Page 34 of Taste of Thorns

“You wanted to talk,” he says.

“Yes,” I say, lifting my head, “but there’s something I need to show you first.”

His eyes flash. “Lumomancy. Have you been able to do it again?”

I shake my head. “No, unfortunately, this is going to involve a trip into the forest.”

He groans. “Can it wait until the morning? I’m rather comfortable here.” I shake my head, and this time he sighs. “Ahh well, I am starving.” I tip my head back again, offering up my throat. “Miss Storm,” he warns, and I scurry away before I’m pinned to the bed for round two – even if that is a thoroughly pleasing prospect.

We dress slowly, content to watch each other, both big smiles of satisfaction swamping our faces. Then he wraps himself in his cloak, I find my discarded sweater and coat in the classroom and we set off.

The snow has stopped falling but a deep blanket covers the ground, one that reaches to my knees.

I grimace as my legs plummet through it and the icy cold penetrates the fabric.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, the snow up to his knees as well.

“Don’t you feel that at all? It’s freezing and my boots aren’t waterproof, nor my–”

His magic is gliding towards me before I’ve even finished speaking and I don’t know what the hell he does, but my boots are no longer leaking and my feet dry and toasty.

“Now that is handy,” I say.

“Come on,” he says, gaze swinging around, even though it’s the middle of the night and the campus is sleeping. He creates a weak ball of shadowy light and we use it to find our way in the pitch darkness. Although I get the distinct impression, the torch is for me more than him.

Despite my newly mended boots, it still takes me time to trudge through the heavy snow, although Fox seems to find it no trouble at all.

At the entrance to the trees, Fox stops.

“Here we are,” he says, “what did you want to show me?”

“We need to go further.”

“Is this what you were doing the night of–” I nod and take him deeper into the forest.

After a few minutes, he stops suddenly, his eyes ablaze like they were when we were in bed together. His head snaps to the left.

“Stay here!” he commands, his voice booming and even if I wanted to move my legs, I don’t think they would.

He dashes off through the trees so quickly, his form becomes a blur and I lose him in the darkness, his ball of light still hovering above my head.

A frown is only just forming on my face when the air around me whips about and Fox is back by my side.

“How did you do …”

I trail off. There’s a drop of blood in the corner of his mouth, meandering down his chin.

I frown properly.

“My kind … vampires,” he corrects himself, “have unnatural abilities of strength, speed, sound, smell, and sight.”

Which … explains a lot.

“You have blood on your mouth.” He wipes it away with his thumb.

“Deer,” he explains. “I haven’t eaten since before the trial.”

I feel a little snarky that he’d rather feed from a deer than me, but then I realize I’m acting a lot like Odessa and give myself a stern talking to. Just because I have four very hot men interested in me should not be taken for granted. Things can change. I know that well enough from Stanley.