Chapter 17.3

I gulped, hoping he wasn’t referring to some kind of tongue binding to prevent me from having the information extracted from my tortured soul. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just a little initiation ceremony,” he said. “Nothing freaky.”

“Of course,” I murmured. “But where do all the souls go?”

The air thickened with tension, which cracked against my skin. Griff was too close, too warm, too touchy-feely. The man was getting under my defenses like tiny wisps of poison, and each second in his presence eroded the force of my hatred.

His intoxicating scent invaded my sinuses, making every muscle in my body want to melt against his broad chest. My tongue darted out to lick my dry lips, and without meaning to, my gaze dropped to his mouth. Everything about the man was as sinful as it was sensual. My spirits rose, and I felt myself drifting toward his lips.

Griff leaned in, aiming for a kiss. On instinct, I jerked back.

Beki’s sharp bark hit like a whip, making me flinch. She was right. I was letti