“You see why it would be a bad idea then.” He shifted, lifting his hand from her thighs to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His brows drew together. “What could you possibly need to be punished for?”
She thought of the expression on the wild man’s face, the catch and slide of the knife, the slurping sound the blade made when it pulled out. She started to tremble.
Casrian cursed. He caught her jaw and pulled her face up to look at him. “No. Don’t think about that.”
“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”
“I do, and you need to let it go. At least for tonight. Everything will seem better in the morning.”
She turned her head so his thumb rested against her mouth. She sucked the tip between her lips and closed her teeth around it. His eyes hooded. And that felt wonderfully delicious, that such a small thing could affect him. She bit down and a shudder passed through him. Her tongue soothed the spot and she released him.
His gaze locked on her mouth, moved to her eyes. “Okay, maybe I don’t know what you’re thinking. You should sleep. I’ll keep watch. I’m not going to fuck you. Not when you’re like this. Not after what just happened.”
“You want to though.”
A sense of wonder flooded through her, warming up all of the cold places, driving away the darkness that had crept inside. Casrian Dainwantedher. He wantedher.She could see it in his eyes, feel it in the animal tension in his big body. In the warm solid length of flesh still pressed against her hip.
And that was shocking.
That someone like him—beautiful and perfect and respectable—could want someone like her.
The idea of it was so terrible and wonderful that it pushed back some of the horror of the night.
He dragged in a breath. “This happens sometimes after a fight. The craving for flesh. The need to feel something warm and alive. To reassure yourself that you’re actually still living. Soldiers?—”
“Are you really going to give me a lecture from the Academy right now?”
He looked at her helplessly. “You don’t want me, angel. Not like this.”
“I’m not an angel.” She didn’t know why he kept calling her that.
Tentatively, she pressed her hand against his chest. He actually stopped breathing for a second but she could feel the thud of his heartbeat steady against her palm.
“What if I do want you right now?” she asked softly. “What if it’s what I want most in the world? What if I think it’s the best idea I’ve ever had?”
“Rowan…”
He searched her face for a long moment and then breathed out a curse. Then he bent his head and his lips settled on hers, warm and firm as she’d imagined, moving in a gentle caress.
His eyes were closed as he pulled away, the firelight catching the golden tips of his eyelashes. When he opened them to look at her, he looked almost confused. “I shouldn’t do this.”
She laughed, reaching for him, feeling something loosen inside her. “I think you should.”
Because what would it be like to have the heroic Captain Dain focus all his attention on her? This might be the only time she’d ever have to find out. A few more days in the Black Woods. He’d find his men, kill the witch. He’d pay off his debt to her and her mother and then he’d go back to his life. She wasn’t going to see him again after that. Really, as soon as they found his men, it would be over. He’d go back to being the untouchable captain again, son of a great House, even if he was a bastard. And she’d go back to being a ragged girl from Toam, the daughter of a branded witch.
He was kind to her, kinder than any man had ever been. He was competent and clever and decent. Beautiful, too. So perfect her heart ached to look at him. She wanted him, even if she shouldn’t. This wouldn’t last once they were out of the woods. Their truce would be over if he ever learned the truth about her. But right now, she wanted him and he wanted her. Couldn’t she have him for just one night?
When he pulled away, she sat up enough to pull her shirt over her head. Her nipples tightened in the cold air and his gaze locked on her breasts with a hunger that made her insides turn liquid.
“You keep talking about how you want to help me,” she whispered. “So help me, Casrian. This is what I need right now.”
He groaned, his fingers pushing into her hair, as he eased her to the ground, his body unfolding above her. His long legs stretched out, tangling with hers. He cradled her head and kissed her again, deeper this time, his tongue pushing past her parted lips to stroke into her mouth.
She froze, drowning in the strange sensation. Almost immediately, he gentled the kiss, exploring her slowly, teasing her, tasting her. She kissed him back.
The witch hunter.
She was kissing the witch hunter.
