“I have you,” he said simply. But it still made her heart jump.
Even if he didn’t, she would make damn sure that he came off the ledge with her for putting her in this precarious situation in the first place. She was not a cat and would most definitely land on her head instead of her feet.
Felix’s grip tightened even more as he led her across the ledge to where two slanted sections of the roof met. The black tiles overlapped enough that they weren’t completely vertical, but they were still fairly steep. What was his plan here?
He gestured upward. “Climb.”
“Are you insane? I’ll fall.”
“The only way you’re falling is for me, little witch.”
For a moment, that made her pause, heart lurching in her chest. The truth was she had already fallen. Far fucking further than she ever wanted to. Would he fall too?
The rustling of the trees filled the silence before she could scramble her thoughts back together. “Shut up. I’m not climbing that.”
Felix’s fangs glinted in the moonlight. “Oh, but you are.”
Before she could argue further, he grabbed her, one moment she was on the ledge; the next, she was splayed against the roof tiles, clinging to them like her life depended on it. Because it did. “Felix!” she whispered harshly.
“I’ll be right behind you.”
Goddess, strike him down. Actually, wait until I’m back on the ground and then strike him down.
Taking a deep breath in, she reached for the next tile up, fingers finding the lip where they overlapped, and hauled herself higher. The rough ceramic bit into her palms, but it kept her from looking down.
“Good girl.”Felix’s voice purred through her mind.
She ignored him, but her body had other ideas, sending a shiver running down her that wasn’t from the cold. Stupid horny body. Stupid climbing cat. She would not help him down again if he got stuck.
True to his word, Felix climbed behind her, acting as a cushion if she fell. It was the least he could do, but it still didn’t make her feel any better. Though she had to admit, as the adrenaline kicked in and her muscles burned with the effort, part of her was enjoying this. Or maybe she was still drunk. Thank fuck Felix was there to catch her.
His voice came from just below her.“Keep going until you reach the top, and you’ll see it.”
A few more feet and the view opened up. The familiar lantern tower of her dorm rose beside the roof. She had seen it frombelow, of course, its tall stone arches were hard to miss. Up close, though, the arches seemed to pierce the very sky, reaching up to the stars like they wanted to touch them. And underneath, a circular platform ringed the tower’s base that was impossible to see from below.
Carefully, she hoisted herself onto the flat ridge where the roof peak converged, then crawled across it on her hands and knees because standing seemed like asking for certain death. Felix followed closely behind her, standing, hands in his pockets like he was strolling the goddessdamn promenade. Show off.
Reaching the platform, she lowered herself down, boots hitting the stone. When she turned around, the view stole her breath right out of her lungs. Caerwyn spread out below in every direction, the whole island visible from this height. Lights from the town and university dotted across the rolling hills, the sea beyond dark and infinite. A desperate need to know what was beyond clawed at her. If only she could go with Felix. But there was no place for a witch in a den.
Felix landed beside her with barely a sound, and she twirled on her heels to face him. “I can’t believe you made me do that.” She slammed her palms against his hard chest and barely moved. “I hate you. I hate you so fucking much.”
“Is that right, kitten?” He smirked, clearly enjoying the contact between them.
“You’re a beastly oaf, a thorn in my side, youdog.”
His smile only widened at the blatant insults. “I could do this all day, kitten.”
“I could have died.” Her voice cracked on the last word, embarrassing, but there it was.
The smirk vanished. He took a step closer to her, closing the distance between them. The space between them became electric, like he was pulling her closer without even trying. “I wouldn’t have let you fall.”
Except they both knew what went unsaid. Would that still be true later? When the bond was broken, and they were enemies again? She pushed those thoughts out of her head, labeling them for a later Avery problem. Because just for one night, she didn’t want to think about the future, as much as her mind demanded it to be heard.
He exhaled hard through his nose. “Let me show you something else.”
Taking a few steps back, his eyes never leaving hers, he moved to the center of the platform and crouched, pressing his palm flat against the stone. Light bloomed under his hand, thin golden threads that raced outward like veins, climbing the arches and spreading across the tower’s roof. Slowly, the stone roof started to fade, translucent at first, and then gone as if it never existed. Only the arches remained, framing a view of a sky so clear and vast it seemed like a painting. Her lips parted as she took in the night.
She started to lower her gaze, but Felix’s fingers found her chin, tipping it back up. “Keep looking,” he said.
