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The way she moved, the sound she made as she moaned into my mouth. I couldn’t help it. I cupped my hands around her neck and pulled her further into me, deepening the kiss. I couldn’t get enough of her. I had to feel her breath and her very soul against mine. I’d never felt so alive. So drawn to one person.
I knew the blood bond was working against me, making it hard to resist her. At least that was what I blamed it on as my desire for her grew. I wanted more than just a kiss. The past two nights with her were testing my patience. I had to take many, many cold swims in the lake to calm myself.
Everything she did pushed me over the edge, even her bending over to tend to the soil while she was practicing ground abilities sent my insides roaring, wanting me to take her then and there. But now… Now she was kissing me and moaning my fucking name. Her hand pressed against my chest. The other hovered over my lower abdomen, then lower.
I knew she would have to be the one to pull away.
The next morning,I woke up to Scottie curled up on my side of the tent. The tent was just large enough that it could fit two bedrolls. But she’d moved around in her sleep, and I didn’t stop her as she made her way closer and closer to me.
I told myself that it was the warmth she was clinging to as the air had dropped twenty degrees overnight, sending chills throughout our makeshift camp.
“It’s time to get up, Scotlind,” I said gently. I was thankful that she hadn’t woken up screaming with more nightmares like she did that first night in the cabin. After hearing her story last night, I started to understand some of what haunted her. Peter warned me about her nightmares when I forced him to give me updates on her. He would say that most nights, she woke up screaming and drenched in sweat.
I watched every detail of her as her eyelids slowly fluttered open. Her sapphire irises were blinding, and all I could do was focus on the color as it swirled like the lake just outside. Scottie stretched her arms over her head, letting out a little yawn. She had done this since we arrived at the lake, and I’d come to look forward to it, wanting to watch her small morning routine as she adjusted to the sun.
I wished for a different life for her. One where she could wake up this way every morning. One where her past didn’t chase her while she slept. She was so damn beautiful and serene when she was at peace, and I hated myself for playing a role in her terror.
She noticed that she had gravitated toward me again and gave me a small smile before mumbling sorry and shifted back to her bedroll.
“Come on,” I said as I opened the flaps of the tent. “We’re going for a swim this morning.”
“What?” she snapped as she followed me out. “I’m not getting in that water again. It’s freezing!”
“We can start a fire and warm up afterward, but we are doing this.”
“And why might I ask, is it so important that we freeze our butts off in the middle of the lake? That doesn’t sound like fun to me. I don’t care if I never find out how long I can hold my breath. And I can practice attempting to control the water from the dock, thank you very much.”
“I want to look at your markings. See if they give us any indications to what abilities you have. Generally, Tennebris’ golden markings are just swirls and spirals that cover our bodies. They have no meanings, but according to my studies, some of Lux’s markings actually indicate their ability.”
She thought about it for a moment as she shifted on her feet. She looked so damn cute as she bit her bottom lip and stared at the lake with dread. “Fine. You can look at my back, but I’m not staying in that water a minute longer than I have to.”
I didn’t know what all the symbols of Lux meant, but Peter was going to try to find old texts from Allium to see if there was any information on her markings. If I could trace and memorize her back, we could later compare them to what was in the books. Maybe it would give us more insight into what she might possess.
Stripping down until I was in only my trousers, I smirked as I noticed Scottie staring at me, but I pretended not to notice. Let her look. I jumped into the water without thinking twice about it and tried my best not to make a damn sound as the water instantly numbed my skin. Shit. It really was freezing. The constant sun did nothing to demolish the frigidness.
Scottie was still standing at the edge of the lake with her clothes on. “Scotlind, it’s cold in here. I don’t want to freeze my balls off while you just stand there and gawk at my body. Get in here.”
Her cheeks turned pink as she gnawed on her lower lip. “Absolutely not. I am not getting undressed and going into the lake with you.” Her hands went up to her now empty throat. I couldn’t find her necklace when we had escaped that morning, and I could tell that not feeling protected bothered her. I had ordered Peter to see if he could find a necklace with Sui Alluse, so she could still practice her abilities while being protected at the same time. I didn’t want to tell her about it, though, and give her false hope. I’d already sent Peter out to do way more than was physically possible for one person.
“Come on, Scottie. What do you think is going to happen? I just want to look at your markings.” I would have thought that after last night she would have warmed up to the idea of being more uninhibited around me. We’d kissed for a damn long time. I had willed myself to not go further unless she initiated it. But then I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed more. As soon as I had picked her up and carried her into the tent, she became shy and awkwardly pretended to fall asleep which left me with fucking blue balls and an uncomfortable as shit night of sleep.
Neither of us said anything about the kiss she’d given me. I didn’t want to pressure her to complete the bond, so I did my best to hold back. I knew if I started it, I wouldn’t be able to stop. But damn, she was really testing me.
“I hate you,” she grumbled. “And I don’t care what happens to your balls.” She was feisty this morning. I couldn’t help but grin as she added, “Turn around.”
I saw her naked three days ago in the cabin. Hell, I hadn’t just seen. I had held her naked and felt every inch of her skin on me, but I decided against bringing that up as I turned around and gave her privacy. It was probably best for my sake to not look at her anyway. There would be no way I could hide how I felt around her with only my trousers on.
I waited until I heard the splash before turning toward her. And holy fuck, I was thankful for the cold water as I took in the sight of her. She was made for the water. The blue of it reflected and enhanced her features. The water rolling down her arms glistened, making her olive skin shine through her freckles. And her eyes—they were breathtaking.
She screamed. “Sie, are you crazy? This is freezing!” She shivered, her teeth chattering a mile a minute as she wrapped her hands over her arms and started wading closer to me.
“I forgot Luxians have weaker skin, and the cold bothers you more,” I teased.
She laughed and rolled her eyes at me. “Just hurry up, please,” she begged through chattering teeth.
“Turn around,” I ordered. We weren’t deep in the lake, so the water lapped around my hips, but Scottie was much smaller than me. The water rested just below her chest, blocking most of her markings from view. I pushed her long hair in front of her shoulders as I scanned her back, trying to focus on the markings and not the softness of her skin. My fingers trailed up some of the black inky designs before I unclasped her top undergarment.
“What are you doing?” she snapped, whipping her head to look at me while clutching her breasts.
