Page 86 of A Fate in Flames

I forced my screaming legs to move faster, ignoring the sharp stitch in my side, driving myself through tangled undergrowth that reached for me with thorny fingers.

Everything became a blur of silver and black.

I couldn’t let him catch me.

I want him to catch me.

Of all the reckless things I could’ve done, suggesting he chase me was probably the worst.

I plunged deeper into the forest, weaving frantically around fallen logs and boulders.The fractured moonlight struggled to penetrate through the dense canopy.

I wasn’t built for this.I was exhausted, every muscle in my body begging for rest.But I couldn’t stop.If I stopped, he would have me.

His voice slid through my mind in a slow, indulgent purr.“So weak, little flame.You can’t outrun me.”

His voice in my head was so overwhelming that a gnarled tree root sticking from the forest floor remained invisible until my foot caught on it.I cried out, pitching forward.My arms flailing.

Before I could hit the ground, a hand clamped around my waist, yanking me up.My back slammed against a wall of solid muscle, my feet lifting clear off the ground.Every hard plane of Dalkhan’s body pressed against mine, the evidence of his desire unmistakable against the small of my back.

“You should have known better.”His breath seared the shell of my ear like an open flame, lips brushing the delicate skin with each syllable.

I twisted, struggling against his unbreakable grip.My back arched as I clawed at his forearms, my nails digging into his flesh, drawing blood.Dark drops trickled down his skin, but his hold only tightened.

“Let.Me.Go.”The command was unconvincing, undermined by the way it came out all breathless—by the way my body melted into his.

Dalkhan laughed, the sound reverberating through his chest and into mine.His free hand came up to brush the hair away from my neck, exposing the column of my throat.

“Why?”His mouth moved to my jaw, teeth scraping lightly against the sensitive skin.I shuddered, my head falling back against his shoulder.“You like this.”

His certainty was as infuriating as it was arousing.

His grip tightened, keeping me pinned.“Tell me, little flame.Was this what you wanted?”

“No,” I rasped, the lie bitter and hollow on my tongue.

He whipped me around, the movement so fast it left me dizzy, fingers digging into my shoulders as he pushed me up against a tree.

“Liar.”

His thigh thrust between my legs, the muscle hard as stone, lifting me off the ground.I whimpered at the pressure against my core.

“Say it again,” he said, increasing the pressure.Sparks of pleasure shot up my spine.

“No.”The word was carried on a shaky exhale, hardly audible.

He shook his head in mock disappointment, that dangerous smile never leaving his lips.

I shoved at his chest.I couldn’t think clearly with him this close, touching me.With the scent of him—oud, amber, and fire—filling my lungs.But it was like trying to move a mountain.His body was an impenetrable wall of heat and power.

“Go on.Try harder.”

I pushed with all my strength.I twisted—fought, my nails clawing at his chest.My body writhed against his in a futile attempt to break free, each movement only serving to increase the friction between us.

He didn’t budge.

He just watched through hooded eyes as I struggled, gaze tracking every movement, every twist of my body.He grabbed my wrists, encircling them both easily with one large hand and pinning them above my head.

I stopped breathing as his free hand traced slowly down my arm—over the curve of my breast, down my ribs, lingering at my waist.