Page 107 of The Moon's Fury

She knew he desired her, the same way she did him. She didn’t miss the way his eyes often lingered on the bare skin of her neck, her collarbones.

Hungry, but not for food.

Yet he never acted on it, and she was slowly succumbing to insanity.

At night, when they made camp, she lay her bedroll right beside his instead of across the fire.

He raised an eyebrow. “It’s been colder at night,” she explained, biting her lip. His eyes fell to her mouth, and he nodded slowly.

They lay down together, and she could barely breathe. His large, muscular body radiated heat behind her, but a different sort of warmth set her nerves alight. She pressed back slightly, bold and frustrated. He was a marble statue—she was uncertain if he was even drawing breath.

She scooted back again, and his large hand clamped around her hip, stilling her. He growled her name like the sweetest curse. She ignored him, shimmying her hips in his grasp until he released a low, rumbling groan. His grip loosened, and she turned to face him.

His eyes were dark with desire.

When he opened his mouth, she claimed it in a rough kiss, all teeth and tongue and frustration. He froze, a heartbeat of debilitating doubt, then pushed her onto her back, covering her smaller body with his. His mouth battled hers for dominance, but she wouldn’t relinquish it so easily. She tugged his lower lip with her teeth, tasting the sheer want on his tongue.

With a sudden, strangled groan, he pulled back. He sat up, scrubbing a hand over his face. “We can’t do this, Shamzaadi.” His voice was ragged. “It’s not right.”

“Why not?” She hated how small her voice was. “I know you desire me. And I feel the same.”

He wouldn’t look at her. “I came here to kill you.” Self-loathing strangled his words. “And then I never left. There is no one else here for you to want. I robbed you of that. Now, I’m going to make it right.”

Realization dawned on her, sluggish and disbelieving, followed by blistering anger. “You were going to leave me at the village,” she accused, eyes narrowed.

“You can meet someone new. Someone good.” He still didn’t look at her, coward that he was. She jerked him around, forcing him to face the weight of her heavy glare.

“And if someone sees me light a fire with my hands? Or heal a cut away into nothingness? Or if I lose my temper and explode?” She laughed, dry and humorless. “What, then? You’d leave me alone to face that?”

He had no words to appease her.

“If you’re a monster, then I am, too. And I can make my own choices.”

He still had no words, the useless man.

“Your friend was right,” she muttered. “Youarea flaming donkey.”

She pushed him onto his back, straddling his waist, and kissed him again.

There was a raging horde of camels stampeding inside her head.

No, not camels.

Camelsandhorses. Hundreds of them. They were barreling through her brain, bleating and neighing and snorting, in a rush to get somewhere, uncaring of the devastation they wreaked upon her.

She groaned, struggling to sit, and the fucking camels and horses thundered louder until she gave up and lay still, the pounding making it impossible to think.

Beneath the throbbing pain, there was an undercurrent of despair flowing within her, so strong, it made her stomach clench with nausea until bile threatened to shoot up her throat. She grimaced, willing it down.

Gentle hands found her face, massaging her temples. With concerted effort, she cracked her eyes open. Her vision was blurry, but she could see that it was Zarian. He hovered above her, his beautiful, resplendent face etched with concern.

“Are you all right?” he asked, and his rough, gravelly voice was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard. It made her feel safe and warm and whole. She wanted to say,No. No, there are camels and horses in my head,but when she tried, all that left her mouth was a raspy groan.

He helped her sit, propped her against his solid body, and when he turned away, her heart rebelled in her chest, furious at being denied the sight of his face.

But her heart didn’t rage too long, because he quickly turned back with a canteen. He held it to her lips, and she gulped it down, the cool water soothing her parched throat. The horde of animals raging in her head slightly eased their thunderous pounding.

“Easy,” he murmured. “Slow down.” She wanted to listen to him, wanted to do whatever he asked of her, but she couldn’t help it. She was so,sothirsty. She kept gulping and gulping and gulping.