Page 49 of Storm of Ink and Blood

She noticed the way his pupils spread, his nose flaring as her lips parted before she licked the bottom one. She hated that she wanted to kiss him. That she wanted him to kiss her. That kissing was only the first of many things on her mind. Why did she have to be drawn to him?

She sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes dipped to her breasts before they zeroed in on her mouth. His grip on her wrist loosened as she slid her hand out and reached up, touching her fingertips to his lower lip.

He opened his mouth and nipped at them, sending a straight shot of desire below her navel. Her hand wandered lower, smoothing down the column of his throat, the prick of his stubble tickling her skin. He leaned forward, and she felt the evidence of his thick cock pressing against her stomach, causing another inconvenient flare of heat to climb up the back of her neck.

Oh, but this was almost too easy.

She moved lightning quick, grabbing him between the legs and twisting as she flipped him over so he landed on the floor with a thud. She fell on top of him, yanking the dagger from his hand, pressing it to his throat, and baring her teeth. His eyes swirled with anger, his jaw turning hard.

“I could kill you right now,” she hissed.

“Then do it,” he bit out. There was no fear in his eyes. Either he truly believed she wouldn’t, or he didn’t care. “End it. Without you, I am nothing.”

Her heart stuttered and tripped over itself at that impassioned declaration, but she tried to ignore it.

“Let me go,” she snarled.

“We aren’t done,” he said before the world blinked out.

Suddenly, she was back in Ishaan, sitting on the rooftop, leaning against Yasen, who slept with his head tipped back and his mouth hanging open.

Zarya sighed and rubbed a hand down her face, cycling through every emotion under the sun. Anger. Betrayal. The desire that was still pounding between her thighs. Fuck.

Paramadhar. Masatara.

It was time to find a library.

EIGHTEEN

Farida remained unconscious a week later, stable but frustratingly asleep. Zarya didn’t dare go anywhere near their flat, but Yasen played the role of her knight in shining armor and carried reports of her condition back. Rishi was carefully monitoring her, using his Niramaya magic to keep her body healthy while she remained in a suspended state.

In amongst her worry about Farida, Zarya couldn’t stop thinking about Rabin. So far, she hadn’t found any more information about paramadhar despite combing the libraries and bookstores on the high street of Ishaan. She assumed she needed a more academic library, not the type where people went for stories of adventure and romance—of course, she’d picked up a few of those, too.

This was powerful and ancient magic and wouldn’t be found in a common shop. Rabin probably had access to all kinds of rare texts in the king’s palace, which put Zarya at a distinct disadvantage.

She was wondering if there was a way to access the university library when Yasen banged open the door.

“Zee,” he said. “I’ve got someone who wants to meet you.”

“Who?” she asked.

“Just come.”

She knew there was no point in arguing. He wouldn’t tell her, and her trust issues with him no longer applied.

“Fine,” she said. She needed a break from this apartment, anyway. Along with her frustrations about Rabin, she was also stumped on how to proceed next with freeing the vanshaj from their collars. There was no point in practicing on herself or any other objects, even if she had any ink left. But she couldn’t risk harming someone else. She’d done enough damage with Farida. So, what was she missing?

She threw on some clothing and followed Yasen into the street. New posters had been pasted over the previous ones, offering larger rewards for the capture of any active members of the Rising Phoenix.

They still depicted Zarya and Yasen’s not-all-that-accurate likenesses, and she said a silent thank you for that. Few trusted the Jadugara in Gi’ana, but that amount of gold was bound to make anyone think about switching allegiances. They couldn’t risk being nearly caught again.

“How are you doing?” Yasen asked as they wove through the busy streets.

Zarya shrugged. “Why?”

“You’ve been especially quiet lately. Is it just the Farida thing?”

Zarya wrinkled her nose. She hadn’t told Yasen about Rabin yet, only because she wasn’t sure how to describe her feelings. She’d been so angry when she saw him, but she also felt lighter than she had in months.