Page 79 of A Bond so Fierce and Fragile

Then memories from her growing up filled her thoughts.

How her father had done everything—everything in his power—to keep her mother distracted when they found out she was sick.

Their room had never been quiet. Their kitchen had never been without the newly baked bread her mother loved. Alarin barely ever let his hands leave her mother, even as they walked the forest, even as they bathed, even as they slept.

Even though Fae—including her parents—were open with their love, Frelina blushed, and the blush deepened until her cheeks burned when Raine chuckled and said, “You’re as bad as Lessia. She could barely hear me say the wordfuckbefore.”

Frelina covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. “I’d just rather not imagine my sister doing it.”

“So you’d like to imagine someone else doing it?”

Her nostrils flared when she peeked at Raine through her fingers. “No!”

“Are you sure?” Raine took a step toward her as he lowered his voice. “You don’t want to imagine someone removing those dirty clothes of yours and using their hands to wash your body so excruciatingly slowly that you burn for them?”

Frelina’s eyes widened, and she started backing up, still shaking her head.

But Raine continued approaching her, steadily and deliberately.

“You don’t want someone to weave their hands into your hair and drag their lips across the heated skin of your neck, licking and biting every inch of it until you can’t breathe anymore?”

Frelina’s back reached the door.

Her skin was on fire now, and her face felt as if it were melting, not only because of Raine’s words… but because of what they started within her.

Embers of warmth sparked within her core, and as she continued to meet Raine’s eyes, meeting the challenge there head-on, she shook her head once more.

Still, Raine took another step.

She held his gaze, seeing something flicker in there, and she took a shallow breath, understanding beginning to form in her mind.

“You don’t want someone to claim your lips until you’re begging them to claim you entirely?” Raine rasped.

He took another step, and the embers within her became a kindling fire.

“You don’t want someone to lift you up and press his co?—”

Frelina stepped forward, a laugh bursting from her lips even if fire still touched her cheeks, the cool early morning breeze not helping one bit.

Raine froze.

“I know what you’re doing,” she purred, grateful when the playfulness hid the slight uncertainty within her that she was right.

“What am I doing?” Raine asked quietly.

Frelina lifted her hands and dragged them down Raine’s chest.

He stepped back.

Cocking her head, she raised her brows.

A shadow of a grin brightened Raine’s face, his white teeth glinting as light trickled off the horizon, his hair shining like rust in the sun.

“Clever little Rantzier,” Raine purred back as he pulled out his flask. “Merrick isn’t the only one who can distract people, you know.”

Frelina shook her head again as she cast her eyes upward.

While she’d realized he was only doing it to get her to focus on something else—anything else—other than the pain, her own or her sister’s, Raine’s words had still ignited something in her.