Page 59 of Fall of Ruin and Wrath

“I’m a favorite of the Baron’s,” I said. “He would be most displeased if you were to break me.”

Lord Thorne was silent for what felt like a small eternity, and then he laughed. He actuallylaughed,and it was a deep, husky sound that reverberated through me much like that animalistic sound he’d made. “Well.” He drew the word out, those fingers stilling at my throat. “I wouldn’t want to displease the honorable baron.”

In any other situation, one where I wasn’t being held what had to be at least a foot off the ground, I would’ve appreciated the mockery dripping from his tone.

“I’m interested though. What would the Baron do?” The fingers slipped from my throat to just below the shallow indent between my collarbones. The feel of his touch there and the palm that rested just above my still wildly beating heart was a jolt to my already scattered senses. “If I did break a . . .favoriteof his?”

My mouth opened but nothing came out. Whatcouldthe Baron do if he decided to harm me? Even as acaelestia,there was absolutely nothing, which was why Claude sending me to the Hyhborn lord like this was so unbelievable.

“He would . . .” I sighed. “He would pout.”

That deep laugh came again, rumbling along my back and rear, causing my toes to curl even further. He was holding me entirely too close. “I wouldn’t want that to happen.”

Then Lord Thorne released me, but he did so slowly.Painstakinglyslowly. I slid down the entire length of him, and it was a whole lot of length. I was uncomfortably aware of how the robe had snagged, catching between our bodies, and . . . and the feel of him. There was simply a lot of him. By the time my feet hit the floor, my legs were exposed all the way to the thighs. Luckily, the chamber was still dark, but not as fathomless as before.

“We keep meeting under the strangest circumstances,” he noted. “I’m beginning to think fate is afoot.”

“Fate?” I laughed. “You believe in fate?”

“You don’t?”

How could I when I knew that the future wasn’t always set in stone— that every decision, no matter how small or unimportant, could have a domino effect? “No.”

“Interesting.” His arm between my breasts vanished, but the one at my waist still held me against the front of his body.

Seconds ticked by, and I became aware of that hand along the curve of my waist moving in slow, tight circles that tugged on the sash. “Are you . . . are you going to let me go?”

“I don’t know,” he said after a moment.

I stared at the dark wall. “You don’t?”

“I like the feel of you against me.”

Okay, that . . . that was not what I was expecting. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to be of service to you if you continue to hold me.”

His chin grazed the top of my head. “This is servicing me.”

“I’m not sure how that’s possible.”

“If you’re one of the Baron’s favorites and he sent you toserviceme,” he said, “then you know exactly how you are servicing me at the moment.”

I bit down on my lip, at once recognizing that I was in trouble, big trouble, and I didn’t think the Long Night was going to help get me out of it. It worked on acaelestia,but I had no idea if it worked on a Hyhborn. Naomi had never used it on one. She’d never wanted to. Either way, attempting to drug Lord Thorne was far too much of a risk. If it didn’t work on him and he somehow realized what I’d attempted to do, I wouldn’t have to worry about ending up on the streets. I’d be dead.

Hell, I didn’t even know if my abilities worked on Hyhborn. I hadn’t even tried to read him last night and I had picked up nothing from the first night, but then again, I had been distracted. I managed to quiet my thoughts and empty my mind. I reached down, finding his hand in the darkness. My mind was an open, blank field.

I saw . . . I saw nothing but white.

And I heard nothing but static.

But I felt relief— a burst of my ownrelief,because I was really beginning to think that I could still touch him without being bombarded with anything. I spread my fingers along the top of his hand, following the elegant stretches of bone and tendon. This was . . . this was bad and yet good— but good in a very short-term manner.

Knots of unease formed in my stomach. Perhaps I had to try harder. Or maybe it was because I wasn’t looking upon him. The tips of my fingers slipped over his knuckles. His hand had gone still beneath mine. His skin . . . it was so hard. I’d known that it wouldn’t feel like a mortal’s. A Hyhborn’s flesh was different. It was why most weapons couldn’t penetrate their skin, but I hadn’t expected it to feel this hard and smooth. Was all of him like this? Likeallof him—

“Did I hurt you?” Lord Thorne asked.

“What?” I withdrew my hand from his.

“Did I hurt you just now? I was rough with you.”