Page 114 of Bonds of Starfall

"Ah, fuck it," he spat, then she felt his strong arms under her thighs, hoisting her up against him until her legs were wrapped around his waist and his leather jacket was pressed against her cheek, the zipper digging into her skin.

Her nose pressed to the side of his neck, and she melted into him, a small voice inside her screaming at her to get away and that he was dangerous and wanted to hurt her—to getrevenge, the words echoed in her mind.

Her vision blurred as he all but jogged down the halls, every footfall making her core rub against his hip. She tried to lift her head to see, but when everything was a blur and she wasn’t sure if it was from her heart and the blood loss, or his speed, she flopped back against him.

She hated the warmth she found in his arms, hated the way her body relaxed when every instinct screamed to recoil.

She was ripped away from his minty scent as a voice roared through the haze, sharp enough to tear her open, "Get your fucking hands off her! What did you do to her? Vesperin?Ves?"

Her eyes blinked open, chest jolting with a painful skip. Panic clawed at her as she whispered, "Cyrus?" She lifted her head with effort to see that Valkar had brought her to another room, dark and empty. Smoke burned her lungs with every inhale, and she coughed. "Is there a fire?" she murmured.

"Less than I should have. I only took what was owed to me," the vampire said. "She’ll live. She just needs to rest." But even to Rin’s ears, he sounded concerned.

"Put her down. Let her go," Cyrus called, voice strained. Whispers of smoke tickled her nose, and she coughed again, eyes watering. She could barely lift her head to see where it was coming from, and found the red glow of flames encased against awall, thick dark concrete, with two chains secured to it, the links wrapped around Cyrus’s arms, keeping him imprisoned.

Cyrus’s red hair was askew, the chains around his wrists, fingers wrapped in them as he pulled, muscles straining. The incubus was no match for iron, however.

The glow of the fire hurt her eyes, and she squinted as she stared at the flames, mingling with the iron, a thick circle on the floor around Cyrus, not allowing him to go any further.

Rin weakly pushed at Valkar’s chest. "Let me go," she rasped.

The vampire’s red eyes flashed as he bared his teeth. "Fine." Then, he dropped her.

Rin made a sound of protest as she fell to the concrete floor, warm from the fire’s nearness.

Her knees banged against the ground, palms scraping it as she tried to push herself up.

Her hair hung around her face as her eyes tracked up, up, up from Valkar’s dark boots, to the strong line of his muscles, thighs wrapped in leather pants, to his leather jacket that she knew smelled of peppermint. A muscle fluttered in his jaw, and those red eyes bore holes into her where she sat at his feet, nearly eye-level with his crotch.

Rin swallowed, blinking to dispel the wave of dizziness that befell her.

"Ves, you have to get out of here. Leave me!" Cyrus implored, straining against the chains.

Valkar barked a laugh. "Like hell I’ll let her go now that I have her."

While the vampire taunted Cyrus, Rin pushed herself up to a wobbling stand, heart cracking in a thundering rhythm.

She drew in a painful breath, placing a hand over her chest, rubbing the ache.

She hadneededCyrus—a want so pressing that it had consumed her from almost the moment she had awoken tiedto the bed, and now he was here, and Rin felt the vestiges of adrenaline seep from her body, leaving her dizzy and sick.

"I’m not leaving you," she said, each word punctuated with a ragged exhale.

She stumbled forward, and something warm caught her wrists, snaking around her waist and keeping her upright before she could fall back down.

Fire.

Threads made of glowing red and orange flame shot out from Valkar’s hands, wrapped around her waist like a silken tie. It wasn’t hot. It didn’t burn her. It was pleasantly warm, like a blanket just pulled out of the dryer.

Rin ran her fingertip over the flames around her wrist, unable to stop the sound of wonder that fell from her lips, horror quickly following.

The flames flickered and danced under her touch.

"Why would you save her?" Cyrus’s voice pierced her astonishment.

Valkar’s flames didn’t relent. No, they wrapped around her tighter, tugging her until her toes brushed the concrete floors as she was yanked back into the vampire’s arms. He held her against him, the flames curling around her wrists like a lover.

She struggled to keep her eyes open, her heart kicking up into a dangerous beat. Like one, long incessant flutter. Rin tried to reach for her chest, but the flames kept her trapped.