Page 37 of Obsidian and Frost

I grinned and clicked my glass against his.

That survival state kicked in and I hesitated on taking a sip, watching him drink half of his down in one shot.

He smiled, getting it. “It’s blackberry juice with a frozen edge. No alcohol. Not spelled for an extra kick. I didn’t want that being a part of this—for either of us.”

I took a sip.

The moment the liquid hit my tongue, that sip became several gulps. It wassogood.

“This is mind-blowing.”

“I know, huh? Once they get down to the last drop, they refill on their own. I had that Dark Fae bastard finagle that into the glasses.”

“Bottomless Veil.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s the name of the spell that he used.” As I put my glass back down on the little table, I asked him, “How did you get aDark Fae to do you a favor? My kind—I mean, part of my kind—isn’t exactly known for offering their power to others.”

“It’s a Graverun thing,” he answered with a wince. “He challenged me to a fight the other night and if he won he’d get a couple of vials of my vampire blood. If I won, I got a couple of free spells out of him.”

“What? You offered your blood?”

He lifted a shoulder. “I knew I’d win.”

“How?”

He took a swig from his glass. “Magic-wielders who step into the fight circle with me all think they’ve got it in the bag because I can’t wield magic. They severely underestimate non-magical beings. Every damn time. It’s like a fucking sickness of arrogance that never ends.” He grinned. “Works out well for me.”

I shook my head in dismay. “Wow.”

“Still think you made the right choice agreeing to come here to me tonight? Even with all that I just put out there?”

“Yes.” I leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek, lingering for a moment and breathing in his intoxicating minty scent. That was far from being the only intoxicating thing about Lazriel Thaine. And now the bravado had been dropped on both our ends, I’d actually been able to see that in all its undeniable glory. The real him. Not the fighter, not the flirt—the man beneath it all. The one who had made space for me and crafted this entire world in shadows and velvet. “Thank you for doing all of this. Going to this effort for me… it means a lot. You even figured out that purple is my favorite color—it’s everywhere. Even with the drinks.”

He blinked, like he couldn’t believe I was thanking him. “You should expect things like this, you know? The fact that you’re so stunned by it makes me sad.”

I smiled at his sweet words and reached out and fingered his hoodie. “Forest-green.”

“Yeah.”

“No. That’syourfavorite color.”

He frowned. “Yeah. It is. You even got the exact shade right. How?”

“I have my ways.” I rose to my feet and held out my hand. “Dance with me?”

He clasped my hand and pushed to his feet, and then he startled me as he wrapped his arm around my waist, then spun me, and caught me with his hand again.

A giggle escaped me and I moved with him, spinning around, before he then grasped my hips and yanked me against him.

The sudden closeness made my breath hitch.

His eyes locked on mine, intense and warm as the sensual beat pulsed around us.

I lifted my hands on instinct, fingers curling around his biceps, the flex of muscle under my palms grounding me.

His hips rolled in a slow, deliberate rhythm, and mine began to follow, molded by his grip.