Free More than Truth (Arcane Crossbreeds) by Amanda Vyne Page A

penetrate it.
    A chill rolled through her, raising bumps over her flesh.
    “It’s all right, love. No harm will come to you again. I swear it.” The promise should have felt dramatic and inappropriate, but somehow his words were comforting and right, as were the thick arms that enfolded her shivering body. He rubbed his hands gently up and down her arms.
    God, when had she started shivering? The material of his button-down shirt was soft beneath her cheek, and she drew in a deep breath. He smelled so good she swore she could taste him on her lips. Her nipples hardened and drew up into painful points as desire pooled low in her belly. This was going too far. She was vulnerable and cold and so very tired. She’d refused to do more than doze lightly in that room for fear she would never wake up, and soon it had been hard to tell if she was asleep or awake; the blackness was the same.
    Tag had plagued her thoughts, her carefully hidden longing for him rising in the silence and darkness of the room until it lay raw and open on the surface. She was afraid she was responding to this man—Vincent—because he looked so much like Tag. Having Vincent against her was like she imagined it would feel to be held by Tag. How many times during the endless moments in that hell had she wished for that?
    Thunder rumbled low through Vin’s chest, and he pulled away after a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s get you warmed up. You’ll feel human again after a shower.”
    Brit swallowed hard as the chill air curled back around her in the absence of his heat. She sat obediently and attempted to gather her senses back into a neat pile while he started the shower and gathered towels from the cabinet. Wouldn’t the agents at Incog be shocked to see her huddled on the vanity, craving the touch of a stranger? She wasn’t oblivious; she knew what they thought of her. Cold. Clinical. They said she made them feel like she was looking at them through a microscope.
    A harsh, brittle laugh escaped, and she quickly lifted the water bottle to drain the remaining liquid before any more of that hideous sound slipped past her lips. She wasn’t beaten. She’d been through worse, but she did need to regroup, and this man, Tag’s brother, made her feel safe enough to do that.
    Vin lifted her down, and his hazel eyes studied her. That scrutiny was unnerving. He stared at her as though he were starved for the sight, his intense gaze almost a caress. Her body responded as if it were, sparks of arousal skittering down her flesh until her heart pounded so loudly she was sure he could hear it.
    “Do you need help getting undressed?”
    Brit stepped back and shook her head before her lips could betray her and say yes just so she could feel his hands on her again. The small room was filled with the sound of rushing water. Steam gathered, the wet heat of it swirling heavily against her flesh like a phantom caress. It was too intimate; she needed some distance before she did something foolish.
    His gaze was hooded—heated—as he looked down into her upturned face. There were a precious few inches between their bodies, and she could feel the warmth of his chest through their clothes. It made her go liquid low in her belly with an instant arousal that startled her. When his pupils expanded and his nostrils flared, she knew he was aware of it too.
    “I’ll be just outside the door. I saw a microwave and some instant soup. You can eat a little more and drink another water before you try to get some sleep.”
    Not trusting her voice, she merely nodded and watched him retreat. She undressed quickly and stepped into the shower.
    By the time she turned the water off, her skin was pruned and she had her emotions carefully managed, firmly reminding herself she hadn’t accomplished what she’d come here for. If what Vin said was true, Incog would be arriving soon, and she had yet to acquire the data she needed to save Katya as well as any information on where they were