Page 44

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

ARA

We are running toward a cliff. Even in the dark, there is no mistaking the drop in front of us for anything else. The drop Tate is going for at full speed. I try to slow down, but he holds on tight, not giving me any chance to fight the momentum or his strength.

“We are… going to jump,” Tate gasps, confirming my worst nightmare.

“No!” I struggle against his hold, but his grip is like iron. “I can’t swim!” I try to reason with him. Our momentum propels us forward and keeps us moving.

“Do you trust me?” He glances my way but doesn’t slow down and never lets go of me.

“No!” Well, not when he’s about to hurl us off a cliff. My breath stutters from the view in front of us.

He snorts. “Well, you’re gonna have to.” He grabs me around the waist and jumps.

We fall for ages, tumbling through the wind and spraying water before we hit the waves. The impact rattles my bones and drives water up my nose. The cold hits me, surrounds me, stuns me.

The frigid water soaks my clothes, steals my breath, and pulls me down instantly. I can’t discern up from down. Bubbles surround me, tickle my face, obscure everything around me. I panic and thrash around. I’m lost.

Slowly, I realize the bubbles are all going in one direction.

They’re going up.

Finding my equilibrium and some sense of direction helps to wrestle down the panic.The relief is short-lived, however, because when I look up, the surface is a silvery shimmer far, far above me.

The water presses in on me, and there is no way I will get up there before I give in to the increasing need to breathe.

Kicking my legs, I fight against the weight of my clothes. The hem of my dress tangles around my legs, making it hard to move. I struggle, kick, and fight against the watery grave around me and make no progress at all.

I would have laughed about the irony of it all if I had any breath left. In my quest to stay alive, I gained the wrath of a dragon, was nearly burned to a crisp, and will now drown. Maybe I should have gone to bed after all.

A strong arm circles my waist and pulls me up toward the light. Sure strokes spur us upward, the beckoning ripple finally coming closer. Our heads break the surface, and I gasp for air.

“You infuriating, arrogant, crazy bastard.” My hands hit Tate with every word. I gasp down another breath. “Drowning is not how I want to die. How could you…” He lets go of me, and my dress pulls me down instantly. My hands grab for him on instinct, holding on for dear life.

He uses the moment to adjust his grip, pinning my arms between us.

“Relax, Ara.” His chest heaves against me. “I won’t let you drown.” Water trickles down his face, turning his long lashes into little spikes. The moonlight turns his normally golden skin a pale silver.

Damn, he’s beautiful.

And I really have a problem if that’s the first thing I notice after nearly drowning.

I avert my gaze and look up at the cliff instead. It seems to reach for the sky.

“You can't promise that.” My breath still comes in gasps, cutting my words in small bites.

“How are we going to get out of here? We can't climb like that, the wind will make us numb and clumsy in no time, and then we will fall back into the water and end up eaten by fish.” My voice gets higher and higher, the words tumbling out faster and faster.

He looks at me and smirks. He simply smirks at me, like what I say is funny. I draw in another breath, ready to lay into him. But he cuts me off.

“You will not feed the fish today. Even though it’s dark, Daeva would come for us before letting me drown. But…we will simply use the stairs over there.” He motions with his head to his right. Now that he points them out, I can see the stairs cut into the stone.

I feel foolish and cringe inwardly about my panic. My brothers would have had some choice words to say about that…after yelling at me about getting into such a situation in the first place.

I would have blushed in shame, but my face feels like a mask of ice ready to shatter at the wrong movement. If there is any color on my face, it’s probably blue or white.

“You knew there were stairs.” It’s more of a statement than the accusation I intended. My teeth start to chatter.

“We jumped off the cliff when we were younger.” He smiles. “Do you want to take back anything you said before?”

“No.” I send him a glare. He chuckles and starts for the stairs. Tate is frighteningly efficient, even with my body weighing him down. And maybe I admire the powerful strokes and the muscles working to save us both.

He pushes me toward the stairs, treading water behind me, waiting for me to climb out first.

I look forward to getting out of the water, but as soon as I drag myself up the first few steps, I take it all back. The cold of the water is nothing compared to the agony once the wind reaches me.

If my face felt like an ice mask before, I now feel like a cursed marble statue. My chattering teeth are joined by rattling knees. About halfway up, my whole body shakes so hard that I’m afraid I will tumble down at any second.

Tate is not much better off even though he tries to hide it. No one is waiting for us when we finally reach the ground above.

Maybe Lorcan didn’t know about the steps or simply gave up waiting. I don’t know if I’m relieved or sad about it. A little fire would have been nice, and I still want my answers. However, there is a chance he’s still caught up in his rage, and I don’t want to face that version of him right now.

Tate uses his gift to shield us from the wind, but it doesn’t make much of a difference at this point, and when he tries to warm the air around us, he turns frighteningly pale.

“S-s…stop,” I tell him, my teeth chattering so hard I’m astonished I even manage to speak. “N…n…not carry…y you.”

He hesitates for a moment but then nods. “I’m calling Daeva,” he says, his gaze turning distant.

“No!” I shake my head frantically. The only place Daeva can land close to the base is in the courtyard, which will draw attention I can’t afford.

“Ara,” Tate growls. But I shake my head again and start walking.

My actions are sluggish and stiff, but I keep moving.

The warmth of Tate’s gift is right next to me, calling to me, and I want nothing more than to snuggle into it, to draw the warmth in and let it heat me.

I… what? My eyes widen in alarm, and I stumble.

No, surely I meant to say I wanted to snuggle into him, his body right?

“Let me carry you.” Tate looks worried, but I shake my head. I will not get close to him right now, not after that. Not when it’s something I want so badly, and I’m no longer sure the reason is simple attraction.

“I’m…f-f—” I start, but he cuts me off.

