Tynan closed his eyes at last, and I stayed to watch over him while he slept. Without losing any more time, I took off my dress and returned to the warm pool, washing away the blood and dirt from my face and body. Carefully I rinsed my hair, separating the loose strands with my fingers. It was strange to use the sacred water for bathing, but the bite had not completely gone away, and I hoped that was justification enough.
So many things had occurred in the last four days that I almost could not believe that any of it happened. I quickly descended from being an heiress to the throne, to almost dying from a monster’s bite, to being back with Ty, and alone with him in an abandoned temple. Carefully, I got out of the pool and examined the wound on my leg. Barely an outline was all that was left on my skin. Just the thought of how close I was to turning into one of the monsters, just like Sally did, made me want to crawl into a ball. I swallowed and stepped closer to Tynan.
I had nothing to pat myself dry with, so I just sat closer to him, wrapping my arms around my knees, waiting until the warm air did the work. I examined his face, the features that I knew so well. The straight lines of his nose, his flawlessly shaped lips, his thick eyebrows now slightly furrowed. There was no way to even imagine what he had to go through to get us here.
“I thought I lost you,” his voice broke the silence, and I met Tynan’s eyes.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no way to describe how it felt. Something like losing your heart, but your body doesn’t know that it’s supposed to die, and still moves around.”
I inched closer and took his hand.
“But I could still feel you right here.” I pressed his hand against my heart.
“We’re mated, Alina.” He sighed heavily, as he laid back against the stone floor.
“I know so much about you, and yet, I never knew you before you were assigned to guard me. How is that possible?” I asked.
“I had seen you in my dreams that were as real as everything that’s happening right now. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how it works. The only thing I know for certain is that I would do anything, give anything, to be with you. Nothing could stop me from using my last breath to protect you.
“What about me being an heiress?”
“Don’t care.”
Tynan pressed my hand to his lips. His hot breath on my skin, ignited the flames that flared from within.
"What about the people who are suffering, and the only one who can save them is me?”
I rolled my eyes as I repeated what Corliss used to say.
“They can figure it out without you.”
“What about me being a sacred bride to one of the clan leaders?”
“You aremybride and I’m not willing to share with anyone.”
I moved closer and leaned over him, the strands of my still damp hair hung over his perfect face, his half closed eyes and his lips. Slowly, I touched his mouth with my fingertips, pressing closer against his body. Now more than any other time, I felt my nakedness as my bare skin rested against the hardened leather of his flying suit.
“I want you,” he whispered and my heart leaped in my chest.
“Is that so?” I traced the curve of his lower lip with my tongue in light feathery strokes.
“Yes.”
His chest was rising and falling, while his hands moved up and down my back, and cupped my waist. Our kiss grew more heated and desperate, my body moved on top of his, making me surrender to the call of the bond between us.
His breaths were sharp and uneven, as I traced my hand from his chest to his stomach and continued lower.
“What the fuck is happening here?” a male voice sounded from every place at the same time.
Tynan rolled me off him, and quickly used his body to shield me.
By the entrance, I quickly spotted Samantha and the two other guards I had seen with Tynan before. But I knew Samantha was not her real name. Her name was Frid. The other two were Victor and Sol. I knew them all from my dreams.
“You . . . Are you? Having sex?” she squealed.
“What the fuck? Why are you here?” Tynan reached for my dress and covered me with it.
