Page 116 of Storm of Ink and Blood

He continued pounding into her, the sounds of their bodies slapping together echoing in the narrow alley. It was reckless and probably stupid to be doing this here, but it felt like everything about their relationship was a little bit impulsive and like they were stumbling over broken glass trying to avoid a thousand cuts, but the high—the high was like plunging off a cliff and screaming into the wind.

Rabin pumped his hips again, crushing his lips to hers as she came apart, crying into his mouth as he continued thrusting. A few moments later, she felt him thicken, and then he spilled into her with a moan that rattled through every bone in her body.

When he was spent, he collapsed against her. They stood still for a minute, her legs and arms clamped tightly around his waist as they waited for their limbs to stop shaking. Then he pulled up and rubbed a thumb along her bottom lip before he reluctantly pulled away and let her slide to the ground, her skirts falling around her ankles.

He’d said it. I love you.

Clearly and plainly. It was out in the open and was yet another thing they could never return from.

The words sat in the back of her throat, perched on the edge of whatever came next.

But she wasn’t ready.

So she stepped closer and stretched onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his, hoping it conveyed everything she couldn’t quite say out loud yet.

THIRTY-NINE

Zarya and Rabin immediately returned to the forest to test out the control of her magic. She wasn’t surprised to discover that everything felt different.

They stood in the clearing while she managed to channel small, delicate threads of nightfire with Rabin at her side. He didn’t even need to be touching her anymore.

She twisted them in the air, drawing loops and swirls, marveling at her control. This had been the answer. It almost seemed too easy. But she was probably getting ahead of herself. There were still many bridges to cross.

The tendrils of sparkling black light spun around the clearing as she once again contemplated the purpose that found her standing in this spot.

She will be the one to free them all.

But Rabin wasn’t watching her magic. He was watching her. It was impossible not to wonder if he’d been destined for her in more ways than one. Had her mother known about him, too?

And what were the odds that the man who’d rescued him was her father by blood? Maybe Rabin was right and his task was to see them reunited. This couldn’t be only a coincidence.

“Try it on me,” Rabin said, moving to stand in front of her. “Circle them around me. And don’t argue about it being dangerous. I trust you.”

She pressed her lips together and nodded. She did have to try, but for the first time since the idea of using her magic on the collars had arisen, she wasn’t afraid. She could do this.

She twisted her fingers and sent out a thin tendril, snaking it around his ankles as it circled up his thighs and hips. She wound it around his chest and then his throat as she gently touched the tip against his skin.

“Does it hurt?” she asked, and he shook his head.

“It tingles a bit. That’s all.”

Then, an idea occurred to her.

“Let me see your tattoos,” she said, and he didn’t question her as he stripped off his shirt and waited with his arms held at his sides. Seeing him like this always made her a little breathless. It also reminded her of the narrow alley less than an hour ago as her cheeks heated and her stomach tightened with need.

After her feeble attempt to keep him at arm’s length, she’d let him back in with all the resistance of a wet tissue.

And now that they were bound, there would be no way to distance herself anymore.

As her gaze traveled over him, he returned the favor, his eyes darkening as if he, too, was remembering the way he’d taken her against that wall without a care for who might see them.

She licked her lips and then walked over and placed a soft hand on his left pectoral before kissing him just below his collarbone, where she could reach without stretching onto her tiptoes.

“Spitfire,” he growled. “What are you doing?”

She looked up and grinned. “Hold still. I want to test something.”

Rabin did as Zarya asked while he watched her send another tendril of nightfire out, twisting it in the air. It was amazing how much control the Bandhan gave her. He wondered how close they would have to be for it to take effect.