moved, coming up until it found my cheek and his thumb started tracing along my jaw. Sending more sparks through me. But the entire time he did that, I was still transfixed on his lips, watching them closely as he continued to speak.

“You’re thinking… that you want to kiss me.”

pleasure of his presence started to sweep me away. Letting

Nothing I wanted to do. Like a spell, he had me now completely at

‘Mine… mine….‘ 

close our lips were almost touching, I felt as a shiver went through my body. Tempting me to make the first move, as if promising me

him... and I finally felt that last piece of

in, my own hand moving forward to touch him....

I was about to make

“…Mine…,” he whispered.

enough for reality to kick

his grasp, hugging my arms to my chest in

possibly know that?! Out of every

heid up his hands to calm me, but it did little

not a big deal

a light

*I asked

started to think over everything that had just happened, taking a momento tealise just how

I asked in a hushed

My feeling of illness and lack of control, my inability to make rational decisios All of

eyed it warily. It didn’t explain my initial reaction, but perhaps he’d also done something to me back when he disarmed my

do to me?”

expecting me to say it.. or maybe not expecting me to realise the truth. Either way,

No!” he said, offended “Just calm down for a

closer but I

touch

few people around us, briefly turning their heads to what the commotion was. Their

attention

And, in my life, control was everything. He should be lucky that his attempt of drugging me didn’t accidentally result in his death, because that was the true

* Raven”

“No… I’m not doing this.

was clearly mentally ill if he could so easily

The way I saw it, this was going to

counter and immediately started walking to the exit as fast as possible. Slow enough to not draw attention by onlookers, but

wouldn‘t be able to chase me without looking

a deep familiar voice called out sounding from

to meet the eyes of my

way home via a taxi. Checking to make sure I didn‘t randomly pass out or show other side effects of

the biggest side effect I was feeling wasn’t fatigue or drowsiness, as I would have expected. No, it felt almost like.. loneliness. As if something was hollowing out my

was

the thoughts instantly and

like it. A drug with such a specific yet fast chemical reaction that it

best to distract my mind as I arrived back to my bedroom. Doing everything I could think of to stop myself from feeling the

as I slowly drifted off into sleep, there was still only one thing on my mind as I slept that

Kieran.

next day feeling slightly better than when I‘d gone to bed. And though the thoughts of him still

another day or so before the effects wore

could only hope. This feeling of infatuation was

from my door, breaking

I recognised it immediately.

Gavin

for training today,” I yelled back. I was far too tired from the whole

that it wasn’t only Gavin

Raven,” my father said. “Did you

No.

please don‘t do this, sir,” I said, panic

nie land out, presenting ing with the familiar ljaridcuffs I wotild be required to wear.