Page 143 of A Thief Among Fae

The tomb won’t raid itself.

The moment the exit unsealed itself, both Desmond and I knew we needed to move on. No matter how much we wanted to keep going, to explore and map every inch of each other, Auri and Finnian could be waiting for us.

While we were shivering in our wet clothes, I forgot that Finnian had suggested putting spare outfits in my enchanted rucksack before we left Vekhara. It’s a mortifying oversight now, not that I regret what happened.

I sneak glances at Desmond, watching the ripple of his abdomen as he pulls his clean shirt over his head. Often, he glances at me, his gaze lingering on my hips, my thighs, my chest. My face flushes, even though I shouldn’t be embarrassed after everything we’ve just done together.

Somehow, there’s more intimacy in redressing within sight of each other than there was in taking our clothes off.

At the sound of his belt buckle clicking, I press my lips into a firm line, licking them as if I could taste him again. It’s not enough.

Gods, if only there could be a next time.

Once we’re both dressed, Desmond smiles at me, his cheeks flushed and hand clenching the skull pommel of his sword. His hair is mussed, and his lips are still swollen and pink. It’s impossible to look at him and not think about how hard he was, the husky rumble of his voice.

Then I follow him into the tunnel.

We emerge into an empty chamber, but it’s clear this is where we’re meant to go. Pictographs and Old Avedoran words line a large, circular door that thrums with ward magic. Another tunnel branches off from the room, where Auri and Finnian will emerge if they survive their challenge. I honestly thought they would be out before us. What if they’ve⁠—

“They’re alright,” I whisper to myself. “They’ll survive. Just like we did.” I nervously rub my neck where the rowan berry necklace disappears beneath my gambeson. I had fetched it from the sopping wet pile of our clothes before we left the chamber. We didn’t take the soiled clothes with us.

Desmond paces the room, but sneaks glances at me. I want to point out that since we’re still alone, we could finish what we⁠—

No. I’ve got to shove these thoughts down, at least long enough to survive the tomb. Any distraction could be lethal, yet he’s all I can think about as we stand around and wait.

I gesture to the warded door, hoping conversation might diffuse the sexually tense silence thrumming between us. “You said other raiders have made it to the chasm. Yet the door is still warded?”

“They’re self-resealing wards. Once we leave, the barrow will lock itself down. It’s incredible magic.” He runs his hands along the pictographs, smiling. “This pictograph here—” he taps an engraving of swirling lines emanating from a hill. “It depicts a curse being set loose from this barrow. No doubt a threat to dissuade us from continuing.”

“Is this one of the languages you know?”

“Yes, but I haven’t seen it outside of my studies before now.” He looks at me, his smile softening with a fond warmth.

I have his attention. We’re alone. This is as good a time as any to ask. “Desmond. . .” I pause, afraid that he won’t answer. “Can you speak to ghosts?”

He stills. Then the mask snaps onto his face, an unreadable steadiness that says my question is of no interest to him. But I know how to read through that mask now. The fact that he’s wearing it at all means the question did unsettle him.

“Please answer.” We just bared our bodies to one another, for gods’ sake. Surely he can let go of just one secret.

Three heartbeats pass, as if he’s weighing a risk. Then he nods. “I can.” Yet the mask doesn’t drop. He’s still hiding something.

I fidget with the hem of my tunic as I stare at him, thinking. At least he didn’t deny it, yet it raises more questions than it answers. His Gift is supposed to be devastating. Fomorians fear it. Avedor fears it. Spirit mediums are sometimes ostracized since any Gift relating to death makes people uneasy, but there’s no way he’s just a. . .

No. I don’t want to believe it.

Finnian’s distant voice echoes. He comes barreling down the tunnel, his dark hair on end and sizzling. Auri follows behind him, exasperated.

“She electrocuted you?” I ask, not surprised. I’m relieved that they’re alright, but wish they had arrived a minute later. I want Desmond to open up to me and know he never will in front of others.

Auri scoffs. “It was an accident. And he survived, did he not?”

“It certainly took you long enough,” Desmond says as if we’ve been waiting for an hour.

Finnian grimaces. “Couldn’t make heads or tails of the maze.” Then he does a double-take at our changed outfits. “What’d you guys suffer through?”

And here I had hoped he wouldn’t notice. I quickly say, “A riddle.”

“Restraint,” Desmond says simultaneously.