Page 125 of A Fate in Flames

I scowled.“Hardly.”

I lowered myself onto a rocky ledge, carefully removing my sandals before dipping my feet into the water.The cold was shocking against my heated skin.

I shouldn’t have been there.Not with him.

Dalkhan prowled closer through the water, coming to stop directly between my spread knees.His body eclipsed everything else—the waterfall, the sunlight, even the air in my lungs.

“Tell me about your home,” he asked, his deep voice resonating in the cavern.The echoes seemed to stroke my skin.

I leaned back onto the heels of my palms.

“There’s not much to tell.I come from a small village in Edla.”The memories stirred, sharp and painful.“I lived alone with my mother.”

The ache deepened, an invisible hand tightening around my heart.

Dalkhan’s brows drew together as he studied my face.Before I realised what was happening, he reached out, his thumb catching a tear I hadn’t known I’d shed and sweeping it from my cheek.

I cleared my throat roughly.

No.Not here.Not in front of him.

I forced my lips into a smile.

“So,” I said, aiming for a teasing tone, “how many women have you brought here?”

His smirk was lazy.“Many.”

A tinge of jealousy flared in my chest.My expression must’ve betrayed me because his eyes darkened with satisfaction.His large hand slid from the water to my calf, leaving a trail of cool droplets that quickly warmed beneath his touch.I fought the urge to arch as he traced patterns on my skin.

“Does that bother you?”he asked, clearly amused.

It did bother me, annoyingly so, but I wasn’t about to admit it.

“How old are you?”I blurted instead, grasping for any distraction from the dangerous path my thoughts were taking.

His fingers never ceased their torturous rhythm, now drawing circles on the sensitive skin behind my knee.

“I don’t know,” he admitted.“Time moves differently for us, when you’ve existed for as long as I have, the years begin to blur together.”

“But you’re like… old.Reallyold?”

He flashed a toothy grin, not his usual predatory smirk but something genuine and breathtaking.

I nearly melted on the spot.

“Yes,” he chuckled, the sound travelling through the water between us.“Old.”

His hands moved higher, kneading the muscles of my thighs with delicious pressure.

“My turn to ask a question.”

“Okay,” I managed.“Ask away.”

I knew full well I shouldn’t have even been speaking to him, let alone allowing his hands to wander over my body, but it was so terrifyingly easy to get lost in him.

“IfI allowed you to leave,” he said, his expression suddenly serious, “to return home.Would you go?”

The question caught me completely off guard.My chest tightened at the genuine interest in his gaze.