“If you say fine,” he threatens, stepping closer, “I will pick you up right now because then you are delirious.”

I bite my tongue and start walking again.

By the time we reach the edges of Platoria, it’s painfully obvious that I will never make it back in this condition.

My body is no longer just stiff but also numb.

Thankfully, the shaking has stopped, but I’m more stumbling than walking, and it takes all my concentration to set one foot in front of the other. I’m so tired.

When I stumble again, Tate sweeps me into his arms, his eyes daring me to protest, but I don’t. This is so much better: his arms, his warmth…I snatch my hand away from the skin of his neck, placing it on his uniform-covered shoulder instead.

My sudden movement earns me a raised eyebrow, and I look everywhere but at his face. I only now realize the houses around us look nothing like the ones we ran past while escaping the dragon. They are tall and proud, and the street is clean and well-lit.

“You didn’t think I would walk with you in that state through the worst area Platoria has to offer, did you?” Tate asks. “This way is also shorter, and we can do this.” Tate steps up to one of the houses and knocks.

That he wears his uniform does come in handy now.We are ushered in without a question and find ourselves in front of a roaring fire, covered in blankets and cradling cups of hot tea before we can utter so much as a question.

The shaking returns as if my body had simply been too rigid before and continues now that it can. The feeling in my feet and hands returns with a vengeance, and I bite my lip to hold in a moan. It hurts.

Gradually, the mix of stabbing pain and tingles gives way to my extremities feeling like they are on fire.

I drink three cups of tea, the hot liquid warming me up from within. The shaking finally stops, and my body no longer feels like it might shatter.

Apart from a few muttered thanks to our host, a matronly woman who, despite her curious glances, hasn’t asked any questions so far, we sit in total silence.

I have to admire her for her restraint. I would have asked a lot of questions if two strangers came up to my doorstep soaking wet, uniform or not.

She is currently bustling in her kitchen, warming up the stew she offered us if the heavenly scent is anything to go by. I eye the room around us. It’s cozy, with thick rugs covering the floor, a big fireplace, and multiple bookshelves, but clutter is everywhere.

My lips twitch at the thought of what Ian would say to that since he always gives me hell for leaving stuff out.

“How is it that I find you always in the thick of it when trouble is to be found?” Tate breaks the silence, and my eyes fly back to his face.

“I was doing just fine until you came charging in,” I say.

“Which I did because you were cornered by a fucking dragon who looked like he was ready to devour you!”

I roll my eyes at his dramatics. “Lorcan was hardly going to eat me.”

“Oh, you’re on a friendly basis now?” His eyebrows jump up. “He sure as hell looked ready to take a bite out of you when I came in.” The muscles in his cheek twitch. “And then he chased us!”

“Because you stormed in wearing your damn uniform and throwing daggers.” My anger bubbles up. If not for Tate, I would have answers by now.

“It is a damn uniform you should be wearing instead of walking around in disguise.” He glares at me.

“Then I wouldn’t get any answers.” I bite down on my lip as soon as the words are out.

“What answers?” Tate leans toward me, his eyes alert.

“It’s personal.” I put aside the empty teacup.

“No answer is worth risking your life.” He holds my gaze, waiting for my consent, but I look away. All of this is about keeping me alive.

Will Lorcan talk to me if I manage to find him again? Will he honor our deal after this mess, or will he ask for something else as compensation?

“You’re angry with me for stopping him?” Tate’s voice sounds incredulous.

He leans forward, getting in my face. “What the fuck were you hoping he would do? Fight you? Fuck you? Maybe even right there in front of everyone?” His voice brims with anger.

“Please do enlighten me on why you thought getting close to a dragon was a good idea.” He is furious, and I don’t know what to feel.

I’m angry he ruined my chance at answers. I’m embarrassed he thinks I was looking for a hookup. And he willingly faced down a dragon for me—yeah, I won’t even go there. My anger evaporates.

His face goes blank when I don’t say anything, wiping away all traces of anger and replacing it with indifference. I blink.

“I was clearly wrong then,” he says, his voice flat. “I’m sorry for ruining your evening.”

My chest tightens at the cold look he gives me. He has never looked at me like this before. It hurts. My eyes prickle, and I try not to blink to keep the tears from falling.

“Please stop,” I whisper. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just trying… to survive.” My last two words are no more than a whisper.

He shifts closer, and my eyes snap to his. Concern replaces indifference. His gaze jumps between my eyes like he’s trying to read me.

He opens his mouth, but I cut in before he can get a word out.

“I’ve already said too much.” I shake my head. “Please don’t ask,” I plead because I want to tell him. I want nothing more than to throw myself into his arms, hide my face in the crook of his neck, and spill all my secrets.

It scares me, and it would be the biggest and maybe last mistake of my life. I look at the fire, biting my lip.

Tate comes closer, and I hold my breath. His thumb brushes my lower lip, tugging it free from my teeth. Sparks shoot through my body.

I close my eyes, my breath shaky when I release it.

His palm is an exquisite caress sliding along my jaw, cupping my face.

And I can’t resist. I lean into his touch, savoring how his thumb continues to trace my lips.

The subtle rasp of his calloused pad against my lips makes my hair stand on end.

I shiver. My tongue snakes out, and I taste the ocean on his skin.

He groans.

I have never felt so drawn to anyone. And before tonight, I didn’t doubt my attraction. But now…is it simply attraction or the curse…gift…whatever it is that pulls me to him?

“Look at me, Ara.” His voice is gravelly, his words whispering over my face, and it doesn’t matter anymore what pulls me in. All I can think of is how close he is.

Oh gods .

Heat pools in my gut.

My eyes fly open, following his command, and the same heat is burning in Tate’s eyes. His focus shifts to my lips, and he leans in even closer.