Page 144 of Bonds of Starfall

His blue eyes were soft and half-lidded, the Star etched there seeming to glow. Ever since he had inserted himself into their plans, he had not taken his sights off her.

It was a strange feeling… to be tied to such a powerful being. This Soul Searcher claimed he loved her—claimed he always would.

Rin could not help but feel sorry for him; she didn’t remember. And maybe, she never would.

She shivered again, and those great metallic clangs resumed, filling the night. With a small cliff circling part of the valley below, and the trees taking up the rest of the area, it made the sound echo, like a robotic beast, preparing for battle.

The noise had been what drew them here in the first place. The coordinates of the drop had been set for Nova Zone 21, but it was one of the largest Nova Zones around. As Auren, Rhyden, Cyrus, and Rin had taken one of Rhyden’s reinforced cars—which had been tucked away safely in his goddamn base hidden in Solar City—Auren had been the one to lead the way.

The Soul Searcher had not asked any questions of why they came, merely looked them all in the eye, settling on her last, and proclaimed,I know the way.

It had been Cyrus who had taken the first step of trust, following after Auren. Rin had followed Cyrus, and Rhyden had been forced to follow Rin—but the vampire sure as hell hadn’t hidden his displeasure.

An hour ago, a large hangar had opened from within the ground, grass and pebbles scattering below, and two unnatural doors had groaned open. They now stood propped with metal bars, stairs leading below.

Andthat, the source of those metallic groans, echoing from deep within.

She still didn’t understand how Auren had known this was here.

Rin’s fingers dug into the rock. Besides the sounds of the night, it was otherwise quiet. Her legs were numb, and her lips cracked with cold.

Auren rose from his spot, keeping crouched low to the ground. His posture was loose, but Rin saw the danger in those soft blue eyes. He removed his dark cloak, settling it over her back and reaching to tuck it around her shoulders.

"Here," the Soul Searcher murmured.

Rin’s fingers curled in the front of it. It was warm from his body heat and held traces of his scent—like a roaring fire in the dead of winter.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Auren hovered gracefully by her knees. Cyrus tapped Rin’s shoulder, drawing her attention. When he had it, he grabbed her cheeks, tugged her forward, and pressed a bruising kiss right on her numb lips.

She gasped from shock, and he pulled away only slightly, breathing against her open mouth. "My pretty doll doesn’t need to be cold."

She nearly went cross-eyed as she stared at him, because he was so close to her. "Cyrus?" she questioned.

The incubus merely placed a kiss on the tip of her chilled, reddened nose in answer. Then, he rolled away, leaving the perfect, empty spot at her side.

"For you." Cyrus waved a hand from Auren to the empty spot. "You have to keep her warm, though. Doesn’t matter what she says. Press against her side. She likes it. Trust me." The entire exchange made her blush.

Auren claimed the empty spot, nestled between her and Cyrus, while Rin was tucked between Auren and Rhyden.

"I am grateful to you, Cyrus," said Auren.

Cyrus winked in reply.

Auren pressed against Rin’s entire side, and from that, combined with the heat of his cloak, she was no longer shivering as the minutes passed.

But she was still numb from staying in the same position for so long. She shifted after a while, and it forced her right side against Rhyden, who tensed as she brushed against him.

"Sorry," she whispered, glancing up at him to find his red eyes boring into hers.

Rhyden ran his tongue over his bottom lip, and she flushed, remembering how he had consumed her utterly as he’d kissed her. They hadn’t spoken about it since. And Rin was more than happy to pretend it never happened… Though, when she was alone, she was unable to stop the memory from replaying in her head.

He passed a hand over his jaw, his silver rings glinting in the moonlight. That flash of silver made her recall something, niggling at the back of her brain. When she focused on it too long, it drifted through her fingers like sand, so she gave up.

"What is it?" Rhyden spat lowly.

Her lips parted, and a soft gasp escaped her. She met his eyes, fumbling. "I was just wondering, when you said more than a hairpin would kill you…" She trailed off. That hadn’t been what she wanted to say—not at all.