“I’m notsugar sweet.” He crinkles his nose. “I’m a powerful, dangerous creature of darkness.”
I snort, my eyes flashing with amusement as Willow claps a hand over her mouth to conceal her smile.
“Sure thing, Rhune. You’re downright terrifying… ly adorable,” I add.
“I amnotadorable.” Rhune shoves his lip out in a pout, proving my point. “Willow, do not listen to him. He speaks lies.”
She reaches up, cupping the side of his face. “Being adorable isn’t a bad thing, Rhune. I like that you’re sweet.”
Leaning up as far as she can, she presses her lips to his lower jaw. Rhune’s eyes flare bright, and his entire body shudders with pleasure. “You… what was that?” he breathes, reaching up to touch the spot her lips touched.
“A kiss.” Her lips spread in a wide grin. “Did you like it?”
“I…yes.” He gazes down at her, his eyes full of wonder. “Could you do it again?”
She laughs, the sound of a beautiful melody that pulls at my heartstrings. Instead of answering, she presses upward, placing her lips to his jaw in another one of herkisses.
I want one.
“Don’t be so greedy, Rhune.” I inch closer to Willow’s beautifully flushed face. “Maybe she wants to share her magic kisses.”
Willow laughs, her cheeks turning an even darker shade of pink. “What? Now you want one, too?”
“I do,” I say without hesitation. “So very, very badly.”
Her lips part, but no sound comes out. Willow’s gaze heats, her heart stuttering wildly as she leans in. Slowly, softly, she places her lips on my jaw like she did for Rhune, and my world shatters around me.
Pleasurable electricity flows from her skin to mine, heating the spot her lips are touching and filling my veins with molten honey. A piece of my soul snaps into place, waking my inner demon from his slumber and prompting it to rise to the surface.
I fight against the transformation with every shred of willpower I possess, teetering the line between indescribable pleasure and unspeakable agony.Just a moment longer. I can bear one more second to feel her lips on my skin.
As soon as she pulls away, I’m able to think clearly again. The clarity would normally bring me comfort, but this time, I’m left with a sense of profound loss and a strange tugging sensation in my chest.
“Willow… I?—”
I never get to finish what I was going to say. In an instant, Willow’s body goes limp, and her eyes slide closed as she falls into a deep sleep.
What…?
“Is she okay?” I reach out to touch her, but she doesn’t react, and the pit of worry in my stomach deepens.
Rhune leans in close, listening for breath sounds. “I think… she truly fell asleep.” He lifts his head, a small whine echoing in his throat as his desperate eyes meet mine. “Is this normal for humans?”
I don’t have the heart to tell him that,no,this is not normal. At least, all the research I’ve done on her kind points to something being wrong.I just don’t know what it is…
“She will be okay,” I say, more for my sake than for Rhune’s. “She needs rest, that is all. When she wakes, we can take her down to the healing pools for a long soak, just in case she is truly sick.”
“Okay…” Rhune looks down at Willow, brushing her dark hair back gently from her forehead. “She looks so peaceful while she’s sleeping.”
“She does.” Jealousy is eating me alive that he’s the one who gets to hold her while she’s in this vulnerable state, but I don’t have the heart to pull her from him.
Before I can say anything else, a piercing screech echoes from deep underground, powerful enough to shake the ground beneath our feet.Another ice wyrm.
“That’s the third one this cycle,” Rhune murmurs, looking worried. “What do you think it means?”
“I don’t know, Rhune… I wish I did.” There’s an ominous sense of dread settling in the pit of my stomach, a silent screaming in the back of my mind. My body is trying to warn me of something—I just don’t know what.
Unwittingly, I gaze toward the exit, and my mind flashes to an image of Cin chained in his bedroom. It’s been a while since I heard any howling or clanking from within.Maybe Cin is awake.